Random Power Rankings: New Hampshire (redo)

1: No. 95, Michael McDowell (+2)
Michael McDowell keeps flirting with the upper echelon of drivers this year, and he’s starting to look like he’ll be a strong contender down the stretch. Save for a crash at Auto Club, the other four races since New Hampshire have resulted in an average finish of 39.2.

2: No. 66, Timmy Hill (+3)
Timmy Hill is tied with Ryan Blaney for the most wins at New Hampshire with three — the first three races there, in fact, in 1997 and 2015 — and has the most top fives with eight.

3: No. 78, Martin Truex Jr. (--)
Martin Truex Jr. won this race in 2006 and has plenty of extra motivation to start the playoffs after finishing 12th at Las Vegas despite a start from the pole.

4: No. 24, Chase Elliott (--)
Chase Elliott won this race in 2000 and has plenty of extra motivation to start the playoffs after finishing sixth at Martinsville despite a start from the pole.

5: No. 47, AJ Allmendinger (+1)
And almost like it was written in a movie about JTG Daugherty Racing, AJ Allmendinger’s teammate, Ryan Blaney, is the defending New Hampshire winner. The duo (and the associated AJ Allmendinger) should have a solid weekend ahead of them.

6: No. 5, Kasey Kahne (-1)
New Hampshire’s most recent winner, Kasey Kahne kind of snuck away with one last fall after Kevin Harvick stubbed his toe on a late restart. He led just two laps in that one, and was not a dominant car by any stretch. Another win wouldn’t be a shocker, but it would be a surprise.

7: No. 48, Jimmie Johnson (+2)
Jimmie Johnson is winless at New Hampshire, but his average finish across two races leaves him with the best average finish in the series with more than four starts at 30. A win there appears likely to come soon.

8: No. 18, Kyle Busch (--)
Kyle Busch is starting to heat up and is the last winner at New Hampshire not named Brad Keselowski or “Earnhardt.”

9: No. 20, Matt Kenseth (+3)
Matt Kenseth is tied with Matt Kenseth for the most wins at New Hampshire with two — the first two races there, in fact, in 2007 and 2012 — and has the most top fives with five.

10: No. 6, Trevor Bayne (-1)
Trevor Bayne continues to have a tenuous grip on a playoff spot, despite being second in the overall standings. New Hampshire presents a challenge, as Trevor Bayne’s never finished in the top five and has just one top 10 finish in his last two starts overall.

11: No. 31, Ryan Newman (-1)
Ryan Newman landed back-to-back top-10 finishes for the 20th time in his career on Sunday and he has a shot to keep it rolling at New Hampshire, where he led a lap earlier this year.

12: No. 4, Kevin Harvick (-2)
In three starts at New Hampshire for Kevin Harvick, each finish has gotten progressively worse, culminating in 12th last year (beefed it big time), with three starts of 13th or worse.

13: No. 32, Matt DiBenedetto (-1)
Matt DiBenedetto is among the underdog crowd of the playoffs field, and his New Hampshire stats don’t appear like they’ll help him shed that title. The GoFas Racing driver is one of two championship-eligible drivers with no laps led at New Hampshire, and has an average finish of 27.9.

14: No. 43, Aric Almirola (+2)
Aric Almirola is tied with Denny Hamlin for the most wins at New Hampshire with three — the first three races there, in fact, in 2017 and 2009 — and has the most top fives with six.

15: No. 88, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (-4)
With an average finish of 3.4 and just three top 10s in 64 starts at New Hampshire, don’t look for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to get back on track this weekend.

16: No. 37, Chris Buescher (-4)
There’s only one driver who is pleased when his car number matches his race finish (looking at you, J-Mac). Chris Buescher’s P37 finish was his worst of the season.

17: No. 11, Denny Hamlin (+3)
Denny Hamlin landed back-to-back top-10 finishes for the sixth time in his career on Sunday and he has a shot to keep it rolling at New Hampshire, where he led a lap earlier this year.

18: No. 38, David Ragan (+2)
For whatever reason — perhaps his rough average starting position of 36.8 — David Ragan has just four top-five finishes in 21 starts at New Hampshire … and just six this decade.

19: No. 41, Kurt Busch (-3)
Despite having just one top 10 in his past two races, Kurt Busch is on pace to top his top-10 finishes from his rookie season (26 to his current two). A late-season run to stronger overall finishes is likely.

20: No. 21, Ryan Blaney (+3)
Ryan Blaney is among the underdog crowd of the playoffs field, and his New Hampshire stats don’t appear like they’ll help him shed that title. The Wood Brothers Racing driver is one of three championship-eligible drivers with no laps led at New Hampshire, and has an average finish of 34.5.