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There is typically some track record for NASCAR drivers to reflect upon for races. There are not a lot of new courses for them to familiarize themselves with in the Cup Series season.
That isn’t the case this weekend. Drivers will be racing in the inaugural Iowa Corn 350. The Iowa Speedway, which opened in 2008, has never been used by the Cup Series for a race, though it was an Xfinity Series track from 2011 until 2019.
Due to construction on the Auto Club Speedway, the home of the Pala Casino 400 in Fontana, California, NASCAR needed to find a new race for the 2024 season. While there had been discussions about holding the race in Montreal, Iowa came up late as a possibility to host the event, per Fox Sports.
There won’t be many drivers all too familiar with driving in Newton, Iowa. So which driver did the best in qualifying? Here’s what you need to know.
MORE: Watch the Iowa Corn 350 live with Fubo (free trial)
Who won the Iowa Corn 350 pole for 2024?
Kyle Larson won the pole at the Iowa Corn 350. Larson will head into the race having regained the NASCAR Cup Series points lead after winning in Sonoma the previous week.
Larson has driven four times on the Iowa Speedway in the Xfinity Series, and he has twice finished in the top five.
Asked about his approach, Larson explained that though the qualifying laps were challenging to race, it wasn’t as difficult as he expected it to be.
“I get to watch everybody. Everybody looked really loose, really on edge and I just tried to be under the edge I guess a little bit,” Larson told NBC Sports. “My lap felt fairly smooth, a little but edgy but not as bad as I was expecting.
“It helps going out last. It helps being able to watch everybody. Getting to talk with [crew chief] Cliff [Daniels] before I go out too is beneficial. Happy to get the pole, I was hoping for rain and didn’t know what we would qualify and glad that worked out.”
Iowa Corn 350 starting lineup 2024
| Pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team |
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
| 3 | Josh Berry | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 4 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | RFK Racing |
| 6 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 7 | Kyle Busch | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 8 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 23XI Racing |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 10 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 11 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
| 12 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 13 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 14 | Todd Gilliland | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 15 | Chris Buescher | 17 | RFK Racing |
| 16 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing |
| 17 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 18 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | Kaulig Racing |
| 19 | Justin Haley | 51 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 20 | Carson Hocevar | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| 21 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske |
| 22 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 23 | Noah Gragson | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 24 | Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
| 25 | Harrison Burton | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 26 | Zane Smith | 71 | Spire Motorsports |
| 27 | Ty Gibbs | 54 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 28 | Kaz Grala | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 29 | Ryan Preece | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 30 | Daniel Hemric | 31 | Kaulig Racing |
| 31 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 32 | Erik Jones | 43 | Legacy Motor Club |
| 33 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 34 | John H. Nemechek | 42 | Legacy Motor Club |
| 35 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 36 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
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