Ty Gibbs edges Christopher Bell at Iowa

2 11 minutes read

For the second time this season, Ty Gibbs finshed in victory lane.

The 23-year-old driver of the No. 54 Toyota held off his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell on the final 20 laps of the Iowa Corn 350 to take the checkered flag, Sunday Aug. 9 in Newton, Iowa. After a pit road delay at the end of Stage 1 caused by issues with the jack on his right rear, Gibbs faded all the way back to 28th place but rallied and surged forward to capture the win.

“Let’s lock in and hammer down,” Gibbs said after the win. “I just had to keep my head down, gel up and stay with it. I appreciate my team.”

The young driver celebrated with a burnout across the front stretch of Iowa Speedway, then dumped a Monster Energy drink on his car before grabbing the checkered flag and performing a Busch Bow in honor of the late Kyle Busch.

Gibbs is the first driver since Hall of Famer Kurt Busch to win the first two races of their Cup Series career on short tracks. His first win came earlier this season on April 12 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Bell finished in second place for the seventh time this season and is still seeking his first win of 2026. Following him across the finish line was pole-sitter Ryan Blaney in third, Josh Berry in fourth, Denny Hamlin in fifth, Chase Briscoe in sixth and Ross Chastain in seventh.

Gibbs took the lead with 20 laps to go after Chastain – who led 40 laps in the final stage – was forced to make a late green flag pit stop. Gibbs and Bell both pitted with 60 laps to go for fresher tires, but Gibbs took just two tires while Bell took four and the No. 54 beat the No. 20 out of pit lane. With 10 laps to go, Gibbs led Bell by about a quarter of a second.

Bell battled hard, trying different entries to find his way to the lead – going low, shooting high – but Gibbs did a solid job of covering the gaps and blocking, all while weaving through lapped traffic. Only 10 cars finished on the lead lap, while 10 others finished multiple laps down.

On the final lap, Gibbs passed a lapped Brad Keselowski, and Bell got pinned behind him. Gibbs ultimately beat Bell by 0.253 seconds.

“This is what you call a bad second-place finish, for sure. I don’t know what else to say. Ty did a really good job, a great job managing the race,” Bell said. “He just didn’t make a mistake.”

All four drivers for JGR – Gibbs, Bell, Hamlin and Briscoe – finished inside the top 10. For Berry, driver of the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 Ford who is currently without a Cup Series ride for next season, the finish was his best of the season.

“Just a really solid day. Car was great,” Berry said. “We had a sloppy day on pit road and couldn’t really get the right track position until that last run.”

With the victory, Gibbs leapfrogged Blaney and Tyler Reddick in the season point standings. Hamlin is still at the top of the leaderboard with three races to go before the postseason Chase begins. Hamlin is ahead of Gibbs by 103 points, Blaney by 110 and Reddick by 120.

Hamlin salvaged a top-five finish after dealing with brake issues all weekend.

“Just had to white-knuckle every lap,” Hamlin said. “Obviously not knowing where my car was going to land when I got into the corner, obviously you want to have brakes, and that was a crazy race to have to do it the whole time without it, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. The team did an amazing job. I would take that day 100 out of 100 times.”

Reddick wrecked out of the race on the fourth lap when his No. 45 Toyota got loose and turned up the track between turns 1 and 2. Reddick hit the SAFER barrier on the outside wall head-on, and Erik Jones couldn’t avoid him, slamming into Reddick. Both cars went to the garage and were finished for the day.

For Jones, who entered this race 18th in point standings – two spots below the cutoff line for the Chase – it marked his first DNF of the season. The No. 43 Toyota for Legacy Motor Club has just three races left to make up ground to secure a postseason spot.

“We needed a perfect week … and obviously, that didn’t happen,” Jones said. “It’s a bummer. It’s a huge mountain now for here on out to get to the Chase, so we will see.”

There wasn’t much movement near the Chase bubble. Heading into next weekend’s race at Richmond Raceway, Austin Cindric is still in 16th place for the final postseason spot, with Ryan Preece on the outside.

Chastain made up the most ground outside of the bubble with his fifth top-10 finish of the season. He’s now in 18th place and within striking distance of Cindric going into Richmond, where Chastain has three top-10 finishes in his Cup Series career.

Connor Zilisch’s 11th-place finish was also noteworthy. The 20-year-old has had a rough rookie season for Trackhouse Racing, a campaign that has included eight DNFs, but this marked his best finish on an oval this year.

Here’s how the Iowa Corn 350 shook out on Sunday, Aug. 9:

Here are the top 10 finishers from the Iowa Corn 350, with starting position in parentheses, car number and make and team:

(6) Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
(22) Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
(1) Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford, Team Penske
(13) Josh Berry, No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers Racing
(29) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
(20) Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
(9) Ross Chastain, No. 1 Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing
(25) AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing
(19) William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
(7) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

Click here for full results from Iowa Corn 350

Ross Chastain is the leader of the Iowa Corn 350 with less than 40 laps to go and has a comfortable lead over Noah Gragson, who is in secon place. However, Ty Gibbs, Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney are all surging to the front on much fresher tires. Chastain will likely have to pit before the race is over.

Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney are dueling for the lead with less than 100 laps in the Iowa Corn 350. Blaney’s No. 12 Ford has led 129 laps so far, while Bell’s No. 20 Toyota has led 78. Blaney is looking for his third win of the year while Bell is seeking his first. The race has had seven lead changes. Ty Gibbs is in third and Ross Chastain is running fourth.

Chase Elliott opted to stay out on the track as the majority of the field pitted during the stage-break caution and is in the lead as the race resumes with 130 laps to go.

Ryan Blaney quickly retook the lead from Elliott.

Joey Logano has been running in the top five for most of the day at the Iowa Corn 350, but will have a lot of ground to make up in the final stage of the race after trouble on pit road. The No. 22 Team Penske Ford was second entering pit road during the stage-break caution, but had to back up into his pit stall because his left rear tire wasn’t tightened all the way. When green flag racing resumes, Logano will be in 28th place.

A Toyota has surged to the front of the pack at Iowa as Christopher Bell is the leader at the end of Stage 2.

Here’s how the top 10 shook out at the end of 210 laps:

Christopher Bell, Toyota
Joey Logano, Ford
Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
Ty Gibbs, Toyota
Chase Briscoe, Toyota
Denny Hamlin, Toyota
William Byron, Chevrolet
Ryan Blaney, Ford
Zane Smith, Ford
Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet

Zilisch has earned points in both of the first two stages, a bright spot for the rookie in what has otherwise been a tough debut season in the Cup Series.

Bell started this race in 21st before surging to the front. He took the lead on a restart out of a caution brought on by Carson Hocevar spinning out.

Ross Chastain has earned points at the end of both of the first two stages and has the chance to make up some ground in his pursuit of one of the 16 spots in the chase.

The caution flag came out again on the 148th lap when John Hunter Nemechek ran Kyle Larson up the racetrack, briefly making things four-wide. Larson got loose and then crashed Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman into the outside wall. Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet will head to the garage for repairs. Larson has a broken toe link, but his team will try to repair the car on pit road.

“I got stuck in neutral when i tried to downshift,” Nemechek said on his radio, referencing what caused the stack-up.

Bubba Wallace was a little too fast leaving pit road and has been penalized for speeding by NASCAR. The driver of the No. 23 Toyota, who has led 35 laps in the Iowa Corn 350, will restart at the back of the field.

Christopher Bell has jumped to the lead. Trailing him on the restart are Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.

On the 141st lap, Carson Hocevar took a spin in turn 4, bringing out another caution flag. Hocevar is having a troublesome day after entering this race ranking fifth in points. The No. 77 Chevrolet is now two laps down after struggling with engine issues.

28 of the race’s 142 laps have been under caution so far.

Bubba Wallace has now led 33 laps at the Iowa Corn 350, the most laps he’s been up front for at a short track since last year’s race at Richmond. Wallace started the race in 25th, but powered his No. 23 Toyota to the front of the pack.

On the 140th lap, Wallace is followed by Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Christopher Bell and Austin Dillon.

Bubba Wallace has taken the lead after passing Chase Elliott on the 108th lap of the Iowa Corn 350. The No. 23 Toyota started Sunday’s race in 25th place and has now charged to the front early in Stage 2. Ryan Blaney has passed Elliott for second, Joey Logano is fourth and Austin Dillon is fifth.

The yellow flag flew again on lap 98 after Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spun and backed his car into the SAFER barrier of the outside wall in turn 4. The incident seemed to occur after Austin Hill bumped into Michael McDowell, who then made contact with Stenhouse and sent him spinning.

Chase Elliott was the lone driver to stay out on the track while the majority of the field pitted under caution after Shane van Gisbergen spun out, so he jumped to the front of the pack. Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace follow behind the No. 9 Chevrolet.

The second natural caution flag of the Iowa Corn 350 flew out when Shane van Gisebergen went for a spin in turn 3 on the 90th lap of the race. van Gisbergen didn’t make contact with any other cars, but had difficulties getting his No. 97 Chevrolet restarted after the spin.

van Gisbergen is inside the Chase cutline currently, but he’s among several drivers around the postseason bubble having a difficult day.

Ty Gibbs entered pit road under the stage caution running in fourth place, but a lengthy stop complicated by issues with the jack and his right rear paved the way for more than 20 cars to pass him. The No. 54 Toyota will restart in 28th place.

Pole-sitter Ryan Blaney never relinquished the lead in the first 70 laps of the race and won the opening stage at the Iowa Corn 350.

Here was the top 10 at the end of Stage 1:

Ryan Blaney, Ford
Joey Logano, Ford
Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
Ty Gibbs, Toyota
Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
Christopher Bell, Toyota
Chase Briscoe, Toyota
Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet
Zane Smith, Ford

Chase Elliott earned the free pass and will restart on the lead lap when green flag racing resumes.

For rookie Zilisch, this is just the third time this season he has scored points in the opening stage of a race.

Bell was the biggest mover up in the first 70 laps, going from 21st to seventh.

Blaney has led all 60 laps of the Iowa Corn 350 and is beginning to catch the cars at the back of the field. The driver of the No. 12 Ford for Team Penske has a 1.2 second lead over teammate Joey Logano and has lapped Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher, Cody Ware and Cole Custer.

Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones will not continue in the Iowa Corn 350 after their crash on the fourth lap of the race. The incident proved to be a crucial one for the pair of Toyota drivers. Reddick, just 36 points ahead in the standings of third-place Ryan Blaney, could drop down a spot in the Chase. Meanwhile, Jones is just trying to make it inside the cutline for the postseason. He entered this race 46 points behind Austin Cindric for the 16th and final spot.

Blaney, the driver of the No. 12 Ford for Team Penske, has held onto the top position for the first 26 laps of the Iowa Corn 350. Kyle Larson and Joey Logano have battled for second and third place, while Ty Gibbs and Austin Dillon have rounded out the top five during the early laps.

The first caution flag of the Iowa Corn 350 came out when Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones collided between turns 1 and 2 on the fourth lap of the race. Reddick got loose, turned into the wall and Jones couldn’t avoid him. Both cars were sent to the garage, with Jones driving there and Reddick’s being towed. Both drivers will also get checked out by the infield care center.

It’s a critical wreck for both Toyotas, as Reddick is still chasing Denny Hamlin for the top spot in the standings while Jones is trying to get inside the Chase cutline.

Three key drivers will move to the rear at the start of the race for making unapproved adjustments after their incidents during practice and qualifying on Saturday. Hamlin had brake issues, while Keselowski and Elliott both damaged their cars.

The command has been given for drivers to start their engines at 3:34 p.m. ET. We’re moments away from green flag racing.

What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Iowa start?

The Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. local) on Sunday, Aug. 9, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Iowa on?

The Iowa Corn 350 will be broadcast on USA Network. Pre-race coverage will start at 3 p.m. ET, with the green flag expected to drop around 3:40 p.m. ET.

Leigh Diffey will have the call alongside analysts Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte. Burton and Letarte will join host Marty Snider and 1999 Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett on pre- and post-race shows. Former Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne will debut as the pace-car analyst.

USA Sports will produce the final 14 races of the season, with 10 on USA Network and four on NBC.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Iowa?

Unlike last season, NASCAR races broadcast by USA Network cannot be streamed on Peacock. Subscribers to YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and Sling can watch through those services, or fans can log into the USA Network app with their cable provider information.

HBO Max will continue to provide live streams of in-car cameras, while MRN will carry the live radio broadcast.

How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Iowa?

The Iowa Corn 350 is 350 laps around the 0.875-mile track for a total of 306.25 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 70 laps; Stage 2: 140 laps; Stage 3: 140 laps.

Who won the NASCAR Cup race at Iowa last year?

William Byron won last year’s Iowa Corn 350, finishing ahead of Chase Briscoe and Brad Keselowski. Byron is still searching for his first victory of the 2026 season in the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.