After a five-year hiatus, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be heading back to Iowa Speedway for the Hy-Vee PERKS 250 on Saturday, June 15 at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, the NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR radio.
The Newton, Iowa track has hosted 21 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, producing 14 different race winners and 12 different pole winners. The inaugural race was won by Brad Keselowski in 2009 driving the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.
Only two races have been won from the pole or first starting position – Elliott Sadler (2012) and Ryan Preece (2017).
Sadler also holds quite a few records at the track – most poles (four), top fives (seven), top 10s (14) and lead lap finishes (15), while Keselowski is tied with Ricky Stenhouse Jr for most wins (three).
Xfinity Series drivers will kick off the weekend with practice at 4:35 p.m. ET on Friday, June 14 followed by qualifying on Saturday at 12:05 p.m. ET on the USA Network and streamed on the NBC Sports App.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Hy-Vee PERKS 250
The Place: Iowa Speedway
Track Length: .875 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Saturday, June 15
The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,408,568
TV: USA, 3 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 218.75 miles (250 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 75),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 150), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 250)
The return of Iowa Speedway (for some)
Given that the NASCAR Xfinity Series hasn’t raced at Iowa Speedway since 2019, only some drivers entered in this weekend’s Hy-Vee PERKS 250 have given the track a go:
Justin Allgaier: 16 starts – One win (2018), four top fives, 12 top 10s, 449 laps led
Brandon Jones: 10 starts – one top five, three top 10s
Cole Custer: Six starts – three top fives, four top 10s, 169 laps led
Riley Herbst: Two starts – one top 10
Ryan Sieg: 12 starts – one top five (runner up finish in 2017)
Jeremy Clements: 19 starts – one top 10
Garrett Smithley: Eight starts – one top 10 finish
Josh Williams: Four starts – best finish of 15th (2019)
Joey Gase: 17 starts – best finish of 17th (2018)
Ross Chastain: Eight starts – two top fives, three top 10s
David Starr: Nine starts – best finish of 14th (2017)
The Kiwi goes back-to-back
Shane van Gisbergen got his first taste of victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Portland International Raceway and was hungry for more. He went on to Sonoma Raceway to show off his road course expertise, earning his first career pole and leading a race high 32 laps on route to his second consecutive win of the season.
Van Gisbergen joins Austin Hill as one of only two drivers this season to win back-to-back races. He will look to become the first driver in the Xfinity Series since Noah Gragson in 2022 to win three or more consecutive races (Darlington, Kansas, Bristol, Texas).
Playoff picture following Sonoma
With another win by Shane van Gisbergen last weekend at Sonoma Raceway, six spots have been filled for the Playoffs. Van Gisbergen joins Austin Hill, Chandler Smith, Justin Allgaier, Jesse Love and Sam Mayer on the list of drivers who have clinched their spot by virtue of win, leaving six spots up for grabs.
Let’s take a look at how the field is shaping up as the series heads into week 15 of the season:
| Rank | Driver | Points | Race Wins | Stage Wins | Playoff Pts | +/- Cutoff |
| 1 | Austin Hill | 497 | 2 | 2 | 12 | In On Wins |
| 2 | Chandler Smith | 497 | 2 | 3 | 13 | |
| 3 | Shane van Gisbergen # | 362 | 2 | 1 | 11 | |
| 4 | Justin Allgaier | 485 | 1 | 10 | 15 | |
| 5 | Jesse Love # | 435 | 1 | 4 | 9 | |
| 6 | Sam Mayer | 339 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 7 | Cole Custer | 509 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 184 |
| 8 | AJ Allmendinger | 409 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 84 |
| 9 | Riley Herbst | 403 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 78 |
| 10 | Sheldon Creed | 396 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 71 |
| 11 | Parker Kligerman | 379 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 54 |
| 12 | Sammy Smith | 336 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 13 | Ryan Sieg | 325 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -11 |
| 14 | Brandon Jones | 306 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -30 |
| 15 | Anthony Alfredo | 305 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -31 |
| 16 | Parker Retzlaff | 271 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -65 |
| 17 | Brennan Poole | 263 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -73 |
| 18 | Josh Williams | 220 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -116 |
| 19 | Jeremy Clements | 212 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -124 |
| 20 | Leland Honeyman # | 203 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -133 |
| 21 | Kyle Weatherman | 195 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -141 |
| 22 | Ryan Ellis | 182 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -154 |
| 23 | Jeb Burton | 177 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -159 |
| 24 | Blaine Perkins | 165 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -171 |
| 25 | Hailie Deegan # | 148 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -188 |
NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.
Sunoco Rookie of the Year update – Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love has led the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings all season long and despite two wins by Kaulig Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen, he continues to lead with 435 points.
Van Gisbergen doesn’t sit too far behind with 362 points, just 73 points back on Love.
Leland Honeyman Jr. holds the third position with 203 points.
Hailie Deegan and Dawson Cram close out the competition, with 148 points and 91 points, respectively.