Ryan Blaney may have grabbed the headlines by earning the pole for Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol, but Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session revealed much more than who will start first. Here are the five biggest takeaways from Cup qualifying at Iowa Speedway. Track position matters at Iowa’s 0.875-mile layout, where passing can become increasingly difficult once long green-flag runs develop. The rookie will line up alongside some of the Cup Series’ biggest names after putting together one of the fastest laps of the afternoon. All remain capable of charging forward over 350 laps, but Iowa has historically rewarded track position.