NASCAR News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

William Byron (24) does a burnout after the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 on Aug. 3, 2025, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. Byron (24) finished the race first. Ayrton Breckenridge/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NASCAR power rankings: A new No. 1 after Iowa

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 10:34 AM ET

William Byron saved enough gas to score his second win of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season at Iowa Speedway on Sunday. Here’s where the Cup Series field stacks up 23 races into the 2025 season.

1. William Byron

(Last week: 4)

William Byron (24) takes the checkered flag during the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 on Aug. 3, 2025, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. Byron (24) finished the race first. Ayrton Breckenridge/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Byron scored his first win since the Daytona 500 and took over the Cup Series points lead. If he can start consistently closing out races, a third consecutive Championship 4 berth could be in the cards.

2. Chase Elliott

(Last week: 2)

Aug 3, 2025; Newton, Iowa, USA; The NASCAR Cup Series team of Chase Elliott (9) waits for the start of the Iowa Corn 350 at the Iowa Speedway. Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The only noise Elliott made on Sunday was when he made contact on a restart with a Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Kyle Larson. He finished 14th - a disappointing day given his recent hot streak.

3. Kyle Larson

(Last week: 3)

Aug 3, 2025; Newton, Iowa, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (5) waits for the start of the Iowa Corn 350 at the Iowa Speedway. Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Larson was involved in several restart skirmishes on Sunday and was eventually relegated to a 28th-place finish. He also slipped to being 45 points back of Byron for the lead in the regular season standings.

4. Denny Hamlin

(Last week: 1)

Denny Hamlin (11) enters his car during NASCAR Cup Series qualifying on Aug. 2, 2025, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. Ayrton Breckenridge/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hamlin spun on Sunday and eventually finished 24th. After a rough race at Iowa in 2024, it’s clear the 0.875-mile track is not kind to him.

5. Ryan Blaney

(Last Week: 6)

Ryan Blaney (12) leads drivers down the backstretch during the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 on Aug. 3, 2025, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. Ayrton Breckenridge/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Blaney, the 2024 Iowa winner, finished fourth on Sunday and could’ve gotten up to second if he had a few more laps. Blaney is within striking distance of finishing top-five in the regular season standings if he puts together a solid three-race stretch.

6. Chase Briscoe

(Last week: 9)

Aug 3, 2025; Newton, Iowa, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe (19) leads NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) out of the front stretch during the Iowa Corn 350 at the Iowa Speedway. Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Briscoe has finished runner-up in three of the last four races and has become one of the most consistent drivers in the Cup Series this season. In his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing, he’s living up to expectations.

7. Ryan Preece

(Last week: 8)

Aug 3, 2025; Newton, Iowa, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe (19), NASCAR Cup Series driver Alex Bowman (48) and NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece (60) race in the Iowa Corn 350 at the Iowa Speedway. Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Preece is still below the playoff cut line, but scored a career-best 10th top-10 finish of the season on Sunday at Iowa. His fifth-place effort bumped him up to 13th in the regular season standings.

8. Christopher Bell

(Last week: 5)

Aug 3, 2025; Newton, Iowa, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22), NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell (20) and NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe (19) race in traffic during the Iowa Corn 350 at the Iowa Speedway. Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Bell finished 17th after a synchronized spin with Reddick. He remains fifth in the standings for now, but he’s in danger of falling out of the top five with one poor result over the next three weeks.

9. Brad Keselowski

(Last week: 11)

Brad Keselowski (6) goes down the front stretch during the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 on Aug. 3, 2025, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. Ayrton Breckenridge/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Keselowski has seven top-10 finishes over the last 11 races and has climbed from 32nd to 19th in the standings in the previous 11 weeks. After a very slow start, the No. 6 team is finally finding its way.

10. Tyler Reddick

(Last week: 7)

Aug 3, 2025; Newton, Iowa, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick (45) races in the Iowa Corn 350 at the Iowa Speedway. Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

A spin on Sunday added insult to injury on a very poor day for the No. 45 team. Reddick finished 19th and sits sixth in the regular season standings.

11. Bubba Wallace

(Last week: 12)

Bubba Wallace (23) puts on his helmet during NASCAR Cup Series qualifying on Aug. 2, 2025, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. Ayrton Breckenridge/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Wallace mounted a furious charge over the race’s final green-flag stint en route to a sixth-place finish on Sunday. He now has more top-10 finishes than his 23XI Racing teammate in Reddick and is on pace for a career year.

12. Alex Bowman

(Last week: 13)

Alex Bowman (48) interacts with fans before the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 on Aug. 3, 2025, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. Ayrton Breckenridge/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bowman finished seventh on Sunday and stayed even with the cut line. He’s tied for the second-most top-10s of any driver in the Cup Series, and barring a flurry of new winners over the next three weeks, he’s on pace to make the postseason.

13. Austin Cindric

(Last week: 15)

Aug 3, 2025; Newton, Iowa, USA; The NASCAR Cup Series team of Austin Cindric (2) waits for the start of the Iowa Corn 350 at the Iowa Speedway. Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Cindric led 20 laps, earned 17 stage points and finished 12th on Sunday. Keep an eye on Cindric at Watkins Glen - he finished top-10 at the road course a year ago and is one of the better road racers in the Cup Series.

14. Joey Logano

(Last week: Not ranked)

Logano quietly drove his way to a ninth-place finish on Sunday. However, there’s still much to be desired for the No. 22 team - Logano has the fewest top-10 finishes (six) of any driver in the top 15 in the standings.

15. Ross Chastain

(Last week: Not ranked)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain (1) drives his car back into the garage area after an incident on the track caused significant damage Sunday, July 27, 2025, during the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Doug McSchooler/for IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Chastain scored an 11th-place finish on Sunday, but his lack of playoff points is still worrying for the No. 1 team going forward. A win over the next three weeks would be extremely beneficial for Chastain’s playoff run.

16. Chris Buescher

(Last week: 14)

Aug 3, 2025; Newton, Iowa, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Chris Buescher (17), NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (5) and NASCAR Cup Series driver Cole Custer (41) race in the Iowa Corn 350 at the Iowa Speedway. Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Buescher finished 22nd on Sunday and lost 19 points to the playoff cut line. He also fell out of the top 10 in the regular season standings, but Watkins Glen - a track Buescher won at in 2024 - is a golden opportunity for the No. 17 team.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

More must-reads: