NASCAR shakes up Power Rankings in a big way ahead of Iowa

After an exhilarating weekend at Sonoma Raceway, the NASCAR Cup Series is moving on to Iowa Speedway, with their debut at the track on the docket for Sunday in the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol. 

Ahead of Sunday’s Father’s Day spectacular, NASCAR.com has updated their Cup Series Power Rankings, with some major changes taking place. Of course, Kyle Larson is going to be near the top, as he’s coming off an awesome victory during the Toyota/Save Mart 350.

Elsewhere, the stars over at Joe Gibbs Racing, like Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr., will be looking top bounce back at Iowa, after some troubles over the last two weeks. Check out the full NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings below, and all the movement that’s taken place over the last week.

1) Kyle Larson (+1)

With the saga pertaining to whether or not he’d receive a playoff waiver put behind him, Kyle Larson was finally able to race with a clear mind. That was bad news for the rest of the field, as Larson captured his third win of the season at Sonoma Raceway.

Following the win, Larson took over the lead in both the playoff standings and overall standings. In search of his second Cup Series title, it’s easy to see why the Hendrick Motorsports star is considered the favorite among many drivers, fans and media members alike.

2) Chase Elliott (+1)

NASCAR’s resident road course savant has seen some difficulty on the tracks since the switch to the Next Gen car, but Chase Elliott had a more than solid afternoon in Sonoma. He ended up capturing a P4 finish, although the No. 9 expected to be racing for the win coming into the weekend.

It’s been a nice bounce-back season for Elliott after a disastrous 2023. The former Cup Series champion is second to Kyle Larson in the overall standings, proving he’s been among the most consistent in NASCAR week-in and week-out in 2024.

3) Tyler Reddick (+1)

Tyler Reddick was the top Toyota in the race named after the manufacturer, so that’s a little bit of a win for the driver who came home P8 at Sonoma. It helped that Martin Truex Jr. ran out of gas, but Reddick will take all the extra points he can get.

Reddick has established himself as a top-tier wheelman since moving over to 23XI Racing, and 2024 has been huge for the No. 45. He only has one win at the moment, but he’s No. 6 in the playoff points, and could climb even higher with a win at Iowa.

4) Denny Hamlin (-3)

While disappointment was the name of the game for some of NASCAR’s best in Sonoma, nobody went through it earlier and in grander fashion than Denny Hamlin. The No. 11 wheelman ended up finishing dead last on the afternoon, blowing an engine in the first couple of laps.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that Hamlin lost the points lead to Kyle Larson, with the Hendrick Motorsports star winning the race, while Hamlin came home last. We’ll see if Hamlin can get back on the horse and have a better afternoon in Iowa this weekend.

5) Brad Keselowski (—)

It seems like Brad Keselowski always struggles on road courses, but he performed solid enough at Sonoma Raceway over the weekend. A P13 finish in California is something the RFK Racing wheelman would’ve signed up for entering the weekend.

After a slow start to the season, Keselowski has been ripping off solid finishes with a torrid pace. He’s easily been among the top drivers in the sport in 2024. After a disappointing 2023, he’s bounced back in a huge way during this season’s campaign.

NASCAR Power Rankings — No. 6 through No. 20:

After the top-five, the movement dies down a bit in the middle of the Power Rankings, before picking back up towards the end of the Top 20. In a surprising twist, Kyle Busch actually gained two spots, despite a disappointing finish at Sonoma, while Illinois winner Austin Cindric is beginning to fall.

6) Martin Truex Jr. (+1)
7) William Byron (—)
8) Christopher Bell (—)
9) Ross Chastain (—)
10) Ty Gibbs (—)
11) Ryan Blaney (—)
12) Chris Buescher (—)
13) Alex Bowman (-1)
14) Bubba Wallace (+1)
15) Joey Logano (-1)
16) Kyle Busch (+2)
17) Chase Briscoe (—)
18) Austin Cindric (-2)
19) Daniel Suarez (—)
20) Michael McDowell (NR)

As you can tell, the NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings are fluid, but they’re pretty much in line with how the standings and eye test have been in 2024. We’ll see how they change over the course of the season, but Iowa Speedway should shake things up a ton, with the Cup Series making its debut at the track on Sunday.