NASCAR Iowa Corn 350 preview: Favorite, underdog, top storylines

On Sunday, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will take on the Iowa Speedway for the second time. Here's what you need to know ahead of Sunday's Iowa Corn 350. 

Favorite: Kyle Larson (+450, per DraftKings) 

Larson is riding the momentum from two consecutive top-five finishes going into the weekend. The 2021 Cup Series champion led 80 laps, finished second in Stage 1 and won Stage 2 at Iowa in 2024 before he was collected in a crash. If he can stay out of trouble on Sunday afternoon, he has a great shot to earn his fourth win of 2025. 

Underdog: Josh Berry (+2500, per DraftKings) 

Berry and the No. 21 team have had a rough summer, but Iowa was one of his best performances in his rookie season a year ago. Berry led 32 laps, earned 15 stage points and finished seventh with Stewart-Haas Racing at Iowa last year, and he's already won at Las Vegas this season. If the No. 21 Ford unloads with speed, don't count Berry out on Sunday. 

Ryan Blaney looking to repeat 

There's nothing like winning an inaugural Cup Series race, and that's exactly what Ryan Blaney did at Iowa in 2024. Blaney led 201 laps and won Stage 1 en route to his first victory of 2024, and another win on Sunday would leave Blaney as the only driver to win a Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway until 2026. 

Bubba Wallace looks to keep momentum rolling after Brickyard win

Bubba Wallace locked up a playoff spot and earned the biggest win of his NASCAR career in the Brickyard 400 on July 26, but a big part of finding success at the top level of professional sports is responding to success. With a playoff spot guaranteed, Wallace and the No. 23 team don't have much to worry about over the final four weeks of the regular season. But how he performs at Iowa and over the next three races will play a big role in how much momentum he has when the Cup Series playoffs begin at Darlington on Aug. 31. 

New playoff cut line 

With Wallace's win, the playoff bubble has changed dramatically. Chris Buescher currently holds the 16th and final provisional playoff spot by 42 points over his RFK Racing teammate in Ryan Preece, but that points gap could change again should a driver below the cut line go to Victory Lane on Sunday. 

The Iowa Corn 350 will go green shortly after 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, with coverage on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.