William Byron returned to victory lane Sunday in the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway, securing his second NASCAR Cup Series win of the season. The Hendrick Motorsports driver stretched his fuel to the limit, holding off late challenges to take his first victory since the Daytona 500 in February. Byron’s remarkable mileage run brought him across the line ahead of Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney in a tense finish that reshaped the championship picture.
Key Highlights
William Byron stretched his fuel to 144 laps, clinching his second win of 2025.
Seven cautions in the final stage created opportunities for different strategies.
Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney completed the top four finishers.
Byron reclaimed the regular season points lead over teammate Chase Elliott.
Post-race inspection confirmed Byron’s win without issue.
Byron’s Fuel-Saving Gamble Pays Off
Byron’s path to victory was defined by his ability to stretch his fuel far beyond the typical window of around 100 laps. Seven cautions during the final stage slowed the race enough to allow the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to make it to the end. Crew chief Rudy Fugle guided Byron through fuel-saving techniques that proved decisive. Byron admitted after the race that his car ran dry during his celebratory burnout, illustrating just how close he came to falling short on fuel.
“Man, how about that for some fuel mileage? We’ve had our fair share of things not go our way with fuel mileage, and just super thankful for Rudy, all these guys, all the engineers back at the shop. This whole race team, we’ve been through a lot this year. It’s been tough on us. But it feels really good today to get a win.” – William Byron
Briscoe, Keselowski, Blaney Battle Late
Pole-sitter Chase Briscoe led 81 laps but couldn’t close on Byron in the final green-flag stretch, finishing 1.192 seconds behind the leader. Briscoe described feeling like he had a winning car but stalled out once he reached traffic. Brad Keselowski, who won the first two stages, needed a win to make the playoffs. Despite restarting 24th late, he climbed to third but couldn’t overcome the strategy advantage others gained from the cautions. Ryan Blaney, last year’s Iowa winner, finished fourth after contending for the lead throughout much of the afternoon.
| S.No | No | Driver |
| 1 | 24 | William Byron |
| 2 | 19 | Chase Briscoe |
| 3 | 6 | Brad Keselowski |
| 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney |
| 5 | 60 | Ryan Preece |
| 6 | 23 | * Bubba Wallace |
| 7 | 48 | Alex Bowman |
| 8 | 77 | Carson Hocevar |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano |
| 10 | 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 11 | 1 | Ross Chastain |
| 12 | 2 | Austin Cindric |
| 13 | 21 | Josh Berry |
| 14 | 9 | Chase Elliott |
| 15 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek |
| 16 | 43 | Erik Jones |
| 17 | 20 | Christopher Bell |
| 18 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 19 | 45 | * Tyler Reddick |
| 20 | 8 | Kyle Busch |
| 21 | 54 | Ty Gibbs |
| 22 | 17 | Chris Buescher |
| 23 | 7 | Justin Haley |
| 24 | 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 25 | 99 | Daniel Suarez |
| 26 | 41 | Cole Custer |
| 27 | 71 | Michael McDowell |
| 28 | 5 | Kyle Larson |
| 29 | 4 | * Noah Gragson |
| 30 | 35 | * Riley Herbst # |
| 31 | 88 | Shane Van Gisbergen # |
| 32 | 51 | Cody Ware |
| 33 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 34 | 34 | * Todd Gilliland |
| 35 | 10 | Ty Dillon |
| 36 | 38 | * Zane Smith |
| 37 | 66 | * Joey Gase(i) |
“There at the end, I was running William down. I thought I was really in the catbird seat there, and I just got there and kind of stalled out.” – Chase Briscoe
“We had so many yellows there in Stage 3 that it got the 24 and the 19 to where they could make it on fuel… we just couldn’t get back by them.” – Brad Keselowski
Playoff Battle Tightens
Byron’s 15th career win not only ends a mid-season drought but also vaults him back into the regular season points lead, now 18 ahead of teammate Chase Elliott. Elliott pitted for fuel on Lap 283 and could only manage 14th, losing valuable ground. Elsewhere, Ryan Preece’s fifth-place finish cut Chris Buescher’s advantage in the playoff standings from 42 to 23 points. Bubba Wallace rebounded from a two-lap deficit and car damage to finish sixth, keeping himself in the playoff hunt. Alex Bowman’s seventh-place run maintained his margin over Preece for a potential berth. Carson Hocevar, Joey Logano, and Austin Dillon rounded out the top 10.
Post-race inspection cleared Byron’s win, with NASCAR taking four cars, including those of Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Alex Bowman, to the Research and Development Center for further checks. The Iowa event’s 12 cautions slowed the field for 72 laps, creating shifting strategies that defined the finish.
News in Brief: Complete 2025 Iowa Corn 350 Results
William Byron claimed the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway, stretching fuel for 144 laps to beat Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney. The win, Byron’s first since Daytona, gave Hendrick Motorsports its 15th career triumph and returned Byron to the regular season points lead over teammate Chase Elliott. The race featured 12 cautions, altering strategies and playoff standings. Post-race inspections confirmed results. Follow NASCAR News for updated results, playoff battles, and every story shaping the 2025 season.
ALSO READ: Full Iowa Corn 350 Starting Lineup: Chase Briscoe on Pole, Kyle Busch to Start Last
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Who won the NASCAR Iowa race today?
A. William Byron Secures Narrow Victory in Iowa Showdown.
Q. How long is the Iowa Corn 350 race?
A. The Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol is a 306.25-mile NASCAR Cup Series race hosted in Newton, Iowa.
