NASCAR names three drivers up, and three surprising drivers down after Iowa

The NASCAR Cup Series made it’s debut at Iowa Speedway on Sunday evening, and the race affected the stock of many of the best drivers on the circuit.

After capturing the pole in qualifying, Kyle Larson was the man to beat in Iowa, but but contact with Daniel Suarez sent him into the wall, opening up the race for unpredictably. In the meantime, Ryan Blaney decided he wasn’t going to be denied any longer, and the No. 12 captured his first win of 2024.

Following Sunday’s results, Cameron Richardson of NASCAR.com has named three drivers whose stock is up following the race, and three drivers whose stock is down. Check it out below, as the names on each list may surprise you.

Three Up after Iowa:

1. No. 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr
2. No. 4 Josh Berry
3. No. 99 Daniel Suarez

Coming into the weekend, not many pegged Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as a threat to win at Iowa, even with his success in the Xfinity Series. However, the No. 47 made some shrewd moves as it pertained to race strategy, and he ended up finishing P5 on the evening.

Elsewhere, Josh Berry had a heck of a weekend, qualifying P3 and racing for the lead throughout the night, ending up with a P7 finish. Moreover, Daniel Suarez may have been involved in the controversial wreck that ended Kyle Larson’s evening, but the No. 99 salvaged his run to finish in the top ten, a much needed result.

Three Down:

1. No. 5 Kyle Larson
2. No. 8 Kyle Busch
3. No. 11 Denny Hamlin

As for the drivers who experienced disappointing evenings in Iowa, there was none more dismayed than Kyle Larson. He was simply dominant throughout the night, passing cars with ease until the No. 99 got loose and turned him sideways. A fourth win was a possibility, maybe even a likelihood, but instead, Larson ended up finishing P34.

As for Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, both ran well for the majority of the evening, but a flat tire for Busch and a wreck that wasn’t his fault for Hamlin ruined their chances of solid finishes. Busch needed a good points day, but he finished P35, and while Hamlin only finished in P24, he still would’ve rather been contending for the win, like many believed he could entering the weekend.

Alas, it’ll be fascinating to see how each driver who’s stock is down tries to bounce back next weekend at New Hampshire, while the trio of Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Josh Berry and Daniel Suarez look to keep their momentum going throughout the summer.