Byron Coasts to Victory in Fuel-Frenzied Finish at Iowa Speedway

The NASCAR Cup Series made its mark in the Midwest Sunday, and William Byron made his move when it mattered most. The Hendrick Motorsports star managed fuel and nerves over the final 144 laps at Iowa Speedway to clinch his second win of the season—and his first since the Daytona 500.

The final stage was packed with caution flags, which played right into Byron’s game plan. Despite fuel anxiety down the stretch, he led 141 laps and held off pole-sitter Chase Briscoe by just over a second to claim the checkered flag and the overall Cup Series points lead.

Brad Keselowski, who dominated the early portion of the race by sweeping the first two stages, settled for third, while defending Iowa winner Ryan Blaney brought it home in fourth. Byron’s crew chief, Rudy Fugle, admitted it was a gamble but credited smart fuel management in the final 30 laps for the win.

Byron now holds the rare distinction of winning at Iowa Speedway in all three national NASCAR series—a Truck win in 2016, Xfinity in 2017, and now Cup in 2025.

With 12 caution flags and mid-pack carnage, the race was far from smooth sailing. Briscoe found himself at the center of multiple late-race incidents, including contact with Erik Jones and a chain-reaction bump that ruined days for Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell. Briscoe owned up to the chaos, calling one of the moves “bone-headed.”

Bubba Wallace overcame early setbacks, including contact with John Hunter Nemechek and repairs for a damaged rear toe link, to fight his way back to a sixth-place finish—proving that Indy momentum still lingers even in the cornfields.

Next Race: Watkins Glen

The Cup Series heads to Watkins Glen next Sunday, where Chris Buescher is the defending champ. Keep your eyes on street-course ace Shane Van Gisbergen, who’s looking for his fourth straight win on road or street layouts.