NASCAR Xfinity Series at Iowa 2015: Full Schedule, Standings and Preview
With NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the All-Star race Saturday, all eyes will be on the Xfinity Series Sunday afternoon at Iowa Speedway.
Iowa has become a popular venue as an Xfinity Series exclusive in NASCAR, and Sunday's 3M 250 promises to be a good one. The Xfinity Series is usually infiltrated by Sprint Cup regulars, but since they will be in Concord, North Carolina, for the All-Star race, the vast majority of those in the Iowa field will be running for points.
Only one Xfinity Series regular has a victory this season, but the odds are in favor of that changing Sunday, which is exciting for fans of NASCAR's No. 2 circuit.
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Here is everything you need to know about the 3M 250, along with a closer look at the drivers with the best chance to enter Victory Lane.
Where: Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa
When: Sunday, May 17, at 2 p.m. ET
Watch: Fox Sports 1
Xfinity Series at Iowa Schedule
| Saturday, May 16 | 10 a.m. | Practice | N/A |
| Saturday, May 16 | 12 p.m. | Final Practice | N/A |
| Saturday, May 16 | 5:45 p.m. | Qualifying | N/A |
| Sunday, May 17 | 2 p.m. | 3M 250 | Fox Sports 1 |
Xfinity Series Standings
| 1 | Ty Dillon | 3 | Leader | 0 |
| 2 | Chris Buescher | 60 | -9 | 0 |
| 3 | Chase Elliott | 9 | -37 | 0 |
| 4 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | 6 | -37 | 0 |
| 5 | Regan Smith | 7 | -43 | 0 |
| 6 | Brian Scott | 2 | -44 | 0 |
| 7 | Elliott Sadler | 1 | -48 | 0 |
| 8 | Ryan Reed | 16 | -75 | 1 |
| 9 | Daniel Suarez | 18 | -76 | 0 |
| 10 | Brendan Gaughan | 62 | -81 | 0 |
Drivers to Watch
Elliott Sadler
Among the Xfinity Series regulars scheduled to be in the 3M 250 field Sunday, only one of them has a victory to his credit. That driver is veteran Elliott Sadler, who is arguably the favorite to reach Victory Lane.
Sadler has finished in the top 10 in all eight of his Xfinity Series starts at Iowa. Also, with an average finish of 4.6, he is far and away the best Iowa Speedway performer on the Xfinity circuit.
With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that the 40-year-old veteran enjoys running in the Hawkeye State, according to SpeedwayMedia.com:
"Iowa Speedway is one of my favorite venues. Statistically, I've done pretty well out there. I celebrated in Victory Lane in 2012, grabbed the pole three times and I've finished in the top-ten in each of my eight NASCAR XFINITY Series starts. We were in contention to win at Talladega and we missed a big opportunity to gain some major driver points. Hopefully, we can jump right back on the horse after our off weekend and bring another dominant No. 1 OneMain Financial Ford Mustang to Iowa Speedway.
"
Sadler is currently seventh in the standings, but a win would be huge in terms of shooting him up the standings and in contention with the likes of Ty Dillon, Chris Buescher and Chase Elliott.
Few drivers in the field are more experienced and accomplished than Sadler, and if he is able to use that to his advantage, then he may very well take the checkered flag this weekend.
Erik Jones
He is only 18 years of age, but few drivers have been busier than Erik Jones this season. Although he races for points in the Camping World Truck Series, he has also run several races in the Xfinity Series and made his Sprint Cup debut last week as well.
Jones disappointingly finished 40th in his first Sprint Cup appearance, but he ran extremely well for much of the race and came away with an experience that he will remember forever:
While it can be argued that Sprint Cup doesn't necessarily impact the other series, one can only assume that Jones' confidence will be through the roof when he takes the track at Iowa Speedway. Even though his Sprint Cup debut ended on a sour note, he proved that he is capable of hanging with the best drivers in the world.
Also, Jones already has an Xfinity Series win under his belt this season, so he has already shown that he can dominate at NASCAR's second level.
Jones will be the closest thing to an invader in Sunday's 3M 250 since he won't be racing for points, and that will make him a definite threat since he'll likely throw caution to the wind in an effort to reach Victory Lane.
Ty Dillon
He has yet to win a race this season, but due to consistency and seven top-10 finishes in nine races, Ty Dillon enters Iowa with a nine-point lead over Chris Buescher for first in the Xfinity Series standings.
The gap is even wider after Buescher with defending champion Chase Elliott and Darrell Wallace Jr. 37 points back. Dillon will leave the door open the longer he goes without a victory, so there is some pressure on him to take the checkered flag in the near future.
In addition to that, the 23-year-old rising star may be driving with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. That is based on the fact that Dillon commented after not being listed among the seven best drivers under the age of 30 by Xfinity Racing:
Winning the Xfinity Series points title would undoubtedly launch Dillon into that conversation, and winning at Iowa would bolster his case significantly as well.
Dillon is seemingly in the mix every week, and it is likely only a matter of time before he seals the deal with a victory.
Sunday's race presents a great opportunity since it will be without Sprint Cup regulars, so there is no better time for Dillon to rise to the occasion.
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