NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps honored at March of Dimes Sports Luncheon

Posted on December 3, 2025December 3, 2025 by Zack Albert

The March of Dimes recognized NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps with the Corporate Leadership Award on Wednesday during its annual Sports Luncheon fundraising gala in New York City.

Phelps was honored at the Cipriani 42nd Street banquet hall alongside this year’s recipients of the organization’s Sports Achievement Awards — former NFL player-turned-broadcaster Jason Kelce and Olympic swimming legend Katie Ledecky. The three were each presented with trophies at the 42nd edition of the sports industry gathering, which benefitted the March of Dimes’ lifesaving services and research for maternal and infant health.

Phelps was named commissioner in March after serving a nearly seven-year term as NASCAR’s fifth president in the sport’s 77-year history. Phelps took on new responsibilities with his appointment to the commissioner’s post, including oversight of NASCAR, the International Motorsports Association (IMSA) sports-car series and all 15 tracks that the organization owns or operates.

Phelps joined NASCAR in 2005 as vice president for corporate marketing and was quickly promoted to chief marketing officer. He’s since been a trusted presence with NASCAR’s executive leadership, spanning two decades of service.

“Steve, you’ve been a great friend, a fantastic leader for NASCAR and our sport, and I’m very proud that you are our commissioner,” said Jim France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO, addressing Phelps in a video presentation. Phelps’ appreciation was mutual, and he acknowledged the entire NASCAR industry in accepting the award on behalf of the stock-car racing community.

The annual luncheon — once described by Sports Business Journal as “the Super Bowl of charitable sports gatherings” with a who’s-who list of influential participants and award winners — has raised more than $20 million in support of March of Dimes’ mission. Past honorees include Simone Biles, Derek Jeter, Roger Goodell, Arthur Ashe and Patrick Ewing.

Goodell was among the sports executives applauding Phelps’ recognition with video messages. “Steve is the definition of a steady and reliable leader,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “It’s wonderful to see his 35 years of leadership and service in sports honored by the March of Dimes. No one is more deserving than Steve.”

CBS Sports President David Berson chaired this year’s event. Last year, the luncheon raised a record $1.5 million for March of Dimes. The 2024 honorees were former NFL quarterback Eli Manning, National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Commissioner Jessica Berman, and entertainment executive and sports agent Casey Wasserman — a former colleague of Phelps’ who heads the organizing committee for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Posted on December 3, 2025 by Nathan Solomon

Editor’s note: This is the 13th 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: Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
Crew chief: Derrick Finley
Final 2025 ranking: 18th
Key stats: 0 wins, 3 top fives, 14 top 10s, 133 laps led

How 2025 ended: Preece stayed in contention for a playoff spot throughout the entire regular season before ultimately falling 66 points short of the final position. He and RFK Racing teammate Chris Buescher were the first two drivers out as the organization missed the postseason altogether. Despite that, Preece finished the 2025 season strong, recording seven top 15s in the final 10 races, including top 10s in four of the last five.

Best race: Finishing fourth at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the mid-summer crown jewel wasn’t Preece’s best finish, but it was probably his best race. He overcame a 23rd-place starting position to lead 12 laps, positioning himself in contention for a win if the leaders ran out of fuel. Unfortunately for him, Bubba Wallace took the checkered flag on fumes without an additional rain shower to re-rack the field for another NASCAR Overtime attempt. With playoff implications and prestige on the line, the 35-year-old nearly pulled off a career-altering victory.

Other season highlights: Preece’s best finish of the season came early in the year at Las Vegas, gambling on strategy late to collect a third-place result that began a string of three consecutive top 10s. His strong Indy run was the first of back-to-back top fives, finishing fifth a week later at Iowa. Additionally, top 10s at intermediate tracks, Kansas and Charlotte, in the spring, and a seventh in the tight Chicago Street Course confines count for some of his strongest runs in 2025. Statistically, Preece’s strongest race came at Talladega in April, scoring the best Driver Rating over 500 miles of racing, but was disqualified after taking the checkered flag second.

Stat to know: With an average finish of 15.7, 2025 was Preece’s best Cup Series season by a long shot. His previous best was 2023, compiling an average finish of 20.8 in his first of two seasons with now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing.

Quotable: “So a change in mindset was probably a big piece of that, as well as coming over to RFK and seeing what Brad’s been able to help build and continue to build back up of what we can be … We’re all frustrated we didn’t make the playoffs, but there’s a ton of potential between all three of us, and I’m excited for that. For me, it was probably a change in mindset as well as a great group of people that came together and are working on accomplishing the goal.” — Preece said at Phoenix Raceway before the season finale, recapping his first RFK Racing campaign.

Looking ahead: Preece will return to the No. 60 Ford for his second season in 2026 with postseason aspirations. He’s never made the playoffs in six full-time Cup bouts, and enters the year as a favorite to score his first victory. If Preece can find a bit more consistency, the New Englander is primed for a breakout season.

Posted on December 2, 2025December 5, 2025 by Staff Report

ON SALE NOW: Purchase tickets to 2026 “Full Throttle Festival”

Comedian Bert Kreischer will headline the inaugural “Full Throttle Festival” in Daytona Beach, Florida, ahead of the 68th annual Daytona 500, featuring a full night of music, comedy and barbecue on the eve of the “Great American Race,” he and NASCAR announced Tuesday.

The pre-race bash will be held at the Ocean Center Convention Center in Daytona Beach on Saturday, Feb. 14, with live musical performances by legendary Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, Diplo’s country music project “Diplo Present Thomas Wesley” and breakout country artist ERNEST, with Kreischer set to perform as one of the festival’s founders alongside live-event producer Medium Rare.

MORE: 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule

The lineup for the Saturday night show sponsored by NASCAR was personally curated by Kreischer, according to a press release, setting up for a party set for up to 15,000 people before the 2026 Cup Series season gets underway.

“Race weekend in Daytona is the Super Bowl of speed, and for me, that means going absolutely massive,” Kreischer said in a release. “So, I figured, why not build the biggest, wildest, greatest pre-race party ever? We’re not just having a party; we’re bringing a rock show, a country show, a comedy show, and the kind of BBQ and beer that would make a pit crew chief proud. We’re stuffing all of that — the fun, the laughs, the meat sweats — inside the Ocean Center the night before the Daytona 500. It’s my ultimate dream NASCAR tailgate come to life, and I cannot wait to see Daytona go Full Throttle with us!”

Both barbecue and beer will be centered prominently throughout the Ocean Center event, featuring “a curated lineup of pitmasters and BBQ concepts from across Florida and beyond, along with festival-only dishes and race-weekend specials developed in collaboration with the event producers,” the press release said. Additionally, an expansive craft beer program and signature cocktails will be available for patrons age 21 and older.

Combining the barbecue and beverages with comedy and music is a match made in NASCAR heaven, with NASCAR sponsoring the event and Kreischer, co-host of the famed “2 Bears, 1 Cave” podcast with Tom Segura, leading the way. The festival will feature multiple NASCAR aspects, including interactive displays within the Ocean Center.

“Bert has cultivated one of the most passionate and dedicated fan bases in comedy, known for their love of a great time, high energy, and unpretentious fun,” Joe Silberzweig and Adam Richman, co-founders of Medium Rare, said in a release. “That profile is a direct mirror of the NASCAR fan community — they bring an unmatched level of intensity and celebratory spirit to race weekend. …

“With a lineup that’s built for that specific, fun-loving, American audience — hitting the best in music, comedy, BBQ, and beer — this event is engineered to become the essential annual party for the most electric fans in Daytona Beach.”

Tickets will go on sale Friday, Dec. 5, at 10 a.m. ET on www.FullThrottleFestival.com, and fans can pre-register for tickets now. A dedicated pre-sale opportunity will be available for select Daytona 500 ticket holders via email prior to the general on-sale opening, the release stated.

Tickets to the 2026 Daytona 500 are also available for the 68th running of the “Great American Race,” which will kick off the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. ET (FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on December 2, 2025 by Cameron Richardson

Editor’s note: This is the 12th 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: Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Crew chief: Tyler Allen
Final 2025 ranking: 19th
Key stats: 0 wins, 5 top fives, 10 top 10s, 304 laps led

How 2025 ended: The 2025 season ended swiftly for Gibbs. He finished no better than 16th in the first six races of the year and found himself 31st in points after the spring Martinsville race. Gibbs picked up the pace in the middle portion of the season, climbing inside the top 20 with an outside shot at the playoffs. However, Gibbs fell three positions shy of a postseason berth and completed his third full-time season still without that elusive first victory.

Best race: In a race of tire-shredding chaos, the Bristol Night Race was by far the No. 54 driver’s best performance of 2025. He dominated the evening, leading a race-high 201 laps. Unfortunately for Gibbs, he overshot his entry to pit road on a green-flag cycle late and fell out of contention for the win. He settled for a 10th-place result instead.

Other season highlights: Gibbs had a stellar summer run, finishing no worse than 14th and placing three top fives in a seven-race stretch between Michigan and Dover. That stretch also set up his run to become the inaugural champion of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge. Gibbs outdueled 31 other competitors and defeated Ty Dillon in the championship round at the Brickyard to take home the $1 million grand prize.

Stat to know: Gibbs’ 304 laps out front were the most a Cup driver led during the 2025 season without winning a race. Brad Keselowski was second in that category with 222 laps led.

Quotable: “For us, I feel the results have shown for sure. But there is not a time where I’ve felt I was down on my team or was bummed out. I just think it’s part of the process, we have a new team and I think our guys are really good and I have a lot of faith in our guys. There’s a lot of things behind the scenes and everyone makes a judgment call, but I know I can run good and that our team is capable of that. Sometimes it takes time, and we’ll get there. I have confidence in our team.” — Gibbs on his midseason rise after a poor start to 2025.

Looking ahead: If his third year wasn’t must-win territory, Year 4 has to be in 2026. Gibbs has already eclipsed the 100-plus start mark that typically sets the bar for when Cup drivers finally get over the hump and grab that first checkered flag. Road courses have been the young driver’s best discipline at the Cup level, so if that maiden win is coming, it is likeliest to occur in one of those five races next year.

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Zack Albert

Editor’s note: This is the 11th 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: Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford, RFK Racing
Crew Chief: Jeremy Bullins
Final 2025 Ranking: 20th
Key Stats: 0 wins, 6 top fives, 13 top 10s, 222 laps led

How 2025 ended: RFK Racing wound up winless last season for the first time since 2021, and Keselowski finished third of the three drivers on the organization’s roster. All three — Keselowski, Chris Buescher and newcomer Ryan Preece — wound up in the “next five” just outside of the playoff field in the final standings, and each had close brushes with reaching Victory Lane. One the nearest misses for the 41-year-old co-owner/driver came in the season finale’s last lap, when he overcooked the entry for the final corner while leading in overtime, allowing Ryan Blaney to scoot past his No. 6 Ford for the victory at Phoenix Raceway.

Best race: A handful of candidates stand out among the races where the No. 6 team best contended, but besides Phoenix, Keselowski’s run in the heartland at Iowa Speedway was among his most stout performances. Keselowski started a season-best fifth and led a season-high 68 of the 350 laps in the Iowa Corn 350, and he appeared to get the upper hand when a crucial divide in teams’ pit-stop calls materialized in Stage 2. William Byron, however, made the most of the strategy split by stretching his fuel payload over the final 144 circuits, leaving Keselowski to settle for third place. While the victory fizzled, Keselowski gained five spots in the Cup Series standings to aid his late push for a postseason berth.

Other season highlights: Two more podium results this past year illustrated the No. 6 team’s potential. Keselowski led 46 laps — including at the white flag — at Atlanta, where Chase Elliott rode a teamwork train with Alex Bowman to a narrow victory, leaving the No. 6 team second again. After missing out on the 16-driver postseason field, he nearly accepted the role of playoff spoiler in Bristol’s annual night race, leading down the stretch before a late caution. A jam-up on the final restart gave Christopher Bell the avenue to escape for the victory, with Keselowski a hard-luck runner-up.

Stat to know: Keselowski’s average starting spot this season (20.9) was his lowest since his rookie Cup Series campaign in 2010. His last pole position was in September 2022 at Texas Motor Speedway, a 114-race drought.

Quotable: “We had a few flashes, but didn’t get any wins. So, you know, that’s what we need to do in this sport right now. It’s what it rewards. We had a couple really good runs, like Iowa was probably our best race, and a handful of seconds. So just need to convert those into wins going forward.” – Brad Keselowski, summing up his year on the eve of the Phoenix season finale.

Looking ahead: Keselowski grew RFK Racing into a three-car operation last season, and it appears its Cup Series roster will head into next year with its core largely intact. Keselowski hinted that RFK has some advanced interest in Ford’s IMSA operations, which would be a nod toward team founder Jack Roush’s run of sports-car success. On the personal side, the veteran driver is set to reach a milestone with his 600th Cup start on March 29 at Martinsville. Only 34 drivers in Cup Series history have reached that plateau.

Posted on November 30, 2025December 1, 2025 by Holly Cain

Editor’s note: This is the 10th 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: Kyle Busch, No. 8 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
Crew chiefs: Randall Burnett (31 races) and Andy Street (five races)
Final 2025 Ranking:17th
Key Stats: 0 wins, 3 top-fives, 10 top 10s, 88 laps led

How 2025 ended: The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champ closed out the season at Phoenix with a fifth-place finish, matching his best result of 2025. After missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year — and only second time of his career — Busch rallied to close out the season with three top 10s in the final 10-race stretch; notably doing so with two different crew chiefs. Randall Burnett, who guided Busch for most of his three-season tenure at Richard Childress Racing, announced he would move to a new team in 2026, and Andy Street was moved atop Busch’s pit box to close out the year.

Best race: For a driver who has been dominant on ovals for much of his celebrated career, Busch actually turned in his top single-day showing at the Circuit of The Americas road course in Austin, Texas. Busch started eighth and led six times for a season-best 42 laps out front before losing the lead to Christopher Bell and finishing fifth.

MORE: 2026 Cup Series schedule | Kyle Busch driver page

Other season highlights: Busch, who owns 34 Busch Light Pole Awards in his career, earned a pair of front row starts on the year, starting second at Talladega Superspeedway in the spring and then again at Michigan International Speedway five weeks later. Two of his best finishes happened on road courses — fifth at COTA and fifth again in the Chicago Street Race. While the two-time champion continues to regain form at RCR, he did put together a season-best three-race string of top 10 efforts in the early-going at the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway (seventh), the Austin road course (fifth), and the one-mile Phoenix oval (eighth).

Stat to know: Busch’s low tally of two DNFs on the season was bettered by only one other full-time driver, Tyler Reddick, who had one. And while Busch’s average finish of 17.9 is not what is expected of the former champion, it did improve upon last year’s mark of 18.3.

Quotable: “There’s still a building process that’s got to take place to get us to that avenue. Being most consistent each and every week and finishing consistently in the top five is the easiest way to prove that you’re capable of your next win. So we’ve got to get to that point first.” — Busch said of returning to winning form and doing so with a new crew, Jim Pohlman, in 2026.

Looking ahead: Certainly, Busch was frustrated with the 2025 season outcome, but he is a champion, and there’s a reason he is the winningest national series driver in NASCAR history. The 40-year-old has said nothing about retirement and is clearly keen to turn the page and start fresh with a new crew chief (Pohlman), who expects to return the No. 8 team to playoff form. Pohlman led fellow Chevrolet driver Justin Allgaier to the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and previously worked at RCR, spearheading the organization’s Next Gen car development. There is a lot of high hope for the team’s reorganized technical assets next season, which will include RCR’s former technical director. Mike Dillon, who will be taking a more active role. All of the restructuring looks promising for Busch, who started his now three-year tenure with the team in 2023 with a three-trophy season. His last win was on June 4, 2023, at Gateway, where he started from pole and led a dominating 121 of the 243 laps.

Posted on November 29, 2025December 2, 2025 by Jerry Bonkowski

Editor’s note: This is the ninth 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: Michael McDowell, No. 71 Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports
Crew chief: Travis Peterson
Final 2025 Ranking: 22nd
Key Stats: 0 wins, 3 top fives, 6 top 10s, 96 laps led

How 2025 ended: McDowell moved to Spire Motorsports for 2025 after a seven-year tenure with Front Row Motorsports. He ended his first year with Spire with a few high points, particularly in the playoffs with one top-five finish (fifth at Charlotte Roval) and two other top-10 finishes (eighth at both New Hampshire and in the season finale at Phoenix, his home track), as well as capturing the pole in the fall race at Talladega. Earlier in the season, he also earned a pole (spring race at Las Vegas) and had two other top-five showings on the road course events at Mexico City (fifth) and Sonoma (fourth). All in all, it was another usual, solid season from the Cup veteran whose 41st birthday is around the corner on Dec. 12.

Best race: McDowell’s best finish of the season was a fourth-place finish in Wine Country. However, extrapolating that a bit, he once again showed why he’s one of the most underrated road-course racers: his three best finishes of 2025 all came on road courses, fourth at Sonoma, and fifth at both Mexico City and Charlotte Roval. Another highlight was the Chicago Street Race, where he dominated, leading the first 31 laps (a season-high for him) and staying at the front of the field when a throttle cable broke. His team repaired the car after a lengthy pit stop, but the damage was done and he finished a disappointing 32nd.

MORE: 2026 Cup Series schedule | Michael McDowell driver page

Other season highlights: In addition to his road-course prowess, McDowell is a strong superspeedway racer (like when he won the 2021 Daytona 500). He led laps in the “Great American Race” and spring event at Talladega, but just missed the top 10 by finishing 11th in both races. McDowell continued to be one of the most consistent drivers in the series, with just two DNFs, both due to crashes (Texas and Pocono).

Stat to know: Of his 537 career Cup starts, McDowell has two wins (Daytona 500 and Indianapolis Road Course). Of his 14 career top-five finishes, seven have been on drafting-style tracks and seven others have been on road or street courses.

Quotable: “I know what would have happened. We would have won the race.” — Michael McDowell lamented what might have been in the Chicago Street Race if it had not been for the broken throttle cable.

Looking ahead: McDowell is scheduled to return to the No. 71 Spire entry next season alongside crew chief Travis Peterson, who made the move with McDowell over from Front Row Motorsports before the 2025 season. He will have a new teammate in Daniel Suárez, who joins the three-driver fold under a one-year contract to drive the No. 7 Chevrolet in 2026.

Posted on November 26, 2025 by Cameron Richardson

Editor’s note: This is the eighth 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: Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Crew chief: Luke Lambert
Final 2025 ranking: 23rd
Key stats: 0 wins, 2 top fives, 9 top 10s, 122 laps led

How 2025 ended: To no one’s surprise, Hocevar was a firecracker in 2025. The No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet was bad fast for a good chunk of the season, and almost too fast at times. Hocevar DNF’d three times due to engine failures, the most notable of which came at the Coca-Cola 600, where he was on the front row during the restart to begin the final stage before smoke billowed out of his hot rod in Turns 1 and 2. Hocevar missed the postseason, but strung together three top 10s in the final 10 races at Darlington, Bristol and Talladega. On the flip side, he finished 28th or worse in five of the last six races.

Best race: A handful to choose from, but Hocevar’s home race at Michigan nearly delivered his first career Cup Series win. With an onslaught of William Byron, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin chasing, Hocevar kept the bunch at bay up until 19 to go when the No. 77 had a left-rear tire go down. He wound up finishing 29th, but set a career-high in laps led with 32 at the 2-mile oval.

Other season highlights: Hocevar had two runner-up results in 2025 — spring Atlanta and Nashville. At Atlanta, the caution came out before the checkered flag as Hocevar was in a battle for the win with Larson and eventual victor Christopher Bell. The second-year Cup driver had his most consistent run later at Nashville, finishing just behind a dominant Ryan Blaney. Hocevar earned his first career Busch Light Pole Award at Texas Motor Speedway.

Stat to know: Both of Hocevar’s runner-up results came from the 26th starting position. Of his nine top 10s, only two came from a starting position inside the top 10.

Quotable: “I already have that image, right? Like it’ll never go away. I could go three years from now, and it’s just like oh, I’m back, per se. I think I’ve already made that image before I got in this garage, and I think it’s just trying to balance one thing of owning it and trying to change the narrative while still being like, yeah, I get it. Like I’m aware of this and knowing that.” — Hocevar said about his on-track image during a press conference at Pocono.

Looking ahead: Hocevar will be back in the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire for the 2026 season. Along with 2025 teammate Michael McDowell, Hocevar will be joined by Spire newcomer Daniel Suárez as the Mexican driver takes over the No. 7. Not only will a win be on the mind of the driver entering his third full-time campaign, but making the playoffs will be Spire’s biggest aspiration for next season.

Posted on November 25, 2025January 15, 2026 by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. – Trackhouse Racing announced Tuesday that Red Bull will serve as a primary partner for drivers Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch for 25 races during the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. Red Bull will also serve as the official energy drink of Trackhouse Racing, continuing the partnership that Trackhouse launched at the beginning of 2025.

Zilisch will first sport the iconic Red Bull colors Feb. 15 in the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, making the 19-year-old Red Bull athlete the youngest competitor to enter the Daytona 500 since Joey Logano in 2009 at the age of 18. Six-time Cup Series winner van Gisbergen will be behind the wheel of the Red Bull Chevrolet for the first time in 2026 one week later at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta) on Feb. 22.

MORE: Full 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule

The striking 2026 Red Bull paint schemes feature a timeless matte, dark blue base, elevated by shimmering accents that outline the cars’ numbers, exuding a bold and commanding presence on track. Van Gisbergen’s No. 97 Chevrolet showcases dynamic red rays streaking from the lower front tire to the upper rear, sharply contrasting Zilisch’s No. 88, which displays bold blue rays sweeping across both sides of the car.

Both van Gisbergen and Zilisch recently caught a first glimpse of their striking new 2026 numbers, proudly showcased in the iconic Red Bull livery.

“It means a lot to have the number No. 97 on my Cup car,” van Gisbergen said. “It’s a number that means so much to my family and me, so to see it on my car for the first time was surreal. I love the red flash designs on both sides of the car. It’s going to look epic on the track.”

Zilisch, who transitions to the Cup Series full-time for his rookie campaign in 2026, was impressed seeing his number for the first time.

“It’s so cool to be driving No. 88 in the Cup Series,” Zilisch said. “The number is historic, and so many great drivers have driven it. I certainly have big shoes to fill, but I can’t wait to get the season started. I love the blue streaks across the side of the car. The dark matte blue allows the light blue streaks to pop. I’m excited to have it on track next year.”

MORE: Drivers of the No. 88 through the years

Garth Milan | Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull and Trackhouse Racing’s first season as partners was monumental. Van Gisbergen and Zilisch had standout 2025 NASCAR rookie seasons, with a total of 16 wins across the Cup Series and Xfinity Series.

Van Gisbergen has quickly become one of NASCAR’s most dominant road-course racers, with a record-setting performance since joining the Cup Series full-time. The Red Bull athlete collected five Cup Series wins in 2025, the most by a rookie in a single season, his first coming in the inaugural Cup Series race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, making him a two-time inaugural Cup Series race winner (Chicago Street Race in 2023).

The New Zealand native’s third win of the season came in dominant fashion at Sonoma Raceway, where van Gisbergen started from the pole position and led 97 of 110 laps, driving the iconic Red Bull colors back to Victory Lane for the first time since 2011. Van Gisbergen’s Sonoma win made him the first driver since Jeff Gordon to win three consecutive road course Cup Series races from the pole.

Van Gisbergen became the fastest driver to five career Cup Series wins since Dan Gurney in 1968 after capturing the checkered flag at Watkins Glen International, collecting the fourth win of his rookie season. Van Gisbergen’s masterclass road-course season sealed his NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors.

The 2025 season was remarkably successful for Zilisch, who placed second in the NASCAR Xfinity Series final driver standings. In addition to locking into the Championship 4, Zilisch had 10 victories in 32 starts, including nine wins in the last 18 races. He became the first Xfinity Series driver since the playoff format was introduced to capture the regular-season title despite missing a race. His four sequential victories tied him for the most consecutive victories all-time with Sam Ard and Noah Gragson.

Zilisch won more races and more poles (eight) than any other Xfinity Series driver in 2025. He captured Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in record-breaking style. Zilisch rewrote the record book for a first-year driver by establishing new marks for wins, top-five finishes (20) and races led (27).

Red Bull served as the primary partner for Zilisch’s NASCAR Cup Series debut on March 2 at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. He went on to make two more Cup Series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 25) and at EchoPark Speedway (June 28).

To add to a remarkable season, Trackhouse Racing and Red Bull partnered for a unique opportunity this past July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, held annually at Goodwood House, West Sussex, England. The event is an annual motorsports festival featuring modern and historic motor racing vehicles taking part in a hill climb and other events. Justin Marks, Trackhouse Racing’s owner and himself a former driver, piloted the No. 87 Red Bull Chevrolet in the prestigious event with a guest driving appearance by Red Bull athlete and professional driver ‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett.

Posted on November 25, 2025 by Kobe Lambeth

Editor’s note: This is the seventh 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: Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
Crew chief: Ben Beshore
Final 2025 ranking: 24th
Key stats: 0 wins, 4 top fives, 5 top 10s, 11 laps led

How 2025 ended: Compared to 2024, Jones and Legacy Motor Club took a step forward in the organization’s second year with Toyota. The No. 43 driver improved his spot in the final standings from 28th to 24th, while John Hunter Nemechek, his teammate, took a huge leap to 25th after finishing 34th in last year’s table. Of note, Jones had three more top fives and top 10s than he did a year ago. Although Jones has not visited Victory Lane in the Cup Series since his upset win in the 2022 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway or made the playoffs since 2019, there is plenty for the 29-year-old Michigan driver to be optimistic about as Legacy M.C. continues its upward trajectory.

Best race: To no surprise, the driver who earned the nickname “That Jones Boy” from late Hall of Fame broadcaster Ken Squier showed up big time at his best track in the Southern 500 at Darlington. In the closing laps, four Toyota drivers were fighting for a crown-jewel win at the iconic South Carolina track. As Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick battled intensely to win and advance from the Cup Series Playoffs Round of 16 in the postseason opener, the non-playoff driver in Jones sat closely behind them, ready to pounce if the duo made contact. Jones ultimately settled for third place, with teammate Nemechek finishing fourth to conclude a strong night with a pair of top fives for an organization on the rise.

Other season highlights: In an early sign of good things to come, Jones picked up a top five at Texas Motor Speedway, which was his first of five during the 2025 season. Three races later, Jones finished seventh at Nashville Superspeedway to keep the momentum rolling into the summer stretch. In the third round of the In-Season Challenge, Jones was matched up against teammate Nemechek at Sonoma Raceway in a battle of Legacy M.C. pilots. The No. 43 driver also put himself in the mix in the final laps of the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway with a fifth-place finish, nearly making the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Stat to know: With his third-place finish at Darlington, Jones now possesses nine top 10s in 16 career starts at the “Lady in Black,” good enough for a top-10 finish rate of 56.3%.

Quotable: “It’s just kind of a mentality of it was time to turn it around. I felt like we had good tracks coming up. We had been putting more and more speed in our cars. I would say right around Charlotte is probably the time things started to go good. I kind of reset on my own and said, ‘Alright, I need to do the things that I do well again and just focus on what I can control and try to make it work.’ And about that time, cars started getting better, (and) I felt like I started making good decisions. And since then, it’s worked out really well. We haven’t always got the finishes, I think, that we’ve been capable of, but we’ve ran well in stages and got a ton of points. So it’s all going to come together more and more. The more you bring top-10 cars, that’s going to come your way more consistently. But the points rally has been probably the biggest, I think, in my career.” — Jones on Legacy Motor Club’s progress in the Cup Series.

Looking ahead: Jones is expected to return to the No. 43 Toyota in 2026. If Legacy M.C. can continue making progress behind the scenes at the shop under the leadership of Hall of Fame team owner Jimmie Johnson and have those gains translate over to Sundays more consistently, 2026 might be the year Jones can return to the winner’s circle and return to the playoff picture.