The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is upon us and the roster of talent is as deep as it’s ever been.
NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Cup Series contenders after the 2025 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium and before the 2025 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
RELATED: 2025 Cup Series schedule | 2025 predictions | Daytona 500 gear
Editor’s note: +/- correlates to ranking movement since 2025 lookahead rankings post-Phoenix.
20. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (-5)
Analysis: Gibbs made the highlight reel at the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, but for all the wrong reasons as a mix-up with Justin Haley in the Last-Chance Qualifier lifted his No. 54 Toyota into the air and out of the rest of the night’s festivities. Despite that being Gibbs’ second straight spicy Clash, short of falling out of these rankings he has nowhere to go but up, and win No. 1 is absolutely coming at some point this year — and win No. 2 likely not too far behind it.
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19. Daniel Suárez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (-1)
Analysis: There weren’t a ton of “pros” for Suárez at the Clash, seeing as he finished second-to-last in the main, but, hey, he’ll be able to tell his grandkids someday that he beat Kyle Larson in Heat 2 of a preseason exhibition event. Kidding aside, Suárez was the second driver to lock into the playoffs last year — on a superspeedway, notably — and at some point his truly unbelievable Daytona luck will have to turn around, and likely in a big way. Maybe this weekend.
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18. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (+1)
Analysis: Hocevar impressed in his heat at the Clash and advanced to the main event by finishing in the top five there before turning in a P16 when all was said and done. Still, it’s evident Hocevar is going to be a front-half-of-the-field talent in 2025 as he continues to make a name for himself. Credited with a last-place finish in his first Daytona 500 last year, it would not be the biggest shock in the world to see him finish at the top of the results sheet this time around. | MORE: Hocevar highlights exciting driver roster at Spire
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17. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (–)
Analysis: The main event was unremarkable for the two-time champion, but Busch showed some sportiness throughout the weekend as he looks to rebound from a challenging, winless 2024 campaign. Plenty of eyes will be on “Rowdy” this week as he — in his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, of course — attempts to end 20 years of trying and 20 years of frustration by capturing his first Daytona 500 win. Considering his 19th year was perhaps his most trying and most frustrating, he’ll be motivated to make it happen.
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16. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford (-3)
Analysis: Keselowski finished runner-up to eventual dominant Clash winner Chase Elliott in his heat, which made it all the more surprising that he wound up being so underwhelming in the big race, landing 21st of 23 on the results sheet. RFK Racing hasn’t been able to hit on The Clash in its recent years of being a 0.25-mile event, which would be more concerning if the team didn’t look as strong as it does at the other short tracks on the schedule. Finally, fully settled into his new driver/owner role, don’t be surprised if Keselowski has another championship run in him.
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15. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (-5)
Analysis: Like Keselowski, Briscoe impressed early at Bowman Gray, placing second in his heat to Chris Buescher before struggling to get anything going in the main event, landing dead last. Don’t read into that at all, as Briscoe should have his best season to date ahead of him, replacing the perennial championship contender and recent full-time retiree Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19. He’s sneakily had some strong runs in his limited Daytona 500 history, so he could be a dark horse pick to take home the Harley J. Earl.
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14. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (-3)
Analysis: Bowman wasn’t great at Bowman Gray, just barely avoiding the LCQ before turning in a ho-hum Clash result of 19th. Again, all of this needs to be taken with a grain of salt, as it’s a preseason event and there’s no points race the rest of the way on a similar track. Bowman will be plenty amped up to get the actual season underway following his difficult-to-stomach elimination from last year’s playoffs after his car failed inspection. A Daytona 500 win feels almost like an inevitability for him based on how fast he is there annually, and last year’s runner-up could make it one spot better on Sunday.
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13. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (+7)
Analysis: Look, if you’re not impressed by a guy from halfway around the world who keeps showing up to races extremely out of his element and nonchalantly succeeding in them, I’m not sure what to tell you. The New Zealander and Cup rookie took quite well to the intricacies of Bowman Gray, placing third in his heat and landing a top 10 in the main. Big, big things are in store for SVG in 2025.
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12. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford (+4)
Analysis: If there’s one driver who just seems to have the mojo entering 2025, it’s probably this guy right here. This could be a pivotal season for the now fourth-year veteran, and after seeing his Team Penske cohorts win a title in each of his first three seasons, Cindric might be feeling like it’s his turn to tout the title. He’s the most recent Daytona 500 winner among them, however, and he already turned some heads at the Clash, where he wasn’t too far off their pace in seventh.
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11. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota (+3)
Analysis: Wallace is rounding the corner on a decade in the Cup Series, and at some point it does feel like he’ll elevate into the next tier but took an undeniable step back with last year’s campaign. A very strong postseason as a non-playoff driver indicated he and the team had found something late in the year and Wallace kept it rolling at Bowman Gray with a top five. His Daytona 500 near-misses are well documented, and as close as he’s gotten, this feels like the year it could all come together for a “Great American Race” crown.
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10. Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford (+2)
Analysis: In case you forgot over the offseason, Buescher is that dude now and should compete for wins on a consistent basis this year despite just missing out on the playoffs a season ago — and if you did, he reminded you by winning his heat and turning in a Clash top 10. He’s an above-average superspeedway driver and a Daytona 500 win to announce his status as a 2025 championship contender would be huge.
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9. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (–)
Analysis: Chastain also outperformed in last year’s postseason as a non-playoff driver and has all the makings of a potential deep run this year, only reinforced by a top five in his heat and a P6 in the main event at the Clash. All three of his top 10s at Daytona came in the 500 and he could make quite a statement by making a trip to Victory Lane on Sunday.
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8. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (-2)
Analysis: If you’re wondering just how deep the Cup Series is this year, you could make a legitimate argument for any of the top eight or so drivers to be No. 1 overall heading into Daytona. Bell took a slight dip because some mediocre Clash results, but don’t be dismayed; he is every bit the full-scale championship contender he’s been the past few years — and then some. You can guarantee he hasn’t, and won’t, forget about Martinsville last fall any time soon.
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7. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (-3)
Analysis: The same can be said for Larson, who is obviously capable of hanging 10-plus wins on the series (we know, because he did exactly that a few years ago) but took a bit of a tumble after nearly missing the Clash altogether before winning the LCQ. When it comes to the word “impossible,” it essentially never applies to Larson, but let’s just say that it’s “unlikely” he wins the Daytona 500 based on his shoddy superspeedway history, but he could pour gas on the field shortly after. And perhaps unrelentingly.
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6. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (-4)
Analysis: Hendrick Motorsports had quite an interesting Clash, as Chase Elliott dominated the event, but his three teammates finished 17th to 19th, with Byron square in the middle. There probably won’t be a whole lot of races this season in which Hendrick only puts one car in the top 10, however, and Byron is most definitely a threat to win the title this year — in addition to back-to-back Daytona 500s. | MORE: Active drivers with a Daytona 500 win
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5. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota (–)
Analysis: Fresh off a Championship 4 appearance, much will be expected of Reddick this season and he came out looking strong, winning his heat and turning in a top 10 at Bowman Gray. Reddick is just like his fellow Californian Larson in that there’s essentially nothing he can’t do behind the wheel of a race car, but it hasn’t quite shown up at Daytona yet. Reddick has exactly zero top-20 finishes in NASCAR’s biggest race.
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4. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (+4)
Analysis: As he tends to do, Hamlin came out firing in the preseason Clash event and won his heat before turning in a top three in the main event; immediately quelling any concerns over how he would respond to the major personnel shakeup at JGR. There haven’t been as many “is this the year”-type narratives around him so far this preseason, which might be a good thing, as Hamlin will be able to focus on the task at hand, week-to-week. Up first? A potential fourth Daytona 500 win. | MORE: JGR, Gabehart, Hamlin forge ahead after key personnel shifts
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3. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (+4)
Analysis: There was little doubt that both the fastest car and best driver won the 2025 Cook Out Clash, as Elliott looked like the man to beat from the second cars rolled into Bowman Gray and he backed it up throughout. If that’s a sign of things to come, a second championship might very well be in his future just nine months from now, but we’ll go ahead and guess he’d be satisfied with a Daytona 500 win to tide him over until then.
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2. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford (+1)
Analysis: One of the many reasons the 2025 season is going to be must-watch is just the sheer amount of drivers that’ll be racing with a chip on their shoulder, including our reigning champion. Logano brushes off the naysayers with the best of them, but still — don’t you think he wouldn’t mind going out and beating the pants off the field after having his third title — when he entered the playoffs as a 15th seed and wound up winning the whole damn thing — questioned publicly by some? The future Hall of Famer is obviously capable of dominance and he already looked quite strong at Bowman Gray. His peers might wish they’d kept quiet over the offseason by the end of the year. Or sooner.
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1. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford (–)
Analysis: Blaney did unfortunately need to take the provisional to get into the big show, but he made it count — the No. 12 Ford was perhaps the only contending ride to Elliott’s dominant No. 9 Chevy under the Winston-Salem, North Carolina lights. A local to the area, a Blaney win would’ve been huge, but a runner-up coming off a runner-up championship finish ain’t too shabby, either. There have been some Daytona 500s that appeared his for the taking, and the 2021 Daytona summer race winner might as well be the favorite. He’ll be there at the end.