The second and final off weekend of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is in the books, and the 14-race stretch to conclude the season is set to get underway this weekend with Sunday afternoon's Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway.
This 350-lap race around the four-turn, 0.894-mile (1.439-kilometer) Newton, Iowa oval is the 23rd of 26 races on the regular season schedule, and while Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin appears to have a pretty safe lead in the point standings, the fact that he turned a 129-point deficit to 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick into an 84-point lead shows how quickly things can change.
But beyond the battle at the top, the many different battles for seeding throughout the rest of the 16-driver playoff picture could prove crucial from now until the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway. Richmond Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway are also scheduled to host races between now and then.
The playoff drivers (except for the 16th and final qualifier) are all set to be awarded bonus points to begin the 10-race "Chase" postseason, with each spot from third through 15th worth an extra five points. Second is worth 10 more than third, and first is worth 25 more than second.
Here's how the top 10 in the standings look following the off weekend.
NASCAR Cup Series standings before Iowa
Rank | Driver | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 886 | 0 |
2 | Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota | 802 | -84 |
3 | Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford | 766 | -120 |
4 | Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 751 | -135 |
5 | Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | 638 | -248 |
6 | Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 635 | -251 |
7 | Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 623 | -263 |
8 | Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 617 | -269 |
9 | Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford | 613 | -273 |
10 | Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 609 | -277 |
A full starting lineup for Sunday's race was determined by Saturday's single-car qualifying session, with Team Penske's Ryan Blaney taking the pole position ahead of Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson.
Follow along with our standings updates from Iowa as the Iowa Corn 350 unfolds.
NOTE: Only the top 10 drivers are included after the first two stages.
NASCAR Cup Series at Iowa: Standings updates
NASCAR Cup Series at Iowa: Standings after Stage 1
1 - Denny Hamlin - 886 (0)
2 - Tyler Reddick - 802 (-84)
3 - Ryan Blaney - 776 (-110)
4 - Ty Gibbs - 758 (-128)
5 - Carson Hocevar - 638 (-248)
6 - Chase Elliott - 635 (-251)
7 - Chase Briscoe - 626 (-260)
8 - Kyle Larson - 625 (-261)
9 - Christopher Bell - 613 (-273)
9 - Chris Buescher - 613 (-273)
NASCAR Cup Series at Iowa: Standings after Stage 2
NASCAR Cup Series at Iowa: Full standings after Iowa Corn 350
The antepenultimate race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series regular season is the Cook Out 400, which is set to be shown live on USA Network from Richmond Raceway beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 15. Begin a free trial of FuboTV today and don't miss it!
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