RCR Race Preview: Iowa Speedway

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway… Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol will mark Austin Dillon’s second career NASCAR Cup Series start at Iowa Speedway. In 2024, Dillon earned a 19th-place finish. The former NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Truck Series champion has plenty of experience outside of the Cup Series at Iowa, having competed there in the Xfinity, Trucks, and the ARCA Menards Series.

Did You Know? Dillon has six Xfinity Series starts to his credit at Iowa Speedway, earning three top-five finishes, four top-10 finishes, and leading 376 laps. In three Truck Series starts at Iowa, Dillon boasts one win among two top-five finishes. He also earned a top-five finish in his lone ARCA Racing Series start at the track in 2009.

A Memorable First… Dillon earned his career-first NASCAR national series win at Iowa Speedway in 2010 during his rookie year of competition in the NASCAR Truck Series. The Welcome, N.C. driver led and bested Johnny Sauter during a green-white-checkered finish to claim his career-first Truck Series win in just his 12th Series start. At only 20 years old, 2 months, 37 days, Dillon became the Truck Series’ second-youngest winning driver, just shy of Kyle Busch, who was the youngest, winning his first truck race at 20 years, 18 days.

Fast Chevys… Dillon has earned pole awards in both the Xfinity Series (2013) and the Truck Series (2011) at Iowa Speedway.

Double Duty… Dillon returns to the Xfinity Series at Iowa Speedway for the first time since 2013. The 2013 Xfinity Series champion is scheduled to drive the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet this weekend in place of Austin Hill. Dillon owns a total of 155 Xfinity Series starts to his credit, most recently racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.

Delivering Performance on the Track and For the Planet… Dillon will race the Get Bioethanol Chevrolet this weekend at Iowa Speedway showcasing the benefits of racing with earth-kind and engine-smart bioethanol blended fuel, Sunoco Green E15. Whether it’s delivering cleaner and cooler high-octane on the track or on your drive to the grocery store, plant-based bioethanol makes a positive impact on our planet and for future generations. NASCAR drivers have now officially raced 25 million NASCAR miles on Sunoco E15, a notable milestone since NASCAR introduced the fuel in 2011. Learn more about what fueling up with bioethanol means for you here.

Meet Dillon… Dillon is scheduled to make an appearance at the RCR Merchandise Hauler in the Iowa Speedway Fan Midway on Sunday at 10:40 a.m. Local Time. Stop by to meet the driver of the Get Bioethanol Chevrolet and purchase gear for race day. He is also scheduled for a question-and-answer session at the NASCAR Experience Stage at 11:45 a.m. Local Time.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

With this being only the second NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, what are you expecting out of the weekend?

“Iowa Speedway is one of those places where, when I show up, I feel really comfortable with the track. It’s a place where I’ve logged a lot of laps over the course of my career, and I’ve always enjoyed going there. Our great partners at Get Bioethanol always support us and a bunch of corn growers come out to support as well. Iowa is a short track, but it feels like a mile-and-a-half in some ways because of the speeds you can carry. Last year, it was tough to navigate the new patch, and I think the track will be a little bit slicker this year, so we’ll have to figure out what the new tires will do. When we get there, we’ll be working hard to make the car as fast as possible.”

Your teammate, Kyle Busch, participated in the Goodyear Tire Test back in June. Were you able to talk to him or any other drivers to hear their thoughts on the new tire and how it may impact this weekend’s race?

“Yes, in talking with Kyle (Busch), it was treacherous during the test because they were trying to lay down new rubber, and it was slick. The marbles were rough outside of the main groove, so you hope that when you get 40 cars out there in practice, it lays down some rubber and widens the track back out. That way, you can run all over that patch, from top to bottom. I’m hopeful that will happen, but it’ll take some time to break in and get fast. Eventually, you’ll be able to move around, but it’ll probably be one-lane dominant until more cars get on the track.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway… Kyle Busch will make his second NASCAR Cup Series start at Iowa Speedway this weekend, following the track’s premiere series debut in 2024. In his first start at the 7/8-mile oval, he secured a top-10 starting position, rolling off seventh on the grid. Busch is seeking redemption after an early exit in last year’s race.

Short Track Mastery… The driver of the No. 8 Cheddar’s Chevrolet has consistently delivered on NASCAR’s tightest circuits. Over the course of his career on tracks less than a mile, Busch has tallied 16 wins, 50 top-five finishes, 68 top-10 finishes, and has dominated the field by leading 5,557 laps.

Heartland Hustle… Busch has made two NASCAR Xfinity Series appearances at Iowa Speedway, scoring a victory and a runner-up finish. He controlled the competition across both races, leading a combined total of 239 laps.

Play Ball… Directly after qualifying on Saturday, Busch is scheduled to fly to Bristol, Tenn. in support of the MLB Speedway Classic presented by BuildSubmarines.com. The game, contested in the infield of Bristol Motor Speedway, will feature the Cincinnati Reds taking on the Atlanta Braves. The MLB Speedway Classic is the first American or National League game ever played in Tennessee and is set to break the all-time regular season single-game attendance record, with more than 85,000 tickets sold.

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Meet Busch… Busch is scheduled to make an appearance at the RCR Merchandise Hauler in the Iowa Speedway Fan Midway on Sunday, August 3 at 11:40 a.m. Local Time. Stop by to meet the driver of the Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet and purchase gear for race day. Busch is also scheduled to make an appearance at the Team Chevy Display for a question-and-answer session on Sunday, August 3 at 12:15 p.m. Local Time.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTE:

Are you looking forward to heading to Iowa Speedway this weekend? What do you expect?

“We went to Iowa Speedway for the tire test earlier this year, and we found out just how treacherous it is when there were only four of us there. You get out of the groove and your car just wants to take off to the wall. So, it was very, very sketchy. I’m not even sure which tire Goodyear ended up deciding to bring back to Iowa, but a lot of work has been done both internally at RCR and with Chevrolet to try to make sure that we’re the best prepared of anybody.”

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway… Jesse Love has made one career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Iowa Speedway, driving the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet last season. The Menlo Park, California native showed speed before a blown tire prematurely ended the event just past halfway. In addition, Love has competed in four ARCA Menards Series races at the 7/8-mile facility, posting one pole, one top-five and two top-10 finishes.

Standings Update… Through 21 regular season events, Love currently holds the fourth position in the Xfinity Series driver championship point standings – 48 points behind third-place Sam Mayer.

About Whelen Engineering… Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, and we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce.

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Meet Love… On Saturday, August 2, fans have two opportunities to meet Love in the Fan Midway at Iowa Speedway. The young gun is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler at 12:40 p.m. Local Time. Immediately following, Love is scheduled to participate in a question-and-answer session at the Team Chevy Display at 1 p.m. Local Time.

JESSE LOVE QUOTE:

Describe racing at Iowa Speedway.

“Our Whelen Chevrolet was fast at Iowa last year, but we blew a right front and hit the fence. There were a lot of question marks about how the repave was going to affect the track before last year’s race, but we learned that the surface has more grip and speed than before. It’s harder to pass now, which makes the racing different than when I went there in ARCA. More than anything, we want to get our No. 2 car back in Victory Lane. Everyone on this team is working hard to make that happen.”

Austin Dillon and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway… Austin Dillon has made six career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Iowa Speedway, earning three top-five and four top-10 results (best finish of second in 2013). In addition, the Welcome, North Carolina native has competed in one NASCAR Cup Series, three NASCAR Truck Series, one ARCA Menards Series, and two NASCAR Pro Series East races at the 7/8-mile oval.

Winning Memories… Dillon’s career-first NASCAR Truck Series victory came at Iowa Speedway in 2010 driving the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. Dillon dominated the event, leading 187 of 200 laps in the race.

Did You Know? Dillon has captured poles in both NASCAR Xfinity and NASCAR Truck Series competition at Iowa Speedway. The 35-year-old’s pole position in the Xfinity Series came in 2013.

Second NXS Race of 2025… Dillon made his 2025 Xfinity Series debut earlier this season at Charlotte Motor Speedway, piloting the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. After being trapped a lap down with an ill-time caution, the veteran racer finished in the 13th position.

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AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:

With stepping into the No. 21 car this weekend, what is the outlook for Saturday’s Xfinity Series race?

“Yeah, getting the chance to represent Bennett Transportation & Logistics and jump into the No. 21 car is an awesome opportunity. I hate it for Austin (Hill) and that team, because they’ve done such a good job of acquiring playoff points this year. After chatting with Austin (Hill), he didn’t mean to do it and it was a racing incident, but this is the outcome that NASCAR came to. I’m just excited to get in the car and hopefully bring something to help that group fight for a championship later this year. I told the team to do whatever they wanted with the car set up wise to try and help them learn for the end of the season. I’ve had some success in the Xfinity Series at Iowa, led a ton of laps there, and would consider it one of my better tracks. I want to go out there and perform well this weekend.”