Chase Elliott 2025 season in review

Posted on December 17, 2025December 17, 2025 by Holly Cain

Editor’s note: This is the 23rd in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.

Driver: Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Crew chief: Alan Gustafson
Final 2025 ranking: 8th
Key stats: 2 wins, 11 top fives, 19 top 10s, 454 laps led

How 2025 ended: Elliott qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the ninth time in his 10-year career, winning the Kansas Speedway postseason race in the Round of 12 and earning six top-10 finishes during the 10-race playoff stretch. Elliott was eliminated from a shot at his second championship, finishing third at Martinsville Speedway in the Round of 8 finale behind his Hendrick teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson, who both advanced to the championship bout. A 10th-place finish in the Phoenix Raceway finale placed Elliott eighth in the championship final standings.

Best race: A last-lap pass at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) in June thrilled a sold-out crowd and earned Elliott his second career Cup Series victory at his “home” track. Although it was a dramatic last-lap pass that earned the trophy at Atlanta, Elliott led 41 laps on the day at the 1.5-miler and snapped a 44-race winless streak.

Other season highlights: The 2025 season marked the first time Elliott won multiple races since 2022. However, his best race statistically came in a sixth-place finish after leading 238 of 407 laps at Dover Motor Speedway. His six-race top-10 showing in the 10-race playoff stretch was certainly a sign that the No. 9 team was prepared for a real fight for the championship. Three times Elliott strung together three consecutive top-10 runs, including an impressive stretch in the playoffs at three vastly different venues; he scored fifth at the one-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway, tallied a win at the Kansas 1.5-miler and landed eighth at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

Stat to know: Remarkably, Elliott’s final season statistics beyond the two wins — his 11 top fives and 19 top-10 finishes — exactly match his 2024 output. His 454 laps led were his most out front since 2022. His 12.6 average finish was impressive, considering his 16.1 average start was the second-lowest of his career (17.3 in 2023).

Quotable: “The way I’ve kind of progressed through the playoffs this year is just to fight as hard as I can each week, try to earn myself and our team three more weeks, and you never know what can happen in three weeks. … That can be the difference in somebody being mediocre to potentially getting on a hot streak or even a team collectively getting better throughout that course of time.” — Elliott said of his 2025 playoff strategy.

Looking ahead: The good news for Elliott is that his Hendrick Motorsports organization earned its series-record 15th Cup Series championship. The tough news is that it wasn’t Elliott but his teammate, Larson, hoisting the trophy this season. A multi-time winner for the sixth time in his career and first time in three years, Elliott and Alan Gustafson, his longtime crew chief, finished the year feeling optimistic about their progress. Elliott led the most laps since 2022 and advanced to the Round of 8, all positive progress for a former series champion who enters every year expecting to claim another trophy and showing up on the grid with all the resources to do so.

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Staff Report

NASCAR Cup Series rookie Connor Zilisch is set to compete in IMSA’s Rolex 24 next month, officially joining the Action Express Racing group for the 2026 season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Zilisch will make his third consecutive start in the twice-around-the-clock endurance classic, but his first in the premier GTP class. He’ll drive the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R as a teammate to Earl Bamber, Jack Aitken and Frederik Vesti on Jan. 24-25, 2026.

“I’m excited to be with Action Express Racing for the Rolex 24 at Daytona,” Zilisch said. “The Rolex 24 is one of my favorite races, and I’m thrilled to be with one of the best teams in the IMSA paddock. I’m very thankful to everyone at GM and Cadillac Racing for their help in making this happen. This is such a cool opportunity. We had a solid test in November at Daytona. I really enjoyed working with all the guys on the Whelen team and can’t wait to get back there for the race.”

Zilisch will move to the Cup Series next season as a Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate for Trackhouse Racing in the No. 88 Chevrolet. The 19-year-old driver’s rise to NASCAR’s top division comes after a sensational campaign with JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series, where he won a tour-best 10 races and placed second in the final standings.

Zilisch’s Rolex 24 debut as a 17-year-old standout was a winning one, co-driving an Era Motorsport entry to victory in 2024 in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class. Last year’s effort came in the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class, driving the Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R with current NASCAR teammate Shane van Gisbergen, IndyCar star Scott McLaughlin and veteran sports-car racer Ben Keating.

“The first time I came to Daytona racing was in (Mazda) MX-5 Cup, and I’ve loved it ever since,” Zilisch said, “and just being able to race in the 24 hours is something that I dreamed of as a kid, and that’s why I always come back and keep doing it. And, you know, it’s my third time doing it and my third different car that I’ve done it in. I’m just excited for the opportunity to even be here today and get this chance to test the car. It’s been such a dream of mine to get to drive in the highest class of IMSA, and doing that today has been really cool.”

MORE: 2026 IMSA schedule

The Action Express team — managed by veteran racing executive Gary Nelson — was a winner its last time out, claiming victory in the Motul Petit Le Mans 10-hour season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta last October. The organization finished second in last year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for GTP cars and is a seven-time champion in the Michelin North American Endurance Cup.

Cadillac will have a three-car lineup for the 2026 schedule, with two entries from Wayne Taylor Racing and one from Action Express.

This year’s Rolex 24 is slated for a full grid of 61 cars racing in three classes. On-track preparations for the 24-hour race begin Jan. 16-18 with the Roar before the Rolex 24 event on the 3.56-mile Daytona course.

Posted on December 16, 2025December 16, 2025 by Press Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR Studios today announced “Kid Racers,” an original feature-length documentary capturing one of the most raw, electric, and little-known corners of American motorsports. The film debuts Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. ET, airing live and exclusively on The NASCAR Channel.

Filmed at the legendary Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury, North Carolina, “Kid Racers” follows five families and their fearless 8-and 9-year-old racers as they chase dreams on a red-clay track that has become a proving ground for NASCAR’s next generation. These kids, fresh out of car seats and already piloting winged Outlaw karts at 45–55 miles per hour, go head-to-head with the children of NASCAR greats, including Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson and Clint Bowyer. At Millbridge, the message is universal: “If you can win here, you can win anywhere.”

“‘Kid Racers’ shines a light on one of the most authentic and emotionally charged corners of our sport, where passion is born, families rally together, and the next generation of NASCAR talent takes shape,” said John Dahl, NASCAR senior vice president of content. “This documentary captures the heart of our sport, and we’re proud to debut it on The NASCAR Channel.”

The film spotlights five unforgettable young competitors:

• Tanner Tucker, the fierce 2022 season champion carrying his father’s unfinished NASCAR dream.
• Giselle Hicks, a fourth-generation racer learning to rise above doubt in a male-dominated class.
• Jackson Darnell, the analytical “nicest guy on the track,” with the instincts of a future broadcaster.
• Gabe Yacono, the track’s beloved sportsman, racing for the joy and community it brings.
• Chase DeMarco, a multi-talented racer and diehard fan overcoming late-season setbacks.

“Kid Racers” is directed by Cynthia Hill, the Peabody Award–winning and Emmy-nominated filmmaker known for several documentary projects including: “A chef’s Life,” “Burden of Proof,” “Road to Raceday”, and “What happened, Brittany Murphy?” It is executive produced by Tim Clark, John Dahl and Tally Hair from NASCAR Studios, and produced by Sandra Davidson.

The NASCAR Channel is NASCAR’s free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) network. It offers 24/7 programming with no subscription required and is available on The Roku Channel, Xumo Play, Tubi, Samsung TV Plus and Prime Video.

Posted on December 16, 2025December 16, 2025 by Zach Sturniolo

Editor’s note: This is the 22nd in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.

Driver: Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Crew Chief: Billy Scott
Final 2025 Ranking: 9th
Key Stats: 0 wins, 7 top fives, 14 top 10s, 169 laps led

How 2025 ended: The 2024 Regular Season Champion netted five finishes of 11th or better in the final six races of 2025, leading the No. 45 group toward a better conclusion of a shaky season. Much of Reddick’s focus shifted away from racing through the final month of the season as off-track priorities — namely the health of his newborn son, Rookie — took precedence over anything on the track. Nonetheless, with his son now in better health, Reddick returned to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the fifth consecutive season and finished the year inside the top 10 in the final standings for the third consecutive season.

Best race: Reddick was twice a runner-up in 2025, placing second both in the season-opening Daytona 500 as well as the playoff-opening Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Of the two races, Darlington was where Reddick shone most, consistently pressuring eventual race winner Chase Briscoe for the crown-jewel victory before settling for the second spot. Reddick’s evasive maneuvers led him through a last-lap crash at Daytona in February, narrowly avoiding a spinning Denny Hamlin and giving chase to William Byron, who prevailed in the “Great American Race” for the second straight year.

Other season highlights: Reddick had a front-row seat to an electric finish at Circuit of The Americas, where he won the pole and finished third after a fierce battle between Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell and William Byron resulted in a win for Bell. The No. 45 car was also up front for 42 laps in the spring race at Darlington, leading to a fourth-place finish. A three-race stretch through the summer produced consecutive top-six finishes for Reddick at EchoPark Speedway (fourth), the Chicago Street Course (third) and Sonoma Raceway (sixth).

Stat to know: Reddick’s average finish of 14.5 was tied for seventh-best with William Byron in 2025, proving the No. 45 was firmly in the mix all season. However, Reddick’s other stats took a notable step back in 2025, going winless and posting his fewest top fives, poles and laps led since 2021 and his fewest top 10s since 2022.

Quotable: “My focus was not on racing at all, but I felt like we were still able to go out and perform well. I was able to, in a very condensed way, look back at my notes, do sim. Only a couple times through the process was I able to do some preparation, which, again, wasn’t a high priority. Things just fell in the right place, where I was able to still go race. But, yeah, I mean, in a lot of ways, it’s hard to say how it affected my performance because racing was the last thing on my mind for a long period of time.” – Reddick on racing through his son Rookie’s health concerns.

Looking ahead: Although the No. 45 team statistically regressed in 2025, there’s plenty of reason to believe Reddick will be back to winning form in 2026. Six of his seven top fives in 2025 came on different styles of tracks, collecting multiple top fives at Darlington while also placing there at a traditional superspeedway (Daytona), a 1.5-mile superspeedway (EchoPark), street course (Chicago), road course (COTA) and intermediate (Las Vegas). This year marked Reddick’s first winless season since 2021, but the No. 45 team showed impressive resolve under unusual circumstances, particularly late in the season. Expect Reddick to contend for a deep playoff run again in 2026.

Posted on December 15, 2025December 15, 2025 by Kobe Lambeth

Editor’s note: This is the 21st in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.

Driver: Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Crew chief: Phil Surgen
Final 2025 ranking: 10th
Key stats: 1 win, 4 top fives, 12 top 10s, 83 laps led

How 2025 ended: After missing the Cup Series Playoffs last year, Ross Chastain powered his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet back into the postseason following his win in the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Weekend at Charlotte, which turned out to be his only victory of the 2025 season. The native of Alva, Florida, made it to the Round of 12 before getting eliminated from the playoffs after the chaotic final lap of the Charlotte Roval cutoff race. Chastain made contact with Denny Hamlin in the frontstretch chicane at the Roval to get a spot he needed to keep his title hopes alive, but he ended up spinning them both out and ultimately watched his playoff run conclude on the Charlotte frontstretch in reverse across the start/finish line. Still, at the end of the year, Chastain was the top Trackhouse driver in the final standings in 10th, ahead of teammates Shane van Gisbergen (12th) and Daniel Suárez (29th).

Best race: On Lap 395 of the Coca-Cola 600, Chastain made a move to the inside on William Byron in Turns 1 and 2 to take the lead, as his No. 1 Chevrolet led the final six laps at Charlotte to score his sixth career Cup Series victory and first crown-jewel win. The path to Victory Lane at the 1.5-mile North Carolina intermediate track was not an easy one because Chastain was in a backup car after crashing in the Saturday practice session, due to a left-rear tire going down, which caused his car to spin in Turn 3 and hit the wall. As a result, Trackhouse team members worked into the early hours of Sunday morning at the shop to ensure that Chastain’s car was ready to go racing for 600 miles deep into Sunday night. Chastain went on to make history by becoming the first driver to win from an official starting position of last place (40th) since the late Hall of Famer Bobby Allison in 1969 at Richmond Fairgrounds, per NASCAR Insights.

Other season highlights: Chastain persevered to the runner-up position at Texas, despite being critical of his No. 1 Trackhouse Chevrolet’s lack of speed in qualifying after starting 31st. He also got into a feud with Joey Logano on numerous occasions at Martinsville, Chicago and Dover before both drivers decided to bury the hatchet and move on from their on-track disagreements.

Stat to know: For the first time since the start of his Trackhouse tenure in 2022, Chastain led fewer than 100 laps. The driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet led 83 laps in nine of 36 races.

Quotable: “It is just conversations. And I’m not gonna let one bad instance get in the way of a lot of good times. One bad time is not gonna affect that for me, and Daniel and I’s relationship will survive. I wrecked him, I mean, he should be upset, that team should be upset. So I went to the crew chief and him, and wanted them to make sure they knew that they knew. I wanted to make sure that, like, it was the last thing I wanted to do. And for the first half of the brake zone, I thought I was fine. And then the second half of the brake zone, I realized I’m going too fast, and I should have reacted better, and I didn’t. So that’s just a non-negotiable to wrecking, spinning teammates out. We had conversations this week.” — Chastain expressed regret for spinning Trackhouse teammate Suárez at Sonoma.

Looking ahead: Chastain will return to the No. 1 Chevrolet in 2026, but crew chief Surgen is moving on to a different role within the organization. On Nov. 7, Trackhouse named Brandon McSwain the new crew chief for Chastain. McSwain comes over from Hendrick Motorsports after working as a race engineer on Byron’s No. 24 team. With a new voice atop the box in McSwain, this organizational change could be the spark Chastain needs to get back toward the front of the field more consistently and lead laps.

Posted on December 13, 2025 by John Crane

Editor’s note: This is a roundup in which we review the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. Check out our index of 2025 driver recaps.

2025 Craftsman Truck Series Champion: Corey Heim
2025 Regular Season Champion: Corey Heim
Full-time winners: 8 (Corey Heim, 12; Layne Riggs, 3; Chandler Smith, 2; Tyler Ankrum, 1; Rajah Caruth, 1; Daniel Hemric, 1; Giovanni Ruggiero, 1; Stewart Friesen, 1)
Wins by team: Tricon Garage, 13; Front Row Motorsports, 5; Spire Motorsports, 4; McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, 2; Halmar Friesen Racing, 1

How 2025 ended: A 2025 campaign defined by utter dominance concluded electrically for Corey Heim and the No. 11 Tricon Garage team during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway. In what has a claim to be the clutchest NASCAR Overtime restart ever, the Marietta, Georgia, native vaulted from 10th to second in one fell swoop, erasing a pit-road deficit that resulted from a four-tire call. Out-maneuvering 2024 champion Ty Majeski followed, and just like that, Heim cashed in with win No. 12 and his first title triumph. Championship near-misses in years prior (Heim finished third and runner-up in the title standings in 2023 and 2024, respectively) were avenged, and history was achieved; Heim’s 12 wins are the most ever in a single season, and, at 23 years old, now coincidentally has 23 Truck Series wins to his ledger, already the sixth-most all-time. Poetry tends to rhyme, and, well, it was Heim’s time.

Best race: After matching Greg Biffle for the most wins in a single season via his ninth victory of 2025 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September, the next logical step was for Heim to surpass that mark. He did so the very next race. After a first-lap wreck brought calamity, Heim stayed level, rallied and wheeled his heavily-taped No. 11 machine to Victory Lane at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval after staying out during a critical overtime restart. History was now his, and, as we’d see the rest of the way, even more history was to be etched into the Truck Series annals for good.

Other season highlights: While Heim was 2025’s focal point, he wasn’t the only season highlight. Despite not making the Championship 4, Layne Riggs’ sophomore campaign was a sound one, tallying career highs in wins (three), top fives (13) and top-10 finishes (16). 19-year-old rookie Gio Ruggiero scooped up his first career national series win following an overtime finish at Talladega Superspeedway. In its national series return for the first time since 2013, Rockingham Speedway saw Tyler Ankrum snap a 130-race winless streak, the longest drought broken in Truck Series history. Then there was Lime Rock Park, with the Connecticut road course hosting its first national series race. 2025 definitely lived up to the billing.

Stat to know: Heim has led in 26 consecutive races dating back to 2024, the longest streak all time. Heim led 1,625 circuits in 2025, lapping the field (no pun intended), with the next closest competitor being 1,128 legs behind the mark (Layne Riggs, 497). With this dominance, Heim already ranks sixth all-time in Truck Series laps led (2,989).

Quotable: “It’s such a team effort at the end of the day. Like, those guys have consistently set me up with winning equipment, and Scott (Zipadelli, No. 11 crew chief), being the captain of the team, he’s been the guy to keep that whole crew together since 2023. We’ve had literally every single person other than pit crew together on that 11 crew from the middle of 2023, so it’s obviously guys that want to work for him. It’s really a big family, honestly. It feels like a family, and I want it to be remembered that way.” — Corey Heim on No. 11 team’s accomplishments.

MORE: 2026 Craftsman Truck Series schedule | Buy tickets

Looking ahead: Excitement is in the air for 2026. A fourth manufacturer — Ram — will enter the Truck Series fray with Kaulig Racing next season, with five trucks carrying the new banner. In addition to Chicagoland Speedway returning, new track venues, including St. Petersburg and Naval Base Coronado, will be on the schedule. And while the Truck Series roster is nowhere near finalized (Heim included), whatever is solidified will surely bring variability and competition that fans will be eager to watch.

Posted on December 12, 2025December 14, 2025 by Zach Sturniolo

Editor’s note: This is the 20th in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.

Driver: Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
Crew chief: Charles Denike
Final 2025 Ranking: 11th
Key Stats: 1 win, 6 top fives, 14 top 10s, 378 laps led

How 2025 ended: Wallace made the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the second time in his career and got off to a stellar start in the postseason, clinching his Round of 12 spot by the end of Stage 1 in the Round of 16 elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway. But his best chance to advance to the Round of 8 with a Kansas win was wiped away in the last set of corners when team co-owner Denny Hamlin slid high in Turn 3, leaving Wallace in the wall and with a fifth-place finish instead en route to an 11th-place finish in the final standings with first-year crew chief Denike at the helm.

Best race: No event compares for Wallace’s season than leaving Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a Brickyard 400 winner, snapping a 100-race winless streak in the process. Wallace led 30 laps and held off defending Brickyard winner Kyle Larson by 0.222 seconds in overtime to secure his first crown-jewel victory and a kiss of the bricks. His No. 23 Toyota was up front all day, earning the day’s best average running position at 4.93 after qualifying second at the famed 2.5-mile track.

MORE: Wallace silences biggest doubter with Brickyard win

Other season highlights: Wallace led a career-high 123 laps at Richmond Raceway, but a detached wheel during green-flag pit stops cost the No. 23 driver too much time to overcome, saddling him with a 28th-place finish instead. His year following the Brickyard triumph was filled with both highs and lows, ending the campaign with a feast-or-famine stat sheet of six top 10s and eight finishes of 15th or worse in the final 14 races of 2025.

Stat to know: Wallace’s top-line stats mirrored his 2024 campaign, equaling career-bests with six top fives and 14 top 10s. But this year, there was one notable positive and one negative: He led a career-high 378 laps this year while also tallying his most DNFs — nine — with eight coming as the result of crashes.

Quotable: “Honestly, it’s been a lot of fun to show up to the race track with a new mindset and having an opportunity to win just about every week is what you want. Bootie (Barker, former crew chief) taught me that: Keep throwing your name in the hat, they’ll eventually pull it. So it’s just been fun. And it goes back to what I told Charles when we met for the first time: Man, I want to have fun when we go to the race track, and we’ve been doing just that.” – Bubba Wallace on his 2025 season.

Looking ahead: Wallace made apparent gains through all track types in 2025, even bettering his previously noted struggles at road courses. His No. 23 Toyota was frequently running closer to the front of the field than in years past and had a legitimate chance to advance to the semifinal round of the NASCAR Playoffs this season. That personal momentum, coupled with a second year with Denike atop the pit box, should lead to further success for Wallace in 2026 as he climbs the echelon in pursuit of becoming one of the sport’s best overall drivers.

Posted on December 11, 2025December 11, 2025 by Press Release

NASCAR, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are pleased to announce a mutually agreed-upon resolution that delivers long-term stability and creates the conditions for meaningful growth for all teams in a more competitive environment.

This resolution reflects our shared commitment to maintaining a fair and equitable framework for long-term participation in America’s premier motorsport, one that supports teams, partners and stakeholders while ensuring fans enjoy uninterrupted access to the best racing in the world. The agreement allows all parties to move forward with a unified focus on advancing stock car racing and delivering exceptional competition for our fans.

With this matter now resolved, all parties look forward to working together, alongside all chartered race teams, to deliver world-class events, dynamic sponsorship and partner activation opportunities, and continued growth for generations to come.

As a condition of the settlement agreement, NASCAR will issue an amendment to existing charter holders detailing the updated terms for signature, which will include a form of “evergreen” charters, subject to mutual agreement. The financial terms of the settlement are confidential and will not be released.

What all parties have always agreed on is a deep love for the sport and a desire to see it fulfill its full potential. This is a landmark moment, one that ensures NASCAR’s foundation is stronger, its future is brighter, and its possibilities are greater. We extend our sincere thanks to Judge Kenneth Bell and mediator Jeffrey Mishkin for their professionalism, and guidance throughout this process and to their jury for their time.

Quotes

Michael Jordan, Co-Owner, 23XI Racing

From the beginning, this lawsuit was about progress. It was about making sure our sport evolves in a way that supports everyone: teams, drivers, partners, employees and fans. With a foundation to build equity and invest in the future and a stronger voice in the decisions ahead, we now have the chance to grow together and make the sport even better for generations to come. I’m excited to watch our teams get back on the track and compete hard in 2026.

Denny Hamlin, Co-Owner, 23XI Racing

I’ve cared deeply about the sport of NASCAR my entire life. Racing is all I’ve ever known, and this sport shaped who I am. That’s why we were willing to shoulder the challenges that came with taking this stand. We believed it was worth fighting for a stronger and more sustainable future for everyone in the industry. Teams, drivers and partners will now have the stability and opportunity they deserve. Our commitment to the fans and to the entire NASCAR community has never been stronger. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, and now it is time to move forward together and build the stronger future this sport deserves.

Bob Jenkins, Owner, Front Row Motorsports

After more than 20 years in this sport, today gives me real confidence in where we’re headed. I love this sport, and it was clear we needed a system that treated our teams, drivers and sponsors fairly and kept the competition strong. With this change, we can finally build long-term value and have a real voice in NASCAR’s future. I’m excited for the road ahead — for the people in the garage, the folks in the stands and everyone who loves this sport.

Curtis Polk, Co-Owner, 23XI Racing

My goal as a member of the Team Negotiating Committee was to help create an economic model that would create a more sustainable model for teams and create a more equitable and transparent system within NASCAR. This settlement achieves significant progress toward the Four Pillars. The result brings NASCAR and the chartered teams into better alignment and supports future growth and sustainability for all stakeholders and a better sport for the fans.

Jim France, CEO & Chairman, NASCAR

This outcome gives all parties the flexibility and confidence to continue delivering unforgettable racing moments for our fans, which has always been our highest priority since the sport was founded in 1948. We worked closely with race teams and tracks to create the NASCAR charter system in 2016, and it has proven invaluable to their operations and to the quality of racing across the Cup Series. Today’s agreement reaffirms our commitment to preserving and enhancing that value, ensuring our fans continue to enjoy the very best of stock car racing for generations to come. We are excited to return the collective focus of our sport, teams and race tracks toward an incredible 78th season that begins with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.

Posted on December 11, 2025December 11, 2025 by Zack Albert

Editor’s note: This is the 19th in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.

Driver: Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Crew chief: Stephen Doran
Final 2025 ranking: 12th
Key stats: 5 wins, 5 top fives, 7 top 10s, 312 laps led

How 2025 ended: Van Gisbergen’s first full Cup Series season ended with a pair of significant accomplishments — a spot in the playoffs and a runaway to Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. SVG turned the circuit’s road-course races into a near-monopoly, winning five of the six on the schedule to sew up his postseason footing. Though his title eligibility ended after the opening Round of 16, he closed out strong with a Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval win and steady improvement in the second half of the season on the oval tracks — a trend that included his first oval top 10, at Kansas Speedway in September.

Best race: Any of van Gisbergen’s quintet of wins could qualify here, but his romp to victory in the series’ inaugural visit to Mexico City set that wave in motion. Van Gisbergen put his No. 88 Chevrolet on pole position in Saturday’s qualifying session, then battled through a race-day stomach ailment to lead 60 of the 100 laps. His triumph was so thorough that his 16.567-second margin of victory was the Cup Series’ largest in 15-plus years.

Other season highlights: After his Mexico City mastery, two more wins by a margin of 10-plus seconds followed at Watkins Glen International and the Roval. SVG also converted for his second win in three tries at the Chicago Street Race, and he made it two in a row the next week at Sonoma Raceway, where he led 97 of the 110 laps. Van Gisbergen started on the front row in five of six road-course events in 2025, with Circuit of The Americas (started and finished sixth) the lone exception.

Stat to know: Van Gisbergen’s rapid accumulation of wins became a point of distinction in 2025. His victory at Watkins Glen in August, in just his 38th Cup Series start, made him the first driver to hit the five-win mark that quickly since fellow road-race ace Dan Gurney reached that plateau in just 13 starts back in 1968.

Quotable: “It was kind of a season of two halves, it felt like. The first half was a lot of learning, but since Mexico, when we won our first race, it’s all kind of clicked, and you get that confidence and momentum, you know, and it’s just kind of built from Mexico. Yeah, the second half of the season’s made it pretty easy to forget about the first half.” — Van Gisbergen, who was 33rd in Cup Series points before his Mexico win in mid-June turned his season around.

Looking ahead: Van Gisbergen indicated that little change was expected for his team’s composition in the offseason, and that continuity should provide the 36-year-old New Zealander with a solid foundation for his second full-time campaign. SVG signed a multiyear contract extension Aug. 8, keeping him with Trackhouse for the foreseeable future. The one significant shift will be with his car number. Incoming rookie Connor Zilisch will fly the No. 88, and van Gisbergen will drive the No. 97, using a number that carries special meaning and tradition for his family and one that he campaigned faithfully in his rise to Supercar stardom Down Under.

Chris Graythen | Getty Images

Posted on December 10, 2025 by Staff Report

Lionel Racing’s 2025 die-cast lineup of best-sellers is once again headlined by a mix of veteran stars, champions and rising talents, with Justin Allgaier’s Traveller Whiskey Daytona 500 scheme leading overall sales. Chase Elliott’s EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) win in the No. 9 NAPA Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was, of course, an anchor piece in both the overall and race-win categories, as well.

The longtime respected die-cast manufacturer released its list of the 10 best-selling die-cast cars for the 2025 season on Wednesday, highlighted by multiple Justin Allgaier Traveller Whiskey Chevrolets and several Hendrick Motorsports entries. The collection blends iconic names like Dale Earnhardt Jr. with current stars such as the reigning Most Popular Driver Elliott, his teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson and emerging drivers Connor Zilisch, Josh Berry and Shane van Gisbergen.

“These best-sellers reflect the incredible diversity of NASCAR fandom, from legendary names like Dale Earnhardt Jr. to rising stars like Connor Zilisch,” said Howard Hitchcock, Lionel CEO, in a release. “Each die-cast tells a story of triumph and tradition, and we’re proud to bring these moments to fans and collectors everywhere.”

SHOP: NASCAR die-casts

Top-10 list of best-selling die-cast cars:

Justin Allgaier — Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet
Dale Earnhardt Jr. — Budweiser Speedway Classic Late Model Chevrolet
Justin Allgaier — Traveller Whiskey Race Version Chevrolet
Chase Elliott — NAPA Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta EchoPark Win Chevrolet
William Byron — Axalta Daytona 500 Win Chevrolet
Kyle Larson — HendrickCars.com Champion Chevrolet
Kyle Larson — HendrickCars.com Phoenix Race Version Chevrolet
Connor Zilisch — Red Bull Chevrolet
Josh Berry — Motorcraft Las Vegas Win Ford Mustang
Shane van Gisbergen — Red Bull Chevrolet

Alongside the overall sales list, Lionel Racing also spotlighted the five most popular race-win die-casts, with Elliott’s EchoPark victory car topping the chart. Winners from Daytona International Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Sonoma Raceway round out a group that reflects many of the year’s most memorable on-track moments.

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Top-five list of best-selling race-win die-cast cars:

Chase Elliott — NAPA Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta EchoPark Win Chevrolet
William Byron — Axalta Daytona 500 Win Chevrolet
Josh Berry — Motorcraft Las Vegas Win Ford Mustang
Chase Elliott — Kelley Blue Book Kansas Win Chevrolet
Shane van Gisbergen — Red Bull Sonoma Win Chevrolet