NASCAR Power Rankings: Ryan Blaney Extends Penske Surge

Team Penske's surge forward continued at New Hampshire Motor Speedway where Ryan Blaney battled back from a pit-road fumble to win the second race in a row and fourth in the last six for the Ford-powered organization. It was Blaney's third victory of the season, which continues setting the stage for what could be a titanic battle in the final 10 races between Ford and Toyota for the series championship. While the afternoon started on a wet track, the complexion of the race changed quickly and dramatically in the early miles as the surface dried. Blaney worked his way into the lead for the first time in the second stage, but had to overcome a loss of track position after an issue on pit road immediately after winning the second stage. Not to be stopped, Blaney worked his way back to the front and led the final 78 laps, holding off Bubba Wallace in the final laps as the pair raced through traffic in an effort to get to the finish line first.

Just one more race remains before the 16-driver field to race for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship will be finalized. A Saturday-night showdown at Daytona International Speedway is an exciting way to finish the regular season, too. Tyler Reddick snagged the victory there in February, winning the Daytona 500 and setting the stage for his early-season domination. The picture looks awfully different now, though. Five drivers are still eligible for the final three Chase spots and every position will matter next week at what could be an explosive regular-season finale at Daytona.

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NASCAR Power Rankings After New Hampshire

1. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11

Last Week: 1

Sunday's race was another quietly confident top-10 performance from Hamlin, but it was enough for him to clinch the regular-season championship and the top seed for The Chase. Hamlin and team has been in fine form all season, and Sunday's seventh-place finish was their 17th top-10 of the season, a number only equaled by Ryan Blaney. They have also not finished lower than 12th since June. That type of momentum will put Hamlin in contention to fight for the series title if i can be maintained through the final 10 races. Up first is Daytona, though. Hamlin is a three-time winner at that track, but he hasn't finished inside the top 20 there in the last four races.

2. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12

Last Week: 2

Ryan Blaney's build toward The Chase continued in New Hampshire. The Team Penske driver got out of the gate quickly from his eighth starting spot. He was one of the fastest cars from the beginning, ultimately winning the second stage before an issue on pit road dropped him nearly outside of the top 15. He and the team carefully battled back, though, setting up a fight to the finish against Bubba Wallace. Blaney has now finished inside the top five in two of the last three races with only Daytona left to run before the championship chase commences. He is second in points and stands poised to finish the regular season there if he can avoid trouble in Daytona in the race he won from pole last fall.

3. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20

Last Week: 3

Christopher Bell continued his march up the championship standings with a fourth-place finish in New Hampshire that came with points from both stages of the race. The day's production helped him move two spots further forward to fifth with just Daytona left to finish the regular season. After his challenging start, Bell is now very near peak form and at a near perfect time, too. While the No. 20 has yet to visit Victory Lane, the team finished seventh or better in the last four races and only failed to finish inside the top 10 once since San Diego. Bell's biggest focus this coming week at Daytona will be to avoid trouble in order to maintain that fifth position entering The Chase in order to get the best footing possible for the championship fight.

4. Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54

Last Week: 5

Ty Gibbs collected his 16th top-10 finish of the season Sunday at New Hampshire, maintaining third position in the championship standings. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has two wins so far this season and is delivering the best season of his Cup Series career with The Chase just one race away. On Sunday, Gibbs finished in the points in both stages on his way to seventh in the race, and that was his third top-10 finish in the last five races. While there are some rough edges to be polished, the No. 54 team is in excellent form with no finishes lower than 15th since Michigan in early June. Another good finish next week at Daytona could be the extra emphasis needed to propel them into The Chase. Gibbs was 23rd in the Daytona 500 in February.

5. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45

Last Week: 6

Three finishes of 11th or better from the last five races may be signaling an end to Reddick's troubles. After taking a huge dip in form, finishing 25th or worse five times in a nine-race stretch after winning five of the first nine races of the season, Reddick's ship may have steadied. The No. 45 didn't have the cleanest day with some early trauma at New Hampshire after starting on pole, but the team rallied to finish eighth. That was Reddick's second top-10 result from the last five races and keeps him in touch with Ty Gibbs in the fight for the fourth seed in the The Chase. The coming trip to Daytona could be pivotal to the No. 45 as they work to put the problems behind them to start The Chase on a positive note.

6. Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19

Last Week: 4

Sunday was a missed opportunity for Chase Briscoe and the No. 19. The day started well as Briscoe moved forward in the tricky conditions, finishing in the top 10 in the first stage despite starting 17th. By the final stage, Briscoe was battling with Blaney to stay among the leaders, but the day's circumstances did not play out in Briscoe's favor and he fell back through the field to finish disappointingly in 26th position. It was Briscoe's worst finish since Atlanta, ending his run of four straight finishes of sixth or better. He fell one position in the championship standings, too. Briscoe and team will be hoping this isn't the start of a new trend but has plenty of work ahead to not lose more ground at Daytona where Briscoe finished 36th in February.

7. Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22

Last Week: 8

Logano and team may have underperformed a little at New Hampshire after scoring two victories in the prior four races, but his 14th-place finish maintained his run of top-15 results that started seven races ago at Chicago. After the Toyota teams dominated the start of the year, Team Penske and Ford are closing the gap. Even better news for the No. 22 is that their progress is likely to continue next week at Daytona. Ford has consistently been one of the strongest superspeedway manufacturers, and Logano has been one of their top drivers. Logano finished third in this season's Daytona 500 and has led laps in every series race at the track since 2018. Logano and team are finding their stride at an ideal time.

8. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5

Last Week: 9

Larson's win in the Knoxville Nationals gave him a boost that carried into the Cup Series at New Hampshire. The Hendrick Motorsports driver started inside the top 10 and drove to the lead to win the first stage. That was the last time he led in the race, but he remained inside the top 10 all afternoon, scoring stage points in the second segment and finishing the race fifth. It was Larson's first top-five finish since Sonoma and his second top-10 in a row. Larson and team have been fighting for a return to Victory Lane for more than a year, but appear to be getting closer with The Chase looming. Daytona will be a tough test, though. Superspeedways have not been Larson's forte despite improving in recent seasons.

9. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9

Last Week: 7

Last week's New Hampshire race was not good for the No. 9 team. Elliott qualified 29th and was never able to overcome that poor start, finishing 25th. That result marked the second time in four races Elliott failed to finish in the top 20, and he only has one top-10 finish in the last 11 races. His fifth-place finish the week prior now just looks to be an anomaly in an otherwise disappointing string of finishes. The No. 9 team has one more chance to get some wind in their sails before The Chase gets underway, though. At Daytona earlier this season, Elliott finished fourth. Superspeedways have been some of Elliott's best performances this season, which could make the coming race an important one to help him close out the regular season on a high note.

10. Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23

Last Week: N/A

Bubba Wallace worked his way back into the power rankings with an impressive outing at New Hampshire. The weekend did not start well, but he played his hand perfectly to climb into the top 10 in the second stage from which he mounted an attempt for the win. By the final miles, Wallace was in touch with the lead and closing. Unfortunately, he just couldn't get close enough to Blaney to attempt a pass and settled for a runner-up finish, which was his best result since San Diego. Wallace is now in good position in The Chase standings and is poised to wrap up his spot among the championship combatants early in the next race if there are no major hiccups. Wallace led 40 laps and finished 10th in Daytona in February.

Knocking on the Door

Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports No. 77

Last Week: 10

New Hampshire was certainly an eventful afternoon for Hocevar. The No. 77 was the center of many incidents throughout the day, but somehow he still managed to finish the race 19th. However, without the drama, Hocevar probably could have finishing the day significantly higher up the order. One of the main criticisms of Hocevar is his aggressive style and that style bit back Sunday through mistakes as well as competitor payback. Those are scenarios that could come back to haunt him if he is able to work his way into contention for the championship. A less dramatic day with fewer incidents would undoubtedly have resulted in a better finish, more points, and more momentum to use in The Chase.

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing No. 97

Last Week: N/A

Wet conditions for the start of Sunday's race were ideal for Van Gisbergen. The Trackhouse Racing driver sprung from his fifth starting spot into the lead in the opening laps, but as the track dried, SVG lost his advantage. In the final laps of the first stage, SVG was clinging onto a spot in the top 10 but only fell further backward. At the finish, he was 20th. However, SVG remains 16th in the standings and holds a 31-point advantage over Ryan Preece in 17th. That sets up a tricky week for the No. 97 at Daytona. Van Gisbergen has four prior Daytona starts with a best finish of 16th, but three of those races ended with finishes outside of the top 30. SVG needs to keep out of trouble early next week and hope to score stage points to make the rest of the race less stressful.

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24

Last Week: N/A

Heading to New Hampshire with back-to-back ninth-place finishes made Byron optimistic of his chances through the final two races of the regular season. A third-place qualifying effort made the situation even better, and Byron led early, battling Shane van Gisbergen for the top spot as the track dried. Issues on pit road starting turning things for the worse, and a left-rear wheel issue ultimately ended Byron's chances early in the final stage, though. Byron tends to be at his best late in the season, and having a shot at the championship just requires getting hot at the right time. All is not lost, but Byron will be wishing he had more positives on his side with the championship races just ahead.