Another shake-up in the regular season points standings and another shake-up in the NASCAR Power Rankings after Iowa. William Byron finally gets that second win of the season after claiming the Daytona 500 to start things off this Cup Series season.
A few other drivers had great performances at Iowa Speedway. We will see how many of these performances carry over to the next few weeks, or into the early playoff races.
When I think about Iowa and what it means for the postseason, I start thinking about New Hampshire. That is a flat, one-mile oval that starts off the Round of 12. Will our Iowa results give us a glimpse into that race later this season? Let’s get into the NASCAR Power Rankings and move on to Watkins Glen already.
1. Ryan Blaney – Team Penske (+3)
While he didn’t defend his win in the Iowa Cup Series race, Ryan Blaney was the best car on the track as the race came to an end. He closed the gap from five seconds to a second and a half within a couple of laps.
Blaney finished P4, but showed that he has the speed lately to compete on a variety of tracks. Could we see Blaney make another strong postseason surge?
2. Chase Elliott – Hendrick Motorsports (+1)
Not a great day from Chase Elliott. He was getting into it with his teammate Kyle Larson on a few occasions. Elliott does move up in the NASCAR Power Rankings this week, though.
P14 and Elliott lost the points lead for the regular season. Not ideal. However, there are three weeks, including Watkins Glen, where Elliott can bounce back for that championship.
3. Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing (-2)
P24 was not what Denny Hamlin had in mind ahead of the Iowa weekend. Just not a great time for the 11 team on the track in the Hawkeye State.
This was the first dud of a race that this team has had since wrecking out at Atlanta. So, they can’t complain too much.
4. Kyle Larson – Hendrick Motorsports (-2)
Somehow, Kyle Larson finished worse than Denny Hamlin. P28 and while it looked like this 5 team had turned things around, they took another step back.
You can’t count Kyle Larson out for too long. He will eventually make it back to the front and will win, I think, at least two more races this season.
5. Chase Briscoe – Joe Gibbs Racing (+4)
Sixth pole award of the season and a P2 finish! Chase Briscoe came up just short at Iowa on Sunday.
Had it not been for the cautions that led William Byron save so much fuel, maybe it turns out differently. However, the field kept wrecking over and over again. So, Byron held on over Briscoe.
6. Ryan Preece – RFK Racing (-)
How about this Ryan Preece guy? P5 from the 60 at Iowa. For a moment, he looked like a contender and was likely one or two adjustments away from doing so.
Preece has been having great runs lately. P4 and P5 in the last two weeks. Watkins Glen is another race that he can overperform and impress at.
7. William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports (NR)
Finally back in the NASCAR Power Rankings again. William Byron won his second race of the season and his first since Daytona.
Byron was great. He did what he had to do, and after a few mishaps this season while leading races, it was nice to see the 24 team finish this one out.
8. Bubba Wallace – 23XI Racing (+2)
Bubba Wallace followed up his Indy win with a P6 finish at Iowa. His last three finishes are P7, P1, and P6. Has this 23 team figured things out?
The real test will be at Watkins Glen. Wallace has improved his road course racing skills, but we still need to see it all work from start to finish when it comes to The Glen for Wallace.
9. Christopher Bell – Joe Gibbs Racing (-5)
I just wasn’t sure where to put Christopher Bell in the NASCAR Power Rankings. He wasn’t that much worse than some others on the list. However, the speed has not been there lately.
I am not sure I trust this 20 team to be able to compete for wins consistently right now. That’s not the right place to be with the playoffs right around the corner.
10. Tyler Reddick – 23XI Racing (-4)
Struggling more and more, Tyler Reddick and the 45 team have not looked right lately. If they can’t figure things out at The Glen, I’m worried they aren’t going to score a win this season.
Right now, if I had to make a guess, I’d say the 45 team is going to be on the bubble in the first round and will likely be out in the Round of 12 if not before then. That could change with a few strong races, though.
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