NASCAR power rankings shift after William Byron conquers the cornfield

After a number of close calls throughout the season, William Byron finally picked up his second win of 2025 on Sunday at the Iowa Speedway. The #24 driver's victory pushed him ahead of his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott for the Cup Series points lead.

Much like the points standings, this week's NASCAR Power Rankings also saw a change. With three races left in the regular season, who's going hot right now? Let's take a look at the ones to watch ahead of Watkins Glen.

5. William Byron

Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol - Source: Getty

William Byron put up an incredible performance en route to his second NASCAR Cup victory of 2025. This year's Daytona 500 winner led a race-high 141 laps after starting second and saved enough fuel at the end to cruise to victory. With the win, Byron jumps back into the top five of this week's power rankings.

Byron is the current Cup Series points leader with three races to go in the regular season. He's posted two victories, eight top fives, and has totaled seven stage wins. Byron is a former winner at Watkins Glen (2023) and has two road-course victories in the NextGen era, with the other coming at CoTA (2024).

4. Alex Bowman

NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol - Practice - Source: Getty

Battling to stay above the playoff cut line, Alex Bowman brought home another solid finish on Sunday. The driver of the #48 tallied four stage points and registered his third straight top-10 finish with a seventh-place effort at Iowa.

Bowman is currently ninth in the Cup Series points standings and has a 63-point gap above the playoff cut line with three races to go. The Arizona native has posted five top-fives in 2025 but has yet to find victory lane. Bowman has one win on a road course (Chicago, 2024), but has yet to finish top 10 at Watkins Glen.

3. Chase Briscoe

NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol - Source: Getty

Chase Briscoe continues to fire off strong runs as the 2025 NASCAR Cup playoffs approach. The driver of the #19 scored his sixth pole of the season on Sunday at Iowa and came home in second place after leading 81 laps.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has now finished second in three of the last four NASCAR Cup races. Currently eighth in the points standings, Briscoe has one win this season at Pocono and has notched nine top-five finishes. Briscoe has four starts at Watkins Glen with a best finish of sixth last year.

2. Ryan Blaney

NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol - Qualifying - Source: Getty

Ryan Blaney continues to be a contender in the NASCAR Cup Series every week. The driver of the #12 came home fourth on Sunday at Iowa for his third straight top-10 effort.

The Team Penske star has registered an average finish of 16.8 through 23 races. Blaney has one win this season at Nashville, along with eight top-five finishes. Yet, the 2023 Cup champion will face a tall task with a road course this weekend. While he has one road course victory (Charlotte Roval, 2018), Blaney has failed to finish top 10 in his last four road course starts.

1. Chase Elliott

NASCAR Cup Series Race at Iowa - Source: Imagn

Chase Elliott once again tops this week's NASCAR power rankings with a presentable run on Sunday at Iowa. The driver of the #9 scored three stage points and led 11 laps before finishing 14th.

While it wasn't his strongest run, the Hendrick Motorsports driver's strong 2025 continues. Elliott has an average finish of 10.3, the best of any driver this season. He has one win (EchoPark Speedway) and has seven top-five finishes. Elliott is a two-time Watkins Glen winner and is the winningest active driver on road courses with seven. However, he's yet to win on a road course in the NextGen era.