Week 17 NASCAR power rankings: Ryan Blaney rises, but a star falls

NASCAR's inaugural Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway had a sold-out crowd and an exciting race, with reigning series champion Ryan Blaney winning in front of many of his family members and friends on Father's Day evening.

With the win, Blaney rises several spots in this week's power rankings but doesn't quite make it to the top. 

Here are our rankings as the 2024 season moves to Loudon, N.H., for the USA TODAY 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday.

1. Kyle Larson (Last week: 1)

Larson had the car to beat early in the going at Iowa, but his evening came to a disappointing end when Daniel Suarez spun him just past the midway point and caused enough damage to his No. 5 car to take him out of the running. Larson finished 34th, but because he would likely be riding back-to-back wins if not for something out of his control and because the drivers directly behind him from last week's rankings didn't do enough to overtake him, he remains the leader of the pack.

2. Ryan Blaney (Last week: 7)

Blaney was overdue for a win in 2024, and after looking like he'd have to settle for best-of-the-rest honors behind Larson, he took advantage of the No. 5's misfortune and dominated the final stage. The defending series champion will be back in the playoffs, and given that he's one extra lap of fuel at Gateway away from having won two of the past three races, he skyrockets to the runner-up spot. He'll look to stay hot at Loudon, where he's had a mixed bag of results.

3. Chase Elliott (Last week: 5)

Elliott takes over the points lead this week after finishing third in Iowa, but unlike much of this season in which he's had consistency without winning speed, he was as fast as anyone Sunday following Larson's crash. He was reeling in Blaney and William Byron in the closing laps but simply ran out of time. If his No. 9 team can put him in those positions more often, that's a dangerous sign for the field.

4. William Byron (Last week: 8)

Byron's runner-up finish in Iowa continues his up-and-down 2024 campaign, as it's his sixth finish of the season inside the top three while only having four additional top-10s. He's seemed to strangely be flying under the radar as a title contender this season despite having three wins but remains more than capable of contending on any given week.

5. Tyler Reddick (Last week: 2)

Reddick started inside the top 10 but faded throughout the race in Iowa and finished a mediocre 22nd on a night when it seemed that all the Toyotas lacked speed. It's hard to find positives from the performance of his No. 45 machine on the track, but Reddick did have one of the more memorable paint schemes and firesuits of the season this weekend while sporting McDonald's "Hamburglar" colors.

6. Christopher Bell (Last week: 9)

The only Toyota driver who seemed to have much of any speed Sunday was Bell, who finished fourth despite being forced to start from the rear after a crash in practice. He should be one of the favorites at Loudon given his hot streak lately. Bell finished runner-up in New Hampshire in 2021, won in 2022 and sat on the pole a season ago.

7. Denny Hamlin (Last week: 3)

It has been back-to-back miserable weeks for Hamlin, and this one can't be chalked up to bad fortune. He was running in the top 10 when he was damaged in the crash with Larson, but he'd been deep in the 20s before a caution in the middle of a pit sequence that allowed him to cycle to the front. His 24th-place finish was fairly indicative of his speed Sunday, and all that momentum Hamlin had a few weeks ago feels like a distant memory now. 

8. Brad Keselowski (Last week: 6)

Keselowski was quiet in Iowa yet churned out a solid 10th-place finish, his sixth consecutive result of 13th or better as he continues to enjoy his best season since he began driving the No. 6 car. He could be a threat at Loudon, where he's won twice and led 598 laps (nearly two full races) in 23 career starts.

9. Martin Truex Jr. (Last week: 4)

Truex made headlines this week by announcing 2024 will be his final full-time season in the Cup Series, but while the 2017 champion looks to close out his legendary career on a high note, he had a race to forget Sunday. He was outside the top 20 for most of the evening and speeded on pit road under green, making his 15th-place finish feel almost satisfying under the circumstances. On the plus side, he'll now look to back up his dominant win at Loudon from a season ago, when he led 254 of 301 laps.

10. Ross Chastain (Last week: 10)

Chastain has been a bit more visible in recent weeks than he'd been for much of the season, and he drew the ire of drivers while racing inside the top 10. Unfortunately for him, he suffered a blown tire under green and was only able to fight back to finish 11th, but the improved speed of his No. 1 car as well as Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suarez are promising signs.

11. Joey Logano (Last week: 15)

Logano didn't continue his trend of winning on new tracks and/or freshly paved surfaces in the Cup Series, but his solid sixth-place finish will help him as he closes the gap to the playoff bubble. He sits only six points behind Bubba Wallace for the final spot now, and as a two-time Loudon winner, he'll look to move to the right side of the cutline next week.

12. Chris Buescher (Last week: 11)

Buescher led 16 laps at Iowa on an alternative pit strategy but otherwise didn't seem to have the speed to run up front as he finished a lap down in 18th. It was not the run he needed at a track that would seem to suit him, especially with Logano closing the gap in points, but he remains 27 markers to the good.

13. Josh Berry (Last week: not ranked)

With many of the drivers toward the tail end of last week's rankings struggling Sunday, the door opens for Berry to climb back in after starting third, leading 32 laps and finishing seventh in one of his best runs of the season. He has shown his strength on short tracks this season, but to make the playoffs, he needs a win.

14. Alex Bowman (Last week: NR)

Bowman reenters the rankings as well this week thanks to a solid eighth-place showing despite qualifying deep in the field. It was the type of get-right race he needed after two disappointing ones that had seen him lose some ground in points. With nine events remaining before the playoffs start, he sits 66 markers to the good.

15. Kyle Busch (Last week: 12)

Busch's miserable 2024 season continued Sunday. Despite having top-10 speed, he suffered through a series of issues late in the race and ended up with a 35th-place DNF. That drops him to 31 points outside the playoffs, and it's looking more likely by the week that the two-time champion is going to need to win to make it in.

16. Ty Gibbs (Last week: 14)

Much like his teammates, Gibbs was largely invisible Sunday as he finished 25th. He's still 70 points to the good where the playoff race is concerned, but the past two weekends have not been kind to the second-year driver who must regain momentum to feel comfortable about his position. Loudon could be a good place to do that, given how strong his JGR team has historically been there.

Dropped out: Michael McDowell, Austin Cindric