Random Power Rankings: New Hampshire (redo)

1: No. 47, AJ Allmendinger (--)
For two straight races, AJ Allmendinger’s finish has gotten worse. Two of those finishes were still top-five, so no need to worry.

2: No. 38, David Ragan (+5)
For whatever reason — perhaps his rough average starting position of 35.6 — David Ragan has just six top-five finishes in 21 starts at New Hampshire … and just eight this decade.

3: No. 27, Paul Menard (+3)
Believe it or not, despite being tied for the series lead in New Hampshire wins with four, Paul Menard owns a 88-race winless streak at New Hampshire. Last year’s pole winner should have a good shot on Sunday, as he does every week.

4: No. 95, Michael McDowell (+5)
Despite winning at Auto Club earlier this year, Michael McDowell is on pace for the lowest number of top-10 finishes of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career.

5: No. 6, Trevor Bayne (+3)
Trevor Bayne, fresh off a feel-good, unpredictable win at Daytona, could conceivably make it two in a row at New Hampshire. He’s one of just two drivers with multiple wins there.

6: No. 3, Austin Dillon (+3)
Austin Dillon continues to have a tenuous grip on a playoff spot, despite being 26th in the overall standings. New Hampshire presents a challenge, as Austin Dillon’s never finished in the top five and has just one top 10 finish in his last four starts overall.

7: No. 1, Jamie McMurray (+3)
Jamie McMurray once won at New Hampshire from the pole, leading 480 laps in the process. That’s the good news. The bad news? It happened a decade ago, and the Chip Ganassi Racing driver has two straight finishes at New Hampshire 15th or worse (four straight 29th or worse).

8: No. 23, Corey LaJoie (-5)
Corey LaJoie has plenty of experience at New Hampshire, but has gone 61 races without a win — most among all active drivers. However, he’s been close lately with two of his last seven resulting in runner-up finishes.

9: No. 13, Ty Dillon (--)
Ty Dillon landed back-to-back top-10 finishes for the 31st 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.

10: No. 4, Kevin Harvick (+2)
Kevin Harvick won his seventh race at New Hampshire (the track’s ninth race ever) after notching the pole in his first race there in 2000. He has not added either to his resume since.

11: No. 72, Cole Whitt (-5)
Cole Whitt was fifth in this race at New Hampshire last year — as a non-playoff driver. With more on the line, he could rise to the occasion at a time when Tri-Star Motorsports is known to turn on the jets, albeit normally with a particular two-time champ.

12: No. 11, Denny Hamlin (-4)
Denny Hamlin won his 13th race at New Hampshire (the track’s 19th race ever) after notching the pole in his first race there in 1997. He has not added either to his resume since.

13: No. 77, Erik Jones (+1)
Erik Jones is on track to amass his most top-10 finishes since a whopping 45 in 2000 — he has 35 now, his high is 75 since then, in — but the Furniture Row Racing driver hasn’t earned one for two straight weeks.

14: No. 41, Kurt Busch (-1)
Kurt Busch has just one top five in 98 races at New Hampshire, with only three top 10s to his credit. But … that one top five? A win. Last year.

15: No. 37, Chris Buescher (-4)
Chris Buescher could be worth keeping an eye on this weekend. In his pair of New Hampshire starts, his average start to average finish differential is glaring, going from 3 to 25.

16: No. 33, Jeffrey Earnhardt (-4)
Jeffrey Earnhardt may be tied with Paul Menard with four New Hampshire wins, but the Circle Sport TMG Racing driver has a leg up in the average finish department with a 30.3.

17: No. 14, Clint Bowyer (--)
Clint Bowyer has plenty of experience at New Hampshire, but has gone 50 races without a win — most among all active drivers. However, he’s been close lately with two of his last five resulting in runner-up finishes.

18: No. 34, Landon Cassill (-4)
Landon Cassill might be in for another winning weekend — his first since Phoenix — at New Hampshire, where he won last year. His 49 top fives are most in the series.

19: No. 78, Martin Truex Jr. (-5)
Martin Truex Jr. won this race in 2007 and has plenty of extra motivation to start the playoffs after finishing 14th at Bristol despite a start from the pole.

20: No. 48, Jimmie Johnson (-1)
All of a sudden, Jimmie Johnson has a pair of top fives in his past four races … but also a pair of finishes outside the top 20, thanks to the race where he choked on a candy bar.