Connect with us

Iowa

Denny Hamlin has baffling start, falls a lap down early in Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway

Published

on

Denny Hamlin has baffling start, falls a lap down early in Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway


Despite starting P12 and running in the top-10 early at Iowa Speedway, Denny Hamlin and his No. 11 Toyota fell like a rock. The first five laps went well, but it has been downhill for the NASCAR driver since then.

Kyle Larson shot out from the field like a cannonball. He is by far the most dominant driver early on in this Iowa Speedway race. Denny Hamlin on the other hand went DOWN a lap after just 34 laps on the track.

Tires are the big story but it appears that Hamlin is having more than just tire troubles. Will the 11 team get things figured out?

Advertisement

Between last week’s race at Sonoma and the start of this one, things have been falling off for Denny Hamlin and his team. Short tracks are usually a strength for Hamlin and his crew. But Iowa Speedway is a new track for him.

While other, younger drivers have raced at Iowa in the past, Hamlin has not. He was already a full-time Cup Series driver by the time Iowa Speedway was built. So no Xfinity, Truck, or ARCA starts for Hamlin at the facility.

Advertisement

Could it be that his unfamiliarity with the track is to blame? I’m not so sure. Hamlin is a veteran and as I mentioned, short tracks are his thing. Unless the 11 crew can make adjustments, the day might be over before it starts for the second straight week.

Denny Hamlin needs to get it figured out

Up until the last two weeks, Denny Hamlin has looked like a true championship contender. As he continues to age, his opportunities are going to continue to vanish. Hamlin has three wins on the year, four if you include the Busch Light Clash. But he can’t afford these moments.

In a tightly contested fight for the regular season championship, and the 15 bonus playoff points that come with it, Hamlin is battling Larson. Every stage and every position matters when it comes to this race for the regular season title.

Then again, Larson is starting to look like he did in 2021. Remember his three straight wins during that summer? Well, it happened right around this time. With the pole award locked up and a strong first stage, Larson has back-to-back wins in mind right now.

Denny Hamlin has to get it figured out sooner rather than later. If the tires are such a big deal in this race, he might have a chance. Catch a few breaks, get into a groove, and try to pass.

Advertisement





Source link

Iowa

Penn State earns commitment from Iowa State leading wide receiver via transfer

Published

on

Penn State earns commitment from Iowa State leading wide receiver via transfer


Penn State landed Iowa State’s pair of quarterbacks earlier Sunday, including starter Rocco Becht, in a splash move. Now, the Cyclones’ leading receiver is coming with them.

Wide receiver Brett Eskildsen committed to Penn State via the transfer portal, becoming the seventh Cyclone to join the Nittany Lions this weekend. He announced the move on social media.

Eskildsen recorded 30 receptions, 526 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore in 2025. He also appeared in all 13 games as a freshman but made just two catches for 17 yards.

The 6-1, 200-pound wideout is from Frisco, Texas, and is a three-star in the 247Sports transfer rankings (No. 118 overall, No. 30 WR). He was a three-star out of high school as well, where he had more than 1,5000 career receiving yards.

Advertisement

Becht’s top man from 2026 is now in place. He’ll also be able to throw to standout Penn State freshman Koby Howard and quick youngster Tyseer Denmark, who have confirmed their returns thus far.

Listen to the Blue-White Breakdown podcast



Source link

Continue Reading

Iowa

Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor

Published

on

Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor


Iowa State football has picked up a commitment from Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Jan. 3.

Raynor has one season of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot, 202-pounder from Kernersville, North Carolina, passed for 3,361 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He was intercepted 11 times.

Raynor also rushed for 423 yards and seven touchdowns.

Advertisement

He passed for 8,694 yards and 52 touchdowns in three seasons at Arkansas State.

“The (Iowa State) coaching staff is known for winning,” Raynor told Thamel. “The head coach is a known winner and done it on multiple levels.”

Raynor will join Arkansas State offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf in Ames. Heckendorf was named Cyclones quarterbacks coach this week.

Raynor completed 19 of 33 passes for 222 yards in a 24-16 loss to Iowa State on Sept. 13, 2025.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Iowa

Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling

Published

on

Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling


The first month of the Iowa high school wrestling season has been filled with scintillating individual performances. Here’s a look at seven standouts who have been racking up bonus points in December. 

Drew Anderson (Riverside)  

The Class 1A state runner-up last year at 132 is up to 144 this season and he’s 14-0 with 11 technical falls, a pair of pins and a forfeit win. Anderson, a junior in his second season at the school, already owns the Riverside school record for technical falls with 28. Anderson is on pace to more than double the previous Riverside tech record of 23. 

Urijah Courter (West Marshall)

Advertisement

Courter won the 2A title last season at 113 after placing third as a freshman at 106. He’s up to 120 this season. Courter is 14-0 this season with 10 pins and two technical falls. His ledger also includes a 6-5 win against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Simon Bettis in a rematch of last season’s state title bout. 

Cooper Hinz (Jesup)

Entering the holiday break, Michigan commit and two-time state medalist Cooper Hinz is 22-0 with 21 wins via pin, technical fall or forfeit. His other victory was a 4-1 overtime decision against returning state placewinner Cain Rodgers of North Fayette Valley. More impressively, all of Hinz’s pins and technical falls have all come in the first period. 

Lincoln Jipp (Bettendorf)

Jipp placed fifth at 138, third at 165 and second at 175 in Class 3A during his first three seasons. Now he’s up to 215 — 77 pounds more than where he started his career as a freshman. The North Carolina recruit pinned his way through the prestigious Dan Gable Donnybrook. He’s 16-0 with 10 pins, four technical falls and a forfeit.   

Advertisement

Mason Koehler (Glenwood)

The returning 2A champ at 215 is 20-0 with 18 pins and a major decision. His only two matches that went the distance came at the Council Bluffs Classic, where he defeated Nebraska standout Ryan Boehle of Grand Island 14-4 and Minnesota hammer Joe Kruse of Totino-Grace 9-2. The rest of Koehler’s matches this season ended in first-period pins. He has already registered a six-second pin and another in nine seconds this season. 

Jaxon Miller (Carlisle)  

Miller is a three-time state medalist, a two-time finalist and returning state champ in Class 3A. He placed fourth as a freshman at 145 before making trips to the finals at 157 and 165. He’s 16-0 this season with 13 first-period pins, two technical falls and a forfeit. 

Keaton Moeller (Starmont)

Advertisement

Moeller placed third in 1A as a freshman at 145 before winning a state title at 150 as a sophomore. He missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in football. Now he’s back as a senior at 190 and Moeller hasn’t missed a beat. He’s 13-0 with five pins, six technical falls and a pair of forfeits. He has yet to wrestle a full period this season. 

Iowa High School Premium Rankings

Check out the Iowa High School Wrestling Premium Rankings, which are generated by using an athlete’s complete match history to predict a wrestler’s performance against others in their weight class by considering factors such as win-loss records, the quality of their victories (pins, technical falls, major decisions), the strength of their opponents and overall historical performance patterns. The data is updated every Monday, sourced from the Trackwrestling season results. Since each team is responsible for maintaining their season results, any data discrepancies for a wrestler should be addressed by contacting their coach to manage the information within the season. This includes the weight class assigned. Wrestlers are eligible to be ranked after competing in five matches at a single weight.





Source link

Continue Reading

Trending