
2025 NASCAR Cup Series season: Top story lines to follow
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Cars will soon roll off the grid for another season of NASCAR Cup Series racing, and there's no shortage of key story lines to follow for what's shaping up to be a landmark 2025 season. From exciting schedule revisions to new faces in new places and a major rivalry to watch, catch up on what you need to know before cars take the green flag for the 2025 Daytona 500 (Feb. 16, 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
MORE: Season previews: 2025 NASCAR Cup Series teams
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2025 schedule brings innovation, international flair
The 2025 Cup Series schedule embarks on new (and old) frontiers, including the series’ first points race in Mexico City at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on June 15 to mark NASCAR’s first international points event since 1958.
The season opens with a nostalgic return to Bowman Gray Stadium for The Clash on Feb. 2, the Cup Series’ first visit to the quarter-mile track since 1971, before the traditional Daytona 500 kicks off the points season on Feb. 16.
The schedule features significant innovations, including a new five-race streaming-only package on Prime Video and TNT Sports’ return to NASCAR coverage, in addition to a revamped playoff schedule that once again culminates with the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 2.
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Landmark new media rights agreement welcomes new partners
NASCAR’s new media rights deal that runs through the 2031 season is an exciting shift to the future for fans, featuring four major broadcast partners sharing coverage of all 38 Cup Series events.
Longtime broadcasters FOX Sports and NBC Sports each carry 14 races while Prime Video and TNT Sports are set to split 10 midseason races.
The agreement maintains traditional coverage patterns with FOX opening the season (including the Daytona 500) and NBC closing with the NASCAR Playoffs, while adding innovative streaming elements through Prime Video’s first-ever NASCAR coverage and TNT Sports’ return to the sport after a decade-long absence.
The comprehensive package includes practice and qualifying sessions split between Prime Video (first half) and TNT Sports (second half), with races airing across broadcast TV (FOX, NBC), cable (FS1, USA Network, TNT), and streaming platforms (Prime Video, Max), marking NASCAR’s most diverse media distribution strategy to date.
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Incoming: In-season tournament
This season NASCAR fans will get a taste of bracket-busting madness as the Cup Series will see its inaugural in-season tournament -- a new five-race stint featuring a 32-driver contest with $1 million up for grabs.
The tournament begins June 28 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and concludes July 27 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Brickyard 400, with stops at the Chicago Street Course, Sonoma Raceway and Dover Motor Speedway.
Drivers will compete head-to-head throughout the tournament, with the field narrowing from 32 to 16, then eight, four, and finally two drivers battling for the grand prize.
The tournament’s debut coincides with TNT Sports’ return to NASCAR coverage after a decade-long absence, marking a significant milestone in the sport’s media partnerships. Seeding will be determined by results from three Prime Video races at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono.
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Competition changes ahead for 2025
NASCAR introduced a bevy of rulebook changes in a January bulletin, including a method for motorsports icons to enter Cup Series races as a 41st entrant, as well as a major alternations to the Damaged Vehicle Policy and an update to playoff qualifications.
New for 2025, the Open Exemption Provisional allows a 41st car to enter select races, with these entries able to win trophies but not earn points or prize money.
MORE: New provisional spot added; Damaged Vehicle Policy revised
The DVP has been updated to allow cars to continue racing after garage repairs, removing the previous rule that sent damaged cars to the garage permanently out of the race.
Additionally, playoff waiver rules now specify that drivers will forfeit playoff points if the waiver is granted after a suspension or voluntarily skipping races, though medical absences and family emergencies are exempt.
NASCAR also clarified manufacturer penalties, which can now include loss of points and reduced testing time for violations of vehicle testing, wind tunnel limits, and conduct policies.
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Rodney Childers makes the move to revamped Spire Motorsports
Spire Motorsports has continued a steady evolution into a formidable NASCAR Cup Series organization and on paper 2025 shapes up to be its best yet, headlined by the addition of championship crew chief Rodney Childers to lead Justin Haley’s No. 7 team — arguably the signing of the year, including driver acquisitions.
MORE: 2025 season preview: Spire Motorsports preview
The organization’s three-car driver lineup features a fresh face in Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell paired with old pal in crew chief Travis Peterson in the No. 71, while reigning Rookie of the Year Carson Hocevar teams with Luke Lambert in the No. 77 and Haley with Childers in the No. 7, representing easily the strongest driver-crew chief combinations in Spire’s history.
These strategic personnel moves and a careful balance of experience and young talent in its driver lineup have Spire positioned to compete at a higher level against NASCAR’s established powerhouse teams.
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Storied Wood Brothers Racing enters new era
Wood Brothers Racing enters its historic 75th anniversary season in 2025 with significant changes, including third-generation ownership and the new driver-crew chief pairing of Josh Berry and Miles Stanley.
MORE: 2025 season preview: Wood Brothers Racing
Berry joins the No. 21 Ford after a rookie season that saw two top fives and four top 10s, with particular strength on short tracks. The 35-year-old driver showed promise with a strong five-race stretch early in 2024 but struggled with consistency as Stewart-Haas Racing wound down operations in 2024, but Berry is still regarded as a potential top talent that should benefit from an alliance with Team Penske, an organization fresh off three straight titles.
With Berry’s extensive racing background and Stanley’s technical expertise from Penske, WBR aims to build upon its 2024 playoff appearance while honoring its historic legacy.
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Haas Factory Team evolution
Out with the old, in with the Haas Factory Team as it emerges from Stewart-Haas Racing’s closure as a single-car operation in 2025, with Cole Custer returning to Cup Series competition in the No. 41 Ford.
After two successful years in the Xfinity Series that included a championship and runner-up finish, the slimmed-down and re-focused team pairs Custer with rookie crew chief Aaron Kramer, who slides over from RFK Racing where he served as lead race engineer.
The pair will aim to build upon Custer’s previous Cup success that included a win at Kentucky in 2020. With the dialed-in approach of a single-car team, combined with Custer’s renewed confidence, look for the team to potentially return to Victory Lane and make a playoff run in 2025.
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The more, the merrier — teams that expanded for 2025
The 2025 season will see unprecedented expansion with multiple teams growing to three-car operations after several charters changed hands.
To recap, RFK Racing added Ryan Preece in the No. 60 Ford through a Rick Ware Racing charter lease, Front Row Motorsports expanded with Noah Gragson joining its lineup alongside Todd Gilliland and familiar face Zane Smith, Trackhouse Racing brings Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen up to Cup Series full-time in the No. 88 Chevrolet, while 23XI Racing added Riley Herbst in the No. 35 Toyota.
Significant growth continues at RFK Racing, seeing continued resurgence under Brad Keselowski’s leadership, while Front Row’s elevation to a top-tier Ford team should make its drivers consistent players for wins and Trackhouse’s innovative approach to international talent showcases diverse paths to Cup Series stardom.
These expansions represent a major shift in NASCAR’s competitive landscape for 2025, with many of these teams all maintaining strong manufacturer support and technical alliances - RFK with Roush-Yates Engines, Front Row with Team Penske, Trackhouse with Chevrolet and Richard Childress Racing and 23XI with Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing — positioning them for immediate success with their additional entries.
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Rising stars continue to flood the Cup Series
The Cup Series continues its youth/up-and-comer movement with two high-profile rookies, as Riley Herbst joins 23XI Racing while international sensation Shane van Gisbergen -- who, at 35 years old we’ll consider more “up-and-comer” than "youth" here -- brings his three Supercars championships to Trackhouse Racing.
MORE: Herbst joins 23XI | SVG moves to Cup full-time
The average age of Cup Series drivers continues to decrease, with recent additions like Carson Hocevar (21), Zane Smith (25) and Noah Gragson (26) joining established young stars Chase Elliott (29), Ryan Blaney (31), Tyler Reddick (28) and William Byron (27) in NASCAR’s premier division after a pair of the oldest (Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr.) retired each of the past two years.
The influx of fresh talent has created one of the most competitive fields in recent memory, with both rookies and young veterans demonstrating they can challenge NASCAR’s established stars, as evidenced by van Gisbergen’s Chicago victory in his debut and Hocevar’s impressive and unexpected rookie campaign in 2024.
The combination of experienced champions and rising stars sets up compelling storylines for 2025, particularly as teams like 23XI Racing, Trackhouse Racing, and Spire Motorsports build their programs around younger talent.
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Joe Gibbs Racing moves on from another Cup champion
Joe Gibbs Racing enters 2025 with significant personnel changes, most notably needing to replace a NASCAR Cup Series champion in its driver lineup for the third time since 2018.
Chase Briscoe will fill a Martin Truex Jr.-sized hole in the No. 19 car, with the team still helmed by crew chief James Small, while championship contenders Christopher Bell and Adam Stevens remain together in the No. 20 and Ty Gibbs will partner with new crew chief Tyler Allen in the No. 54.
And, of course, the big bomb that dropped shortly after last season’s finale — longtime No. 11 boss Chris Gabehart moves from atop Denny Hamlin's pit box to JGR competition director while Chris Gayle takes over as crew chief.
These changes mark one of the most transformative offseasons in recent JGR history as the team aims to maintain its competitive edge with a mix of veteran leadership and fresh perspectives as Hamlin nears the twilight of his career.
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How will Kyle Busch rebound in 2025?
"Rowdy" enters 2025 determined to bounce back from his worst Cup Series season ever, a 2024 campaign in which he went winless for the first time in his full-time career and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
MORE: 2025 season preview: Richard Childress Racing
While Richard Childress Racing has made significant changes to improve competitiveness, including new crew chief assignments and engineering updates, Busch will need to overcome his sudden struggles on short tracks. If there was ever a driver that instilled confidence in a rebound it’s the Las Vegas native, as Busch’s veteran experience and aggressive driving style, combined with better team cohesion in his third year at RCR, could help him return to Victory Lane and potentially secure multiple wins in 2025 to make up for lost time.
After strong superspeedway showings in RCR equipment so far, the two-time Cup Series champion has a strong chance to end his 57-race winless streak immediately in the Daytona 500, where he’ll make his 20th attempt at capturing NASCAR’s most prestigious race, drawing obvious yet compelling parallels to Dale Earnhardt, who won it on his 20th try for RCR.
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Rivalry to watch: Kyle Larson vs. Christopher Bell
This one is probably about as friendly as rivalries get, but that doesn’t make it any less competitive.
The rekindling of Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell’s dirt-track rivalry after the loosening of extracurricular racing rules at Joe Gibbs Racing, highlighted by their thrilling photo finish at the 2025 Tulsa Shootout, signals an exciting new chapter in their back-and-forth competition that will carry over even further into NASCAR.
Bell has proven he hasn’t lost his touch by immediately beating Larson in his return, setting the stage for numerous battles across both dirt and asphalt throughout 2025. Their mutual respect and competitive drive, demonstrated by Larson’s humble praise of Bell’s return to dirt racing and Bell’s acknowledgment of needing to catch up to Larson’s recent dirt experience, showcases the kind of rivalry that elevates motorsports.
As both drivers continue to compete at the highest level in NASCAR while simultaneously battling in prestigious dirt events like the Chili Bowl Nationals, their multi-discipline rivalry promises to deliver some of the most compelling racing stories of 2025.
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What will the 2025 championship picture look like?
Every season has felt more competitive than the last lately, and 2025 isn’t shaping up to buck that trend. Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell enter 2025 as co-favorites for the championship at +550 on DraftKings, with both drivers looking to bounce back from disappointing playoff exits in 2024 despite their strong regular season performances.
MORE: Full 2025 championship odds
Team Penske aims to continue its remarkable streak of three consecutive championships, though defending champion Joey Logano faces skepticism after turning a 15th-place regular season finish into an unlikely title run last year -- but perhaps that was all part of the plan?
Hendrick Motorsports seeks to avoid its longest championship drought since 1995, having gone three years since Larson’s 2021 title run, and fellow powerhouse Joe Gibbs Racing will aim to just *make* the Championship 4 after uncharacteristically failing to land a driver in it last fall.
What makes this year particularly interesting, however, is just how deep the realistic championship contenders run. Nearly every full-time team has a conceivable title winner -- tossing 23XI Racing, Trackhouse Racing, Richard Childress Racing and RFK Racing onto the pile -- while at the very least there is a path to the playoffs for just about the full roster of ‘25 drivers.
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What would a fourth Joey Logano title mean?
Logano was already well on his way to the NASCAR Hall of Fame after capturing title No. 2 in 2022, but a third this past season secured his all-timer status. If a fourth were to come this season -- or, really, any time in the next decade for the 34-year-old -- well, in that case, we might just have to consider him a NASCAR legend.
MORE: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Logano: Two sides have launched champ into the NASCAR stratosphere
A fourth NASCAR Cup Series championship would elevate him into rarefied air, joining only Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson as active or recently retired drivers with four or more titles -- and the names don’t really get a whole lot bigger than that.
Logano’s mastery of NASCAR’s playoff format has already made him the only active three-time champion, with a hefty share of his career wins coming in playoff races, demonstrating his ability to perform when the stakes are highest. A potential fourth title would be particularly meaningful given his journey from being labeled a “bust” after his early Joe Gibbs Racing career to becoming one of NASCAR’s most accomplished drivers under Roger Penske, proving that second chances can define a career.
Title No. 4 would undeniably cement Logano’s legacy as one of NASCAR’s all-time greats and arguably the greatest playoff-era driver in history.