2025 NASCAR Cup Series Preview

After the sun set at Phoenix Raceway in November, Team Penske’s Joey Logano collected his third NASCAR Cup Series Championship, after a year of photo finishes, 18 different winners and memorable moments both on and off the track, that’ll be etched in NASCAR history for a lifetime. With that being said, the 2025 season is shaping up to be one another busy season for the sport, as there’s less than a week to go until the first Green Flag of the season drops. Already, there have been a lot of changes on the horizon, including a schedule shakeup, drivers playing music chairs and an overhaul of a various rules. This does not, however, consist of a major revision to the NASCAR Playoffs, which is what many fans have been longing for after more than 10 seasons of the elimination, winner-take-all format. Let’s dive deep into these changes, as we head into the brand new season.

Schedule Changes

As longtime NASCAR fans have seen, the sport has taken a more aggressive approach to changing the schedule in recent years, in response to calls from both drivers and fans alike, for greater variety on the calendar. Some changes will raise eyebrows, while others will excite a lot of people in this industry.

On February 2nd, the annual non-points Clash will shift from the LA Coliseum in Southern California to Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, not far from NASCAR’s backyard. Barely comparable in size in relation to the historic West Coast venue, this quarter-mile track promises a night filled with thrilling bump-and-run action. With the 200-lap event selling out weeks in advance, fans in attendance are guaranteed to get the most bang for their buck (pun intended) during this highly anticipated slugfest.

Homestead Miami Speedway’s annual race gets moved from the Round of 8 in the Playoffs to the earlier in the season, as the sixth points-paying event of the season, as the South Florida racetrack hopes to renovate just in time to host the Championship race ahead of 2026.

Nashville Superspeedway’s annual 400-miler will move from late-June to the week after the week after NASCAR’s Memorial Day Special, the Coca-Cola 600. The following week, the Series will travel to the Irish Hills of the Midwest at Michigan International Speedway, shifting their annual event from August to June.

Now here’s one fans should get excited about. The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Mexico for the first time ever for a 100-lap spectacle at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on June 15. Mexico Native, Daniel Suarez will enjoy a home field advantage this weekend and looks to capitalize on this race, as his first-career victory took place at Sonoma Raceway in 2022.

Speaking of Sonoma Raceway, which is located not far from San Francisco, California, their race moves from their traditional late-June date to mid-July, right before Dover Motor Speedway’s annual race the following week, which was traditionally held in the Spring.

World Wide Technology Raceway, located near St. Louis, Missouri, will host its race in early September as the second event in the Round of 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Meanwhile, New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s 301-mile race will move to the Playoffs as the opening event in the Round of 12. This change shifts the wildcard race at Talladega Superspeedway to the second race in the Round of 8. The Alabama track will play a pivotal role as drivers aim to secure a spot in the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway, where the winner of the Bill France Cup will be crowned, concluding the 2025 season.

New Television Partners

The 2025 season will be the first year of the new television contract, which includes the first 14 races, including several non-points races on FOX and Fox Sports 1, five races on Amazon Prime Video, six races on TNT, which will include a Million-Dollar Bracket-Style Tournament and the last fourteen races, including the entirety of the NASCAR Playoffs, on NBC and USA Network.

The FOX booth will once again feature Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and Kevin Harvick. Prime Video’s NASCAR segment will have Danielle Trotta as their host, with Corey LaJoie as the analyst, bringing a driver’s perspective to the broadcast. TNT’s coverage will include Adam Alexander, Steve Letarte, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., while NBC will feature Leigh Diffey, Jeff Burton, and once again, Steve Letarte in their booth.

During TNT’s portion of the season, there will be a $1 Million Challenge, which is bracket-style and will consist of 32-drivers at the start of the challenge, which will take place at Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 28, 2025. Each week, drivers will have to beat whoever they’re seeded against, in order to move onto the next round. For example, if Justin Haley finishes 32nd at Atlanta and Ross Chastain wins the race, they’ll be seeded against each other the following weekend at the Chicago Stree Race. If Haley Beats Chastain at Chicago, Haley advances into the next round to compete against whoever was seeded in 31st or 2nd, depending on the outcome of that particular bracket. This NCAA tournament-style bracket idea was proposed by Denny Hamlin on Twitter/X last year and TNT has taken the initiative to make this a reality.

Rookies stepping up to the Cup Series

2025 will see two NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers move up to the NASCAR Cup Series for a Rookie of the Year campaign and the competition in this battle will be fierce. With both drivers having similar stats this past season, this will be a battle to watch on a weekly basis, as both of these drivers are driving for teams formed in 2021.

Riley Herbst, who spent the last few seasons at Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series will move up, driving for 23XI Racing as a teammate to Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace. Herbst has accumulated three wins in four seasons and brings sponsorship from Monster Energy Zero Sugar. Fans can expect to see his #35 Toyota Camry XSE up front on drafting tracks, as Herbst’s Superspeedway showings in 2023 see him run up front, driving cars for Front Row Motorsports and Rick Ware Racing.

Shane van Gisbergen, who won in his debut race at the Chicago Street Race in 2023, will depart from Kaulig Racing’s Xfinity Series program and will drive for Trackhouse Racing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. van Gisbergen’s Rookie of the Year campaign will consist of sponsorship from WeatherTech and Red Bull on his #88 Chevrolet. Trackhouse signed van Gisbergen with expectations that he’ll continue to learn fast on oval tracks and brings a lot of road racing experience from the Supercars Series Championship Series from overseas.

Both rookies have strong suits, when it comes to the tracks they thrive at. Riley Herbst will run up front at drafting tracks (Atlanta Motor Speedway, Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway), while Shane van Gisbergen will be a threat to win at all Road and Street Courses (Chicago Street Course, Circuit of the Americas, Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL™, Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International). All one driver has to do is finish ahead of the other in points, once the checkered flag flies at Phoenix Raceway in November. Pick a Rookie to watch and see how far this battle goes, as Herbst and van Gisbergen both seek out longevity in this sport.

Significant Driver Changes

Zane Smith moves from Spire Motorsports’ #71 Chevrolet back to the Ford camp at Front Row Motorsports, where Smith won his lone NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship in 2022 and made select Cup Series starts with them in 2023. After his driver development deal with Trackhouse Racing ended this past season, Smith’s rookie campaign in the NASCAR Cup Series ended last year with two top-5’s, four top-10’s, an average finish of 23.7 and finished 30th in the final standings. Smith will pilot the #38 Ford Mustang Darkhorse with sponsorship from Speedy Cash, a long time FRM partner.

Noah Gragson will move from the now-closed Stewart-Haas Racing #10 Ford to Front Row Motorsports, as teammates to Todd Gilliland and Zane Smith, piloting the #4 for the team. Front Row Motorsports has acquired a Charter from Stewart-Haas Racing and will expand from two to three full-time cars for the third time in the team’s history. With Michael McDowell’s departure to the Spire Motorsports #71 Chevrolet, Smith and McDowell are essentially trading places, as McDowell’s #34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang Dark Horse will be piloted by Gilliland, while Smith obtains Gilliland’s former #38 seat. Big changes are in store for Front Row Motorsports, and you can expect at least one of them to make the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

As stated prior, Michael McDowell’s new home is Spire Motorsports where he will join teammates Justin Haley and 2024 Cup Series Rookie of the Year, Carson Hocevar. Haley took over the #7 Chevrolet from Corey LaJoie late last season. LaJoie, who drove the #51 for Rick Ware Racing towards the end of the season, will be replaced by Cody Ware in 2025. LaJoie is expected to compete part-time in the Cup Series, which will include a Daytona 500 attempt as an open entry in the #01 Take 5 Oil Change. LaJoie needs to qualify by locking in on speed or race his way in via the Duels, to secure his spot in the Great American Race.

Rick Ware Racing will downsize from two full-time entries to one in 2025, due to the expansion of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, granting them a Charter this year. Ryan Preece will pilot the #60 with backing from Kroger, after competing in the #41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing the last two seasons. Preece will compete in his sixth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series and this will arguably be the best opportunity of his entire career, as RFK has been a threat in both the Regular Season and Playoffs since 2023. With teammates Chris Buescher and Owner/Driver, Brad Keselowski, Preece was welcomed with open arms at RFK Racing and will be competitive at the drafting track short tracks. Look for Preece to enter the season hungry for wins, as he has a lot to prove going into the season.

Josh Berry will move from the #4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford to the iconic #21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Berry proved in 2024 that he can run up front during the Spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway this past season. If Berry can improve upon his two top-5’s, four top-10’s and 22.7 average finish, we can expect to see him win a race at one of the short tracks or drafting tracks, and even a potential playoff run.

Berry’s teammate, Chase Briscoe, will move to Joe Gibbs Racing’s #19 Toyota Camry XSE, after 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Martin Truex Jr. retired from full-time competition. While Truex is attempting the Daytona 500 for Tricon Garage, Briscoe will have backing from the iconic Bass Pro Shops outdoor brand, which has been a primary partner of Truex Jr. at JGR since his arrival there in 2019.

Ty Dillon will move up from the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series after competing for Rackley W.A.R. Racing, to Kaulig Racing’s #10 Chevrolet, while A.J. Allmendinger will move back up from the NASCAR Xfinity Series to pilot the #16 Chevrolet, also for Kaulig Racing. Despite these newfound teammates being in the lower series in 2024, they’re no strangers to the NASCAR Cup Series. Dillon needs to focus on consistency and finishing in the top-20 at the beginning of the season, while Allmendinger should focus on stealing a victory on a road course and maintaining the same consistency that’s expected out of Dillon.

Allmendinger had 16 Cup starts this past season, boasting five top-10’s and an average finish of 20.5 after a part-time effort in Cup, but also made the Championship 4 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, after winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this past October. Dillon possesses seven NASCAR Cup Series starts from this past season, including five with Kaulig Racing, one with Team AmeriVet and one with his Grandfather’s organization, Richard Childress Racing, owning an average finish of 23.9. If Kaulig Racing can find speed and further strengthen their relationship with Chevrolet this season, they can go back to being a consistent top-20 team, after struggling often in 2024.

Several others will be stepping down into lower series to revamp and restart their careers, while one driver is moving back up the ladder, after spending two seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. With Stewart-Haas Racing being rebranded as Haas Factory Team, Cole Custer will be the driver of the #41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang Dark Horse for the 2025 season. Harrison Burton, who was replaced by Josh Berry at Wood Brothers Racing, will move down to the NASCAR Xfinity Series to drive AM Racing’s #25 Ford Mustang, after AM Racing replaced Hailee Deegan halfway through the season last year. AM Racing had a rotation of drivers for the remainder of the year, with their most notable success coming at the Chicago Street Race, seeing Joey Logano bring them home to an eighth-place finish.

Burton is not the only drive stepping down to a lower series, as Daniel Hemric, who drove the #31 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing, will drive for Billy McAnally Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, piloting the #19 Chevrolet Silverado and will competed in this past weekend’s ARCA Menards Series West race at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, finishing ninth after a mechanical issue with a few laps left.

Rule Changes

Introduced in 2017, NASCAR enforced a Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP), which required any car involved in an accident an allotment of five minutes to repair the vehicle on pit road. If repairs were successful, the driver had to make minimum speed when re-entering the race within a specific time frame of laps on-track. If a car was not repaired on pit road in the five-minute time slot or could not make minimum speed on track, teams were required to take their vehicle to the garage and their race was over, effective immediately. If a vehicle either entered the garage directly after an accident, the hood was lifted to be towed after being stuck on the track, or if a car wound up on the hook (towed), this also ended their day.

Over the years, there has been a lot of confusion and controversy regarding the DVP, as cars that were still drivable and barely a hazard would be towed to the garage, which left drivers, teams and crew chiefs throwing arms up in the air over the constant inconsistencies and various grey areas. Time was even extended to six, seven and ten minutes throughout the implementation of the DVP. Not to mention, NASCAR’s inconsistency in determining which cars were deemed “hazardous” and “unsafe to return” to the racetrack. This led to a revision of the policy, which now allows teams to re-enter the race after repairs take place in the garage.

Another significant change is NASCAR’s 41-car exception rule, known as the “Open Exception Provisional”, which will allow an entry for a driver in other racing disciplines (Formula 1, IndyCar, etc.) to lock themselves into an event, but only if the entry list exceeds the maximum field of 40 cars per race.

Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Helio Castroneves, was announced by Trackhouse Racing to pilot their #91 Wendy’s Chevrolet for the upcoming Daytona 500. Initially, Castroneves was expected to attempt the race with the possibility of going home if not fast enough, but days later, NASCAR announced this rule, which allows Castroneves to be guaranteed into the race if he cannot lock in via time trial Qualifying or the Duels, leading up to the 500.

With this new rule, NASCAR will require teams to submit any potential provisional 90 days in advance, before any event of interest. While NASCAR will allow any driver who uses the provisional entry into the All Star Race if they win, the driver will not receive prize money, points or playoff eligibility.

More significant rule changes include stronger enforcement of the 100% rule, which will punish drivers for race manipulation, a loss of all playoff points if a driver uses a waiver due to a non-injury reason, and clarified the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) rule, regarding modifications to parts. You can read more about these rules and changes on NASCAR.com.

More of what’s to come

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season begins next weekend and there’s a lot to be excited about. With almost everything covered regarding changes for the 2025 season in this piece, we will be cover the changes of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series, while also highlighting specific driver changes, the exciting tracks on the schedule and who to look out for as well. In the meantime, you can catch the Cookout Clash this Sunday, at 8PM EST on FOX.