NASCAR Monday Mash-Up: A historic weekend at Iowa Speedway
A historic and fun weekend at Iowa Speedway is over. Before we move on to New Hampshire, let’s get into the Iowa action. NASCAR was facing a lot of doubt and it ended up pulling off a great show.
The fans in Iowa turned out. Not just for the Cup Series race. There was a huge crowd for ARCA and the Xfinity Series as well. It was probably the most attended ARCA race in a long time.
NASCAR showed up and the fans returned the favor in Iowa. You couldn’t have drawn up a better weekend or Cup Series debut at this track. Now, let’s get into all that went down in corn country.
Martin Truex Jr. officially retires
The time has officially come for Martin Truex Jr. to call it a career. Reports came out early last week that he would retire, and on Friday he confirmed those reports.
Truex Jr. is a likely first-ballot Hall of Famer. Two Xfinity championships, a Cup Series championship, and a whole lot of accolades. A replacement has not been named yet.
Everyone freaks out about tires during practice
Later on during Cup Series practice, drivers and fans felt uneasy after the heavy tire wear and five blowouts on the track. People were flashing back to Bristol earlier this season or even Indianapolis in 2008.
Those worries were mostly overblown as drivers and teams adjusted. While tires mattered in all three races this weekend, they did not cause chaos.
ARCA drama after Connor Zilisch wins again
If Connor Zilisch is racing, you need to tune in. He is aggressive, brakes better than anyone his age or possibly even in NASCAR as a whole, and he wins. A lot.
William Sawalich and Zilisch got into it on the track a bit. Sawalich straight up tried to wreck Zilisch multiple times, but Connor’s car control was too good and he ran away to the checkered flag.
Rain threatens the perfect weekend
Just as everyone was getting comfortable and excited about NASCAR racing at Iowa Speedway, the rain moved in. Saturday morning and afternoon were threatened by rain in the region.
Thankfully, the only consequence of the weather was canceling Xfinity qualifying and modifying Cup qualifying to a single round. Otherwise, it was wonderful weather all weekend long.
Does Kyle Busch want to be at RCR?
There are rumors swirling in the Silly Season discourse. Who is going to go to where, and Kyle Busch has been named in those rumors.
Busch responded to rumors about a potential JGR reunion with less-than-ideal comments if you are RCR. Right now, I don’t think Busch wants to be with Childress any longer than he is contractually obligated.
More drama after Sam Mayer wins Xfinity race
How about more short-track drama? Sam Mayer won what was a very fun and exciting Xfinity Series race. He won over Riley Herbst, who took exception to the way Mayer raced him late.
During the cool-down lap, Herbst doored Mayer a bit and cut down his left rear. Then he later clowned on Mayer for his “Superman” celebration he does after wins.
NASCAR gambles on tires at Iowa
Even with the concerns about tires, NASCAR decided not to issue more sets at Iowa. Teams were given what they were given to start the weekend and that was that.
This did not end up being a repeat of Bristol, although that would have been just as good. The race was well-produced and put on a great show. No extra tires needed.
First stage at Iowa proves NASCAR was right or just lucky
Almost as soon as the first stage started and Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson fought multiple laps to take the early lead, it was clear – NASCAR was right. Or they got very lucky.
Teams were able to adjust air pressures and make slight camber changes in order to make tires last longer than they did in practice. This is professional racing, it shouldn’t be easy. It definitely wasn’t for the teams who suffered blowouts throughout the night.
Larson and Hamlin collide, twice
This was perhaps one of just a few wrecks that was not caused by a tire failure. Kyle Larson went three-wide on a bold move to start the final stage and paid for it.
Larson was turned by Daniel Suárez and then pinched Denny Hamlin into the wall by the start/finish line. While Larson got back into the race, he was 30+ laps down by the time his team made repairs. There was earlier contact between them in Stage 2.
Ryan Blaney makes NASCAR history at Iowa Speedway
With Kyle Larson out of the picture, Ryan Blaney was obviously the most dominant driver. He would go on to lead 201 laps on his way to victory. A two-tire stop when the track had cooled off after sunset allowed Blaney to race to the win.
This is the first NASCAR Cup Series win at Iowa Speedway ever. Blaney is now the only driver to win a Truck, Xfinity, and Cup race at the facility.