NASCAR 2025 Previews and Predictions

NASCAR 2025 has kicked off with a bang! In here is a list of every full-time driver in the sport, along with predictions of how they will do throughout the year:

#1 – Ross Chastain

Coming off a somewhat disappointing season in 2024 and missing the playoffs, I

expect Chastain to bounce back this season. A Round of 12 exit seems most likely for

the melon man with one or two wins along the way.

#2 – Austin Cindric

Cindric has found himself to be a wildcard of sorts to start his career. A driver that

tends to run mid-pack most weeks but finds himself in strong contention for a win at

least once or twice a season. Whether or not he capitalizes on these opportunities will

determine his chances of making the playoffs.

#3 – Austin Dillon

Dillon needs to find himself at the right place, right time to get himself a win. He

won’t have the speed to compete and win straight up anywhere but a plate track which

is likely his only opportunity at a playoff spot. Expect a mid-twenties point finish and not

much else.

#4 – Noah Gragson

New year, new team, but hopefully the old Noah Gragson. If Gragson can

channel the confidence and attitude he had during his Xfinity days, he has the potential

to be a real playoff contender. It will be interesting to see how Front Row performs this

year as they seem to be replacing Stewart-Haas as the third big Ford team alongside

Penske and RFK.

#5 – Kyle Larson

In theory, the de facto championship favorite year in and year out for the

foreseeable future. I see no reason to think otherwise this season. Larson is the most

talented driver in NASCAR and one of the most talented in the world. He should be the

champion come season’s end. It’s simply a matter of if that talent shows up when it

matters most.

#6 – Brad Keselowski

The former Cup Series champion and current RFK owner finds himself at an

interesting stage of his career. Not really a championship contender but still competitive

every week. Keselowski projects as a playoff driver but as one of the likelier candidates

to face elimination in the opening round.

#7 – Justin Haley

Spire Motorsports as a whole is difficult to forecast this season. One thing that is

not in doubt is that the driving talent is in place to make strides as a team this season.

Justin Haley has a very bright future ahead of him and he should have a few top ten

runs this season. Too early for a playoff run this year but expect him to keep trending in

that direction.

#8 – Kyle Busch

The big question here is can Busch bounce back from a frustrating 2024 season

or will his struggles continue into this season as well. I expect a slight bounce back, but

I don’t think we’ll be seeing the old Rowdy any time soon either. A playoff birth with an

early exit is my expectation for KB’s 2025.

#9 – Chase Elliott

Chase Elliott should be a title contender year in and year out. The key word in

that sentence being “should”. Elliott has a championship to his name already but he

seems to find himself disappearing for stretches at a time and, while consistently

finishing top five and top ten, struggling to consistently win. Chase will find himself in the

top eight once again this year, if he can find victory lane with more frequency this year

he should also be competing for another championship.

#10 – Ty Dillon

Don’t expect anything too exciting from the 10 team this year. The younger Dillon

brother is likely a placeholder until Kaulig can find a driver with more potential to fill the

seat. He’ll contend at the plate tracks and maybe a short track here and there, but little

noise will be made this year.

#11 – Denny Hamlin

The question that is asked every year of Denny Hamlin is, “Will this finally be his

year?” Well, this year is as good a year as ever for Hamlin to finally get that ring he’s

been chasing for twenty years now. He’ll be in contention for a spot in the championship

race the same as he just about always is, it’s just a matter of if he can finally get the job

done.

#12 – Ryan Blaney

The king of photo finishes and 2023 champion, Ryan Blaney is another driver

that should find himself racing for another title in 2025. I expect him to reclaim the spot

as the top driver at Penske this year and potentially set a career high in wins. Blaney

has as good a shot as anyone of being the 2025 Cup Series Champion.

#16 – A.J. Allmendinger

‘Dinger the road course ace returns to full time cup series racing this season and

instantly becomes a playoff contender. A.J. is a favorite to win at any road course he

finds himself at and with that being the case, he becomes a dark horse candidate for a

playoff run this season.

#17 – Chris Buescher

Buescher feels like he’s been knocking on the door of greatness for a while now

but for one reason or another, he hasn’t quite been able to make that step. Him missing

the playoffs this past season was quite a surprise after his 2023 campaign. With RFK

continuing to make strides, Buescher should be right back in the mix for a final eight run

in 2025.

#19 – Chase Briscoe

Briscoe will be the true barometer test of how much SHR had fallen off from their

peak. While it is year one with a completely new team and manufacturer, the

expectation is still playoffs for Briscoe now having top tier equipment. Briscoe’s 2025

season will be very intriguing to watch unfold and very impactful on his future in the cup

series.

#20 – Christopher Bell

Emerging as a true year after year championship contender, it feels like only a

matter of time before Bell is able to secure himself a title. 2025 is as good a year as any

to make this happen for the pilot of the 20 car. Look for Bell to break three wins for the

first time in his career this year as he looks to win himself championship number one

and establish himself as the top driver at JGR.

# 21 – Josh Berry

Berry and the Wood Brothers feel like a perfect match of driver and team. Berry

is good enough to make the car competitive, but not too good or young to be a hot

prospect for other teams to try and scoop him up. I expect this pairing to enjoy 22 nd

place finishes together for years to come.

#22 – Joey Logano

The reigning champion of NASCAR’s top level, Joey Logano has developed a

knack for stepping up at exactly the best time. He could be an afterthought all year and

then suddenly he’s won four races and another title. Logano probably won’t be in

contention for a title this year but expect him to hang around the top and win a couple

races still.

#23 – Bubba Wallace

A driver that seems to find himself at the wrong place at the wrong time all too

often, Wallace feels like he’s a string of good luck away from being a real consistent

race winning threat. What Wallace does have on his side is that he has improved his

average finishing position every year of his career. If he keeps that trend going, he

should easily find himself in the playoffs this year.

#24 – William Byron

After back-to-back appearances in the championship 4, Byron has established

himself as a consistent title frontrunner. The sky is the limit for the still very young 27-

year-old. While he has yet to get over the hump in Phoenix, his time is coming. Byron

looks to be a real favorite to win it all this year and should find himself in that role for

many seasons to come.

#34 – Todd Gilliland

Taking over for the departing Michael McDowell, Gilliland finds himself in the

flagship ride of Front Row Motorsports. Both a driver and a team on an upward

trajectory, the 34 car projects to be a playoff contender in future seasons, just maybe

not quite yet. Look for a low twenties or high teens finish for Gilliland this year.

#35 – Riley Herbst

Expectations for Herbst’s first year at the cup level are probably higher than they

should be. It’s the first year for both him and the 35 car, a lot of struggles and learning

experiences are what should be expected in year one. Highly unlikely Herbst is in

contention for the playoffs but there should hopefully be some stronger runs as the

season goes on to build upon for the future.

#38 – Zane Smith

Smith showed flashes of what could potentially be in his future last year with two

top five finishes in not great equipment. He does find himself this year in what will likely

be the third best car at FRM this season, however, he should continue to show his

potential of what he could be down the line in a better ride. He likely will have another

weak showing standings wise, but he will be overall improved over last season.

#41 – Cole Custer

Finally back in the cup series after a very successful return to the Xfinity series,

Custer looks to improve upon his previous stint at this level where he never seemed to

fit in at SHR while the team itself faded to its demise. Custer finds himself in what has

risen from SHR’s ashes with the Haas Factory Team and will likely find himself as a

middle of the pack car with a strong run occasionally.

#42 John Hunter Nemechek

After what was a collectively disappointing season for Legacy Motor Club in

2024, the team will look to improve as they look to put last year behind them as what

was hopefully a fluke. Nemechek seems to drive like someone who is used to

competitive equipment and thinks he can do things he really can’t in the car he finds

himself in. Hopefully with time he’ll better understand the limitations of his equipment as

he is a talented driver. Expect improvements from last year’s seeming rock bottom.

#43 – Erik Jones

Hard to find a driver who you know exactly what you’re going to get with more

than Jones. Remarkably consistent if unspectacular, Jones will give you clean and safe

runs all year with one or two of those runs being enough for him to make a top five.

Another mid-twenties point finish awaits Jones in 2025.

#45 – Tyler Reddick

In 2024, Reddick put together his most successful and consistent season of his

career and looks to be a real title contender moving forward. There is absolutely no

reason to expect anything other than more progress in the right direction for Reddick

this season who looks to be Toyota’s top driver and best chance at the title. Look for

another career year and an even better shot at a championship this year for Reddick.

#47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

So long as there are plate tracks on the schedule, Stenhouse has an opportunity

to make the playoffs. Arguably the best superspeedway racer in the field, Stenhouse is

a one trick pony with exactly one avenue to the playoffs. Do I expect him in this year?

No. Would I be surprised if he did? Also no.

#48 Alex Bowman

Bowman is such an interesting driver to try and project. He will likely be in the

playoffs once again but, will he do anything once he gets there is his problem. Still with

only one multi-win season to his resume, Bowman lacks the same consistency his

Hendrick Motorsports teammates seem to have. A round of twelve exit seems to be the

yearly expectation for Bowman at this point.

#54 – Ty Gibbs

Gibbs is still searching for his first career win at the cup level, and this is likely the

year he finds it. I would not be surprised at all if this year serves as a breakout year for

Gibbs. He should find himself in contention for multiple wins and a trip to the round of

eight. I hesitate to say a championship contender but that is no doubt in his future

somewhere down the line as NASCAR’s next great “villain”.

#60 – Ryan Preece

RFK returns to being a three car organization for the first time since 2016 with

the addition of Ryan Preece and the 60 car. Preece is an experienced driver that is a

low risk pick to reintroduce RFK’s third ride and establish it in the cup series. Preece will

likely finish around 20 th in the points standings but will hopefully be able to build on this

season moving forward.

#71 – Michael McDowell

If he holds true to his form over the last five seasons, then McDowell is due for a

win and a spot in the playoffs. The wild card here is that he has moved teams after

seven years at FRM, joining Spire Motorsports as they look to continue to improve their

standing as a team. There is no reason to expect anything other than the same

consistency McDowell showed at FRM, although I don’t know if that win lurks over the

horizon this year.

#77 – Carson Hocevar

Hocevar looks to capitalize on the surprising success of his rookie year at Spire

with another successful season in 2025. I don’t know if he’ll be a race winning threat just

yet but, he should be in contention to point his way into the playoffs if not, just slightly off

that pace. Hocevar has a very bright future ahead of him if his 2024 is any indication of

what’s to come.

#88 – Shane Van Gisbergen

Already with a cup series win to his name, the road course ringer and Australian

racing legend from New Zealand known as “SVG” is already likely to be a threat to

make a run in the playoffs in his first full time season. The favorite to win at every road

course and only getting better on the ovals, Van Gisbergen will look to make an instant

impact at Trackhouse and give the team another unique skill set and race winning

threat.

#99 – Daniel Suarez

Coming of a successful 2024 campaign, Suarez should be in contention for

another playoff run in 2025. This season is shaping up to potentially be Trackhouse’s

most successful season to date with all three of their drivers primed for success. It will

be difficult for all three drivers to make the playoffs, and I believe they’re a year away

from competing on that level, it is entire possible for them to make it happen in 2025.

Now for some Playoff Predictions:

Eliminated in the Round of 16:

#6 Brad Keselowski, #88 Shane Van Gisbergen, #23 Bubba Wallace, #48 Alex Bowman

Eliminated in the Round of 12:

#54 Ty Gibbs, #1 Ross Chastain, #19 Chase Briscoe, #22 Joey Logano

Eliminated in the Round of 8:

#9 Chase Elliott, #17 Chris Buescher, #24 William Byron, #20 Christopher Bell

Championship 4:

#5 Kyle Larson, #45 Tyler Reddick, #11 Denny Hamlin, #12 Ryan Blaney

Champion:

#45 Tyler Reddick