Two big names will have to come through the field in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, as Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski will both drop to the rear after their teams made repairs following damage sustained during Saturday’s on-track action.
Keselowski’s trouble came during qualifying after the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford showed serious speed. His first lap was good enough to qualify fourth at 134.025 mph, but his second attempt ended with Keselowski spinning and backing hard into the outside wall. The impact left significant rear-end damage and forced the RFK Racing crew into repair mode.
Instead of unloading a backup car, Keselowski’s team went to work repairing the primary No. 6 Ford for Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350. The decision allows Keselowski to keep the car that showed top-five speed in qualifying, but the repairs mean he will give up his fourth-place starting position and drop to the rear.
Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team also spent time making repairs following damage from Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions. Those changes will send Elliott to the rear alongside Keselowski, giving two proven Cup Series winners a much tougher path when the green flag falls.
For Keselowski, the speed shown before his qualifying crash could be an encouraging sign. Iowa has also treated him well in the past, including a third-place finish in last year’s race.
Both drivers now face a completely different race than originally planned. Iowa’s short 7/8-mile layout can make passing difficult, and starting deep in the field puts an even greater emphasis on track position, pit strategy and staying out of trouble.
Elliott and Keselowski may be starting at the back, but neither can be counted out. With hundreds of laps ahead, Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350 will give both drivers plenty of time to turn a rough Saturday into a comeback drive.