Wide Open Sports

The next gen NASCAR is known for many things, with admittedly few of those being positive. The NASCAR leadership team took a big swing in 2022 with the introduction of a car vastly different than anything the North American stock car world had ever seen. At first glance, the biggest change from 2021 to 2022 was the placement of the number. When the new car was introduced, it featured a smaller rear quarter panel and a longer hood and front fender to better reflect the sports cars of today. This change in configuration left sponsors with less space than they had historically. NASCAR worked in association with the teams to find a solution- sliding the numbers forward to allow sponsors to use door space previously taken up by the car number. This change has led to mostly negative feedback from fans. Unfortunately, it is not the only adverse affect of the changes made to the next gen car. Many sweeping changes were made to the gen 6 car, such as- increasing the diameter and width of tires, invertedly increasing the grip of the car and its braking power. An underbody was added which drastically increased the car’s downforce. The shift pattern was changed from a standard 4 speed H pattern to a sequential 5 speed pattern, which has led to downshifting at certain tracks due to improper gear ratios. NASCAR became the sole source of parts for the next gen vehicles, with OEMs relegated to only producing the engines for teams. All of these changes have been a detriment to short track racing, where small things like tire size and downforce are amplified in close-quarters. With that being said, here is how I am betting this week in NASCAR with track position at a premium.

Ryan Blaney

It may seem like an obvious choice, but Ryan Blaney is a must-start for any fantasy/betting lineups this week. Not only did Ryan Blaney secure the pole for this week’s race, he also won the inaugural race at Iowa in 2024 and scored a top-5 in 2025 with a 4th pace finish. The Fords have not had speed at intermediate tracks this year, but they have shown they have the horsepower to compete at tracks like Iowa and North-Wilkesboro, where Blaney’s teammate Joey Logano won on July 19th earlier this season.

Kyle Larson

Starting second, Kyle Larson is another driver looking to capitalize on great track position. Kyle Larson has a background in short track racing and had great success at short tracks like North Wilkesboro, where he won the 2023 All-Star race. Although, Hendrick Motorsports has been in a lull as of late, expect Kyle Larson to remain competitive throughout the day on Sunday.

Brad Keselowski

Once the pride of Penske racing, Brad Keselowski has rebuilt his legacy as a car owner, taking over as part owner and team leader at RFK racing, (Formerly Rousch Fenway racing.) Since becoming an owner/driver, Brad Keselowski has struggled to remain consistent, with bad luck taking the blame for a majority of his poor finishes. That being said, Brad Keselowski has managed to garner one win as the driver of the #6- coming at the 2024 Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. In his two starts at Iowa Speedway since 2024, Brad Keselowski has finished 10th and 3rd respectively and will start 4th on Sunday.

Erik Jones

Erik Jones has been a bit of a journeyman since making it into the NASCAR Cup Series in 2017. Starting with Furniture Row Racing in its second to last year before closing operations, Erik Jones joined Joe Gibbs racing in 2018 where he experienced three up and down years, highlighted by wins at Daytona and Darlington in the 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400 and 2019 Southern 500. Since joining Legacy Motor Club in 2021 (formerly Richard Petty Motorsports,) Erik Jones once again won the Southern 500 in 2022 but continued to finish seasons in the middle of the pack in points. Now in his 6th season with the team, Erik Jones has seemed to hit his stride, currently only 44 points below the cut line for the Chase. He will start the race in 10th place, but with Toyota seemingly ahead of the competition in 2026, expect Erik Jones to maintain track position all day.

Austin Dillon

The grandson of team owner Richard Childress, Austin Dillon may be one of the most polarizing figures in NASCAR today. He was once touted as a future superstar during his time in the Craftsman Truck Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, but has settled into a state of mediocrity since revitalizing the #3 once made famous by Dale Earnhardt. Nevertheless, Austin Dillon has been able to perennially find success at one particular track- Richmond Raceway, with a controversial win in 2024 and a statement win in 2025. Iowa Speedway just so happens to be modeled after Richmond, which makes this an appealing track for Austin Dillon. He will start 6th on Sunday.