Iowa Corn 350 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Austin Cindric
Iowa Fantasy Outlook – On a weekly basis, Austin Cindric is a low double-digits to mid-teens driver and at Iowa, I would expect more of the same. That’s exactly how Cindric performed last summer (12th), and it matches up with his recent 14th at North Wilkesboro. At shorter-flat tracks since 2025 minus the last two Phoenix races which weren’t incident free, Cindric has a 14.3 average finish. In 7 of the last 8 races heading into the weekend, Cindric’s finished between 11th to 14th.
Iowa Track History – In the Next Gen at Iowa, Austin Cindric ranks 14th for Speed, 15th for Driver Rating and has a 21st place average finish. Last year, Cindirc had a great performance and ran well throughout. In the race, Cindric started 4th, finished 2nd in Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, led 20 laps, had a 6.8 average running position and then finished 12th overall. In terms of speed stats, Cindric ranked 4th for Total Speed Rankings and then 5th for Speed Late In A Run. I’ll note, some pit strategy in the last Stage which was full of cautions for about 60-laps dropped him from 1st on lap 256 to 28th on lap 268, so he had to race hard to semi bounce back. In 2024, Cindric started in the back and basically ended in the back. In the race, Cindric finished 30th, earned the 31st best Driver Rating and had a 24.8 average running position. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Cindric ranked 30th.

Ryan Preece
Iowa Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Preece is frequently at his best at shorter-flat tracks and on Sunday, I would view him as a low double-digit driver who’ll have marginal upside. Preece ran well last summer en route to a 5th and since 2025 at shorter-flat tracks minus Richmond his average finish is 11.3 and he’s 6 for 8 at finishing between 9th to 15th. This year at the two shorter-flat tracks visited, Preece has finishes of 10th (North Wilkesboro) and 13th (Phoenix).
Iowa Track History – At Iowa in the Next Gen, Ryan Preece has two performances at polar opposite ends of the spectrum, but he ran well last summer, and that’s ultimately the most important race. Last year, Preece started 33rd, finished Stage #1 in the 30’s, finished Stage #2 in 9th, ran well over the final Stage to close out and then finished 5th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Preece ranked 18th but take note his speed over the segments were 30th, 33rd, 6th and 6th. Back in 2024 in his old #41, Preece was a 20’s performer. In the race, Preece finished 27th, had the 28th best Driver Rating, had a 23rd place average running position and ranked 25th in terms of Total Speed Rankings.

Shane van Gisbergen
Iowa Fantasy Outlook – Shane van Gisbergen will have dark horse upside at Iowa for the risk takers. SVG had multiple spins last summer and stunk it up, but he’s been great at shorter-flat tracks in 2025, with an 8.0 average finish, and just recently had his best oval Cup performance of his career at North Wilkesboro en route to a 5th (3rd best Speed Ranking). Heading into the weekend, I would conservatively view him as a teen’s driver who might flirt with a top ten.
Iowa Track History – Last year at Iowa, SVG had an ugly afternoon and finished 31st. In the race, SVG started 21st, finished Stage #1 about 21st, was in 20th on lap 155 but then on lap 170 during an extended green flag pit cycle, he spun. When Stage #2 ended, he finished in the 30’s. Later on lap 256, he rebounded up to the high-teens but then on lap 262, he spun again. When the checkered flag waved, SVG finished 31st. Additionally, SVG had a 24.7 average running position and ranked 28th for Total Speed Rankings.

Make sure you read the full spectrum of our Iowa Fantasy NASCAR Rankings

Top Tier Elite > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions & The Low Tier