Toyota drivers overcame brake points to have a really robust day at Iowa, taking 4 of the highest six positions. Penske seemed robust as anticipated, however the technique/fortune didn’t go their approach ultimately.
Ty Gibbs jumped into the lead with a two-tire name on the ultimate spherical of green-flag pit stops, after which withstood the strain from Christopher Bell to assert victory.
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The race did not see many incidents, however some large names have been concerned within the few wrecks that did unfold, shaking up the Chase standings.
Here is a have a look at the largest winners and losers from Iowa Speedway:
WINNER: Ty Gibbs is making a case for being a title contender
Watch: Iowa winner Ty Gibbs on workforce development: ‘People who wish to assist one another’
Coming into the 2026 season, everybody was questioning when Gibbs would lastly attain Victory Lane. Properly, now he is executed it twice. And much more spectacular than that, Gibbs is out of the blue second within the championship standings. Whereas it is seemingly a bit an excessive amount of to ask for him to catch Hamlin, Gibbs is in an ideal spot for the upcoming Chase reset. He might legitimately contend for the title this yr, just some months faraway from his first win. He additionally fought again from a mid-race pit cease snafu, which dropped him to the rear of the sphere.
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Contained in the technique that turned Ty Gibbs right into a legit NASCAR title menace
Ty Gibbs holds off Christopher Bell to win NASCAR Cup race at Iowa
LOSER: Christopher Bell, at the same time as the largest gainer in factors
Watch: Bell calls Iowa end result a ‘unhealthy second-place end’
Sure, Bell jumped 4 positions within the standings, making him the largest mover for the weekend, however he was not smiling afterwards. One can perceive why after recording his seventh runner-up end of the 2026 season with out a single Cup win. It is some of the profitable winless seasons within the trendy period of NASCAR, and Bell is not thrilled to have so many victories slip via his fingers. Simply check out his post-race interview…
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Christopher Bell laments one more second-place end after failing to catch Ty Gibbs
WINNER: Ross Chastain out of the blue places himself again in Chase battleRoss Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Even Chastain counted himself out of the Chase battle, however at Iowa, he carved 35 factors out of his deficit, jumped up three positions to 18th, and is now 47 factors beneath the cut-line. Yet one more end result like Iowa and he might significantly problem for the sixteenth and last Chase spot. He scored 43 factors at Iowa, which is his season-high for any race this yr. They sacrificed a high 5 to roll the cube for a yellow that might have presumably netted them a win, but it surely was nonetheless a stellar efficiency for the No. 1 workforce. He was additionally the top-finishing Chevrolet driver.
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Learn Additionally:
Full NASCAR Cup factors standings after Iowa 2026
LOSER: Tyler Reddick’s unhealthy luck streak continues
Watch: Contained in the Lap 4 wreck between Reddick, Jones at Iowa
What a flip for the more severe. Reddick was the uncontested championship chief for the primary few months of the season, coming into the Coca-Cola 600 with a factors lead that exceeded 120 factors. However he hasn’t received a race since Might, and he has six finishes of twenty fifth or worse within the final 9 races. Iowa was particularly brutal as he made an unforced error simply 4 laps into the race, wrecking himself and fellow Toyota driver Erik Jones, who was within the battle for the ultimate Chase spot. Reddick took the blame, and it simply looks like the No. 45 workforce that was as soon as unstoppable cannot do something proper these days.
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Learn Additionally:
Tyler Reddick admits mistake in pricey Lap 4 crash with Erik Jones
WINNER: Josh Berry together with his first high 5 of the yearJosh Berry, Wooden Brothers Racing
Josh Berry, Wooden Brothers Racing
The outgoing Wooden Brothers driver had his greatest run of the 2026 season on Sunday. Berry earned his first high 5 end of the yr, putting fourth at Iowa because the second-best Ford driver. It will not do a lot for his season with how deep within the factors they’re, but it surely was a reminder that Berry is aware of the best way to drive these vehicles and is a gifted racer as he tries to discover a new house for 2027.
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Official race outcomes: 2026 NASCAR Cup at Iowa
LOSER: Joey Logano and a misplaced alternative Joey Logano, Crew Penske
Logano was as soon as once more very spectacular at Iowa Speedway, however the end didn’t replicate that. He positioned 14th when he ought to have been battling for the win. Throughout a mid-race pit cease, Logano drove off with a unfastened wheel. He was compelled to cease and reverse again into his stall, erasing all of his observe place. With out that, he completely might have challenged for the win as he seeks to climb greater up the standings earlier than the Chase reset.
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WINNER: Hamlin/Briscoe overcome brake points for robust resultChristopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing
It was a nightmare weekend for Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe, and but, it ended with a fifth and sixth place end for the JGR duo. They battled a myriad of brake points on Saturday and even into the race on Sunday, however they managed it higher than anybody might have anticipated. Hamlin was exhausted after the race, however his efforts meant that he really elevated his championship lead with three races left within the common season.
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Learn Additionally:
What was the cope with Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe’s Iowa brakes?
JGR and 23XI scramble as Toyota battles brake points at Iowa
LOSER: Kyle Larson will get caught up in one other wreck
Watch: Larson displeased with Nemechek after Iowa contact derails No. 5
Larson is in a little bit of a rut, very like Reddick. The reigning 2x champion slipped again to tenth in factors after getting swept up in an unlucky wreck. After getting pushed out of the groove by John Hunter Nemechek, he was out of the blue on the skin of a four-wide state of affairs with no room. He and teammate Alex Bowman wrecked, leaving Larson with a thirty third place end. Whereas Larson has eight high fives this yr, he additionally eight finishes outdoors the highest 30. You are not going to win a title on this format with outcomes like that.
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