With just 10 weeks of regular-season racing left, the NASCAR Cup Series is surely heating up. And amidst this crucial moment in the season, the drivers and the team have to deal with a curveball; Iowa Speedway. This Sunday’s race also marks the first time that a Cup Series race will be held at the fastest short-track oval.

Some interesting storylines will emerge from the Corn 350 race, as drivers will look to get a much-needed win or enough points to stay afloat in their bid to make the playoffs. While others will look to continue their dominant run. There are multiple drivers touted to be the favorites to take home the win this weekend, all because of their runs in the Xfinity Series running at the track.

Those select few are Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, and even Ricky Stenhouse Jr. But, as far as short-track races in 2024 are considered, Joe Gibbs Racing ace Denny Hamlin also has an equal claim to be among the top contenders for a win.

Denny Hamlin is still looking to get back to winning ways after his Dover triumph

Short-track racing has been a strong suit for the No. 11 JGR team; there’s no denying that fact. Out of four short-track events so far this season, Hamlin has bagged the win in three of them. His first win came at the night race at Bristol Motor Speedway, where most of the drivers struggled to save their tires from excess cording.

The second victory came in a rather controversial manner at Richmond when he jumped the restart line during the overtime finish, snatching a potential win from his teammate Martin Truex Jr. Although he wasn’t able to get on a back-to-back streak and failed to emerge victorious at Martinsville, once again, Hamlin was on his A-game at the Monster Mile during the Dover race, where he got ahead of his rival, Kyle Larson. And he also tied a record with Lee Petty for 54 Cup wins to his name.

Since then, Denny Hamlin has been on a streak of four top 5 finishes and even eclipsed Larson at the top of the standings. But, unfortunately, an engine bust at Sonoma Raceway last weekend put a halt to his string of consistent runs.

However, with a tricky short-track race back in the mix, all bets are off. Especially the controversial repaving of the racing surface has spread confusion and nervousness in the Cup garage. This in turn could allow Denny Hamlin to sneak a win under everyone’s nose, and his short-track racing prowess could well come into play this Sunday.

Apart from the likes of Hamlin and Larson, the attention will also be on struggling drivers. And going by the 2024 run, there are quite some big names who are yet to hit their markers.

Playoffs bubble driver in focus at Iowa Speedway

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Defending Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney has been mired by bad luck since the start of the season. Apart from missing the win at Atlanta by a record margin, his No. 12 Ford ran out of gas at Gateway Park. He was in a commanding position to win the race, but at the drop of the white flag, his car came to an abrupt halt. The Penske driver currently sits in the 12th spot in the points standings and will be under constant pressure to defend his position.

Chris Buescher, another Ford driver, is hovering just above the cut-off line in the 13th spot. Like Blaney, he has often found himself on the bitter end of things. He was unofficially declared the winner of the Kansas race, only to find out that he lost to Larson in the closest finish in NASCAR history. To make matters worse, Buescher was wrecked by Tyler Reddick at Darlington. Again, he was leading the race for the win but had to be content with a P30 finish. Again, he needs to buckle up and get their crucial results before the pressure is too much for his team to handle.

2-time Cup Series winner Kyle Busch is also sailing in a similar boat, but in his case, he hasn’t even had a sniff at winning races so far in 2024. Yeah, the three-wide photo finish was an exception, but that’s about it. Rowdy, without a major result to his name, finds himself on the bubble, placed 15th in the points standings. Like the other driver mentioned in this list, he did have an Iowa win during his Xfinity Series days. Although, given the current state of affairs at RCR, it is indeed tough to see him make a stunning comeback.

Last but not least, we have Joey Logano rounding off this list. The Penske driver currently holds the 16th spot in the points standings. He couldn’t be any closer to being out of the race for the playoffs; one bad run and he would take a tumble. The only silver bullet that he has in his arsenal is the fact that it’s a newly paved race track. He has a series of wins on new race tracks, the trend can be traced back to the Bristol Dirt race in 2021, to the first Cup race at Gateway Park. As far as 2024 is concerned, he did bag a million dollars at the newly repaved North Wilkesboro Speedway. So this weekend’s race, he will be wishing he could summon his magical powers back again.

With no previous track record of a Cup race at Iowa, it is indeed hard to pick a clear-cut favorite or struggling driver. Therefore, this weekend’s race will be an exciting affair, keeping the fans on the edge of their seats.