NEWTON, Iowa (WHO) — At the Iowa Speedway, Sam Mayer seized victory at the HyVee Perks 250, repeating his triumph from last year and marking his first win of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Meanwhile, a young driver’s consecutive winning streak came to an end.
“To get two wins here, especially back-to-back when the Cup Series comes and Xfinity returns, call us the king of the hill,” said Mayer.
Jesse Love showcased the fastest car during Xfinity qualifying. The race faced an early caution on lap two when Ryan Seig collided with Austin Dillon, as racers continued to navigate changing grip conditions throughout the track.
“The racetrack itself is totally different, even just looking at it right now, it’s crazy how different it raced,” said Mayer.
Connor Zillich, a 19-year-old rising star who had won the past three Xfinity events, and Ross Chastain dominated much of the race. However, Mayer capitalized on the final laps to seize victory.
“Today was quite the rollercoaster. We got up to third, then dropped back significantly, and even faced issues in the pit lane. It was a very dynamic race for us, but pulling it together at the end for the win is really something special,” said Mayer.
After leading at Indy but losing the top spot in the final laps, Mayer’s victory in Iowa comes as a satisfying first win of the season.
This weekend of racing all leads up to Sunday’s Cup race.
Chase Briscoe secured the pole position during qualifying and noted his surprise at the track’s differences from a June tire test, owing to a partial repaving undertaken last season.
“It’s kind of surprising how much faster the top lane is this time around. Last year, it was just really, really slick, where this time it’s just been fast from the get-go,” said Briscoe
While Briscoe found success, other drivers like Kyle Busch struggled during practice, losing control out of turn one, hitting the wall, and switching to a backup car.
Depending on who you ask, opinions on the track vary.
“It’s hard, I nearly busted it there in one lap, obviously some others did so, it’s hard,’ said Denny Hamlin, NASCAR Cup Series Driver
“It is significantly more drivable but still has good pace, good grip, so that’s exciting to me,” said Brad Keselowski, NASCAR Cup Series Driver.
It’ll be a race fans won’t want to miss, at the fastest short track on the planet, the green flag drops on the Iowa Corn 350 Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The next race in the Xfinity Series is set for Saturday, August 9, at Watkins Glen International. Action starts at 3 p.m. ET on The CW.
