William Byron squeezed every last drop out of his fuel cell to win the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway, stretching an improbable 144-lap fuel run on a track where the normal fuel window is roughly 100 laps. Byron led the first 67 laps and the final 74 laps of the caution-filled race, taking advantage of 12 yellow flags for 72 laps to conserve enough fuel to make it to the finish without a final pit stop.
Brad Keselowski dominated the early going with consecutive Stage 1 and Stage 2 victories and set the fastest lap of the race, but Byron's crew chief made the pivotal strategic call to stay out and roll the dice on fuel. Chase Briscoe finished a strong second, 1.192 seconds back, with Keselowski settling for third after his aggressive strategy fell just short. Ryan Blaney and Ryan Preece completed the top five on the 0.875-mile short track.
The victory was Byron's second of the 2025 season and first since the Daytona 500, allowing him to regain the series points lead by 18 over teammate Chase Elliott. It was the 15th career win for the Hendrick Motorsports driver and a testament to the No. 24 team's ability to maximize a high-caution race through fuel conservation and strategic patience.
BY THE NUMBERS
10
Lead Changes
6
Leaders
12/72
Cautions / Laps
2,861
Green Flag Passes
1.192
Margin of Victory
92.905
Avg MPH
3:17:47
Race Time
20.6%
Under Caution
21.4
Avg Green Run (Laps)
Stage Winners
S1Brad Keselowski
S2Brad Keselowski
Lap Leaders
#24Byron141laps
#19Briscoe82laps
#6Keselowski68laps
#12Blaney29laps
#2Cindric20laps
#9Elliott11laps
Caution Breakdown
1L72–798LStage 1 ConclusionLD #8
2L171–1766L#88 Incident Turn 2LD #24
3L181–1855L#51 Spin FrontstretchLD #1
4L204–2085L#10, 34 Incident Turn 2LD #38
5L212–2198LStage 2 ConclusionLD #34
6L222–2276L#11 Spins Turn 4LD #88
7L230–2356L#77, 38 Incident Turn 2LD #35
8L244–2496L#43, 19 Incident FrontstretchLD #51
9L254–2607L#19, 20, 45 Incident Turn 2LD #4
10L264–2685L#88, 8 Incident FrontstretchLD #4
11L272–2765L#10 Spin FrontstretchLD #23
12L282–2865LDebris Turn 3LD #23
KEY TAKEAWAYS
01William Byron's 144-lap fuel run on a 100-lap fuel window was the defining fantasy moment of the race -- his 140 laps led and race win delivered an elite fantasy score.
02Brad Keselowski's two stage wins and P3 finish made him the best non-winner fantasy play, earning maximum stage points before Byron's fuel gamble leapfrogged him.
03Chase Briscoe's P2 continues his remarkable consistency -- he has become one of the safest fantasy floor plays in the Cup Series regardless of track type.
04The 12 cautions for 72 laps created a fuel-strategy playground at Iowa -- this track's short-track nature combined with high caution counts makes fuel gambling a viable fantasy differentiator.
05Ryan Preece at P5 delivered solid place-differential value on a short track where his RFK Racing equipment showed genuine speed all day.
