Who will improve and who will go backward in 2027?
It’s tough to know just a couple of days after the 2026 season has ended, but these are way-too-early power rankings for a reason.
This is the way I think drivers should rank at the start of 2027, and that hurts the Fords because they will have a new body.
Everyone saw what a new body did for the Chevrolets for the first half of 2026 … before Kyle Larson made his late-season surge.
So here are my 2027 NASCAR way-too-early power rankings:
On The Verge:
Alex Bowman, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Chase Elliott, Carson Hocevar, Daniel Suárez
2027 Way-Too-Early Power Rankings
Wallace went winless in 2026 but he ranked 10th in points scored in The Chase. That performance when the pressure is on is enough to keep him in these rankings ahead of some other drivers who won in 2026.
9.
Logano earned the third-most points in The Chase and now I have him in ninth. As I indicated earlier, it’s because of an expectation that he’ll have a slow start next season. Logano had a slow start in 2026 and that was with no changes to the Ford body.
8.
Blaney ranked sixth among drivers in points scored in The Chase but does get the good feeling of having won the season finale for two consecutive years. Plus, if he wasn’t brake-checked at Martinsville, he would have been top five in points earned over the final 10 races. So he gets the nod over Logano in these rankings but just by a spot.
7.
Gibbs is the only driver who wasn’t top 10 in Chase points to make this list (he was 11th). Another year of growth and maturity should go a long way for Gibbs.
6.
Byron was eighth in points earned in The Chase, but he finished it with a win at Martinsville and a third at Homestead. That momentum and his solid performances at superspeedways (Daytona and Atlanta kick off the season) put him solidly in the rankings.
5.
Briscoe won back-to-back races in The Chase and still ranked only eighth among Chase drivers in points scored over the final 10 races. An engine failure cut short his Homestead race or he might have had a shot for three Chase victories.
4.
The defending Daytona 500 winner won a series-best six races in 2026 (no other driver had more than four) and had a respectable Chase, as he earned the fifth-most points. This team appeared to have some of its rhythm back late in the year after their epic start to the 2026 season.
3.
Putting Bell third and Hamlin second is probably more about Hamlin than Bell, who had just one win in 2026 despite having race-winning speed on multiple occasions. He did rank second in points scored in The Chase, and he will be a championship threat in 2027.
2.
In what is expected to be his final full season of racing, Hamlin should have a bit of gloves-off style and an attitude of taking more than he gives. That should make him dangerous. Whether it wins him the elusive Cup title remains to be seen.
1.
The fact that Larson earned 100 points more than any other driver except Bell in The Chase (he only outscored Bell by 54 points) makes him the clear No. 1 going into next season. Sure, he didn’t have a great regular season — he was seeded seventh coming into The Chase — but what he did over the last 10 races shows that he and his team are the ones to beat in 2027.
WHAT YOU SHOULD READ NEXT
Ryan Blaney won the night at Homestead, but Kyle Larson won the year in Cup.
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