The Xfinity Series returns to Iowa Speedway for the US Cellular 250 on Saturday July 30th at 8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. This is the second race of the season at the 0.875 mile oval and the 14th event of the season. Iowa Speedway has produced some fantastic racing in the past. It has had eight different pole position winners and also eight different race victors. Sam Hornish Jr. dominated the last contest here and became the third driver with multiple wins at Iowa.
Sam Hornish Jr. revisits Iowa Speedway and will try to repeat his performance earlier this year. The veteran driver looks to become only the second driver in the Xfinity Series to sweep both Iowa races in the same season. NASCAR Sprint Cup mainstay Ricky Stenhouse Jr. accomplished the feat in 2011.
Sam Hornish Jr. made his only start of the 2016 Xfinity Series season at Iowa Speedway in June. He filled in for Joe Gibbs Racing. Hornish Jr. qualified his car in third and led 183 of the 250 laps. As a result, Hornish Jr. drove on to victory in dominating fashion.
Now, Richard Childress Racing has asked the talented driver to race for their brand. Hornish Jr. will drive the #2 Rheem Chevrolet for the US Cellular 250 this Saturday. He will be trying to do his best to achieve the same result as he did with Joe Gibbs Racing.
The Xfinity Series points leader Daniel Suarez and second place racer Elliott Sadler each have won a race this season. As a result, they both have clinched a top 30 spot in the points. The only thing they need to do to lock themselves into the playoffs is add the US Cellular 250 to their win sheets.
Daniel Suárez has started 18 races in the 2016 Xfinity Series season. The 24-year-old has tallied one win at Michigan Speedway. Furthermore, he has collected eight top five’s and 15 top 10’s. Suarez also carries an average finish this season of 7.7.
The Mexican-born driver has made three starts at Iowa Speedway. Suarez has posted one top five here and another two top 10’s. The Joe Gibbs Racing’s driver performed well at Iowa earlier this season. Suarez led 62 of the 250 laps turned and finishing fourth. The placement was a career best finish for Suarez at Iowa Speedway.
Elliott Sadler sits just 14 clicks behind Xfinity points leader Daniel Suarez. The JR Motorsports’ driver is making the 2016 season one of the best of his career. Sadler has competed in 18 races on the season. In those 18 starts, he has gathered one win at Talladega Super Speedway and five top fives. The veteran driver also has 15 top 10’s and with an average finish of 10.2.
Sadler heads into the US Cellular 250 this weekend as a former winner in 2012. Sadler has quite the resume at the .875 mile oval. Besides his lone victory, he has posted six more top five’s and 11 top 10’s in 11 starts at the venue.
Richard Childress Racing’s Ty Dillon and Justin Allgaier might just be the hungriest drivers on the circuit. Both competitors sit in the top five in the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series points and both have yet to capture a win in 2016. There are only eight races left until the playoffs start so a victory would be a welcome outcome.
Ty Dillon has the largest losing streak among the top ten Xfinity Series drivers. The Sprint Cup part-timer has gone 65 races since he guided his car to the Winner’s Circle. Dillon’s last win came at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2014.
Since his only victory, Ty Dillon has posted 21 top five finishes and three runner-up’s. He finished second behind Sam Hornish Jr. in the last contest held here. In five trips to Iowa Speedway, Dillon has collected three top five’s and four more top 10’s.
JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier currently has 62 straight starts without a win. As a result, he ranks second behind Ty Dillon on the active top 10 Xfinity driver’s list. Allgaier’s last trip to Victory Lane was in Montreal in 2012. when he drove for car owner Steve Turner.
Now, since moving to his new team, Allgaier has put together eight top 10 finishes in his last 10 events. He has a good chance to win this weekend in the US Cellular 250. In his nine starts at Iowa, Allgaier has posted six top 10’s and an average finish of 11.
Erik Jones is having one heck of a rookie campaign with Joe Gibbs Racing. Jones has started all 18 races and has tallied two wins. The triumphs came at Bristol and again at Dover International Speedway. In both events he earned $100,000 dollars in Dash 4 Cash prize money. The Joe Gibbs Racing’s Jones also has 10 top five’s and 11 top 10’s.
Jones currently sits fourth in the Xfinity Series points race and is the only driver to secure himself in the Chase with multiple wins. Jones will be making his fourth start at Iowa in the US Cellular 250 this weekend. In his past races at Iowa Speedway, Jones has reeled in two poles position awards, one top five and two top 10’s.
The Current 2016 Top 20 Xfinity Series Points Standings Drivers:
1. Daniel Suarez 8 608
2. Elliott Sadler 7 594 -14
3. Ty Dillon 5 55 -50
4. Justin Allgaier 3 542 -66
5. Erik Jones # 16 539 -69
6. Brendan Gaughan 5 535 -73
7. Brandon Jones # 2 520 -88
8. Brennan Poole # 3 519 -89
9. Darrell Wallace Jr 3 486 -122
10. Ryan Reed 1 433 -175
11. Ryan Sieg 0 420 -188
12. Blake Koch 1 403 -205
13. Ross Chastain 3 384 -224
14. Jeremy Clements 1 383 -225
15. Dakoda Armstrong 0 369 -239
16. Jj Yeley 1 345 -263
17. Garrett Smithley # 0 323 -285
18. Ryan Preece # 1 306 -302
19. Jeb Burton 1 289 -319
20. Ray Black Jr # 2 252 -356
