The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series was the 77th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 54th season of the modern-era Cup Series. Joey Logano of Team Penske entered the season as the defending 2024 NASCAR Cup Series champion. The season started with the Cook Out Clash on February 2, and concluded at Phoenix Raceway on November 2, where Kyle Larson won the championship after finishing third at the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race.
The 2025 season was the first year under NASCAR's new TV deal that will last until 2031. This was also the first year since 2008 that Stewart–Haas Racing (now Haas Factory Team) did not have the ownership of Tony Stewart. Katherine Legge made her Cup Series debut as well, being the first woman since Danica Patrick in 2018 to make a Cup Series start. NASCAR held its first race outside the United States in 67 years with the 2025 Viva México 250.
It was the last season to utilize the elimination-style NASCAR playoffs, having served as the Cup Series' championship format since 2014. Also, this would unexpectedly be the final full-time season for two-time champion Kyle Busch, as he would die from sepsis caused by pneumonia on May 21, 2026. Teams and drivers New charter agreement The 2025 season is the first under the new charter agreement, which limits teams to a maximum of three charters. Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, which have four charters each, are grandfathered in the new agreement.
Chartered teams Manufacturer Team Driver Crew chief ReferencesChevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 5 Kyle Larson Cliff Daniels 9 Chase Elliott Alan Gustafson 24 William Byron Rudy Fugle Brandon McSwain 48 Alex Bowman Blake Harris Hyak Motorsports 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Mike Kelley Kaulig Racing 10 Ty Dillon Andrew Dickeson 16 A. J. Allmendinger Trent Owens Richard Childress Racing 3 Austin Dillon Richard Boswell 8 Kyle Busch Randall Burnett Andy Street Spire Motorsports 7 Justin Haley Rodney Childers Ryan Sparks 71 Michael McDowell Travis Peterson Matt McCall 77 Carson Hocevar Luke Lambert Trackhouse Racing 1 Ross Chastain Phil Surgen 88 Shane van Gisbergen (R) Stephen Doran Chais Eliason 99 Daniel Suárez Matt Swiderski Ford Haas Factory Team 41 Cole Custer Aaron Kramer RFK Racing 6 Brad Keselowski Jeremy Bullins 17 Chris Buescher Scott Graves Doug Randolph 60 Ryan Preece Derrick Finley Rick Ware Racing 51 Cody Ware Tommy Baldwin Jr. Billy Plourde Team Penske 2 Austin Cindric Brian Wilson 12 Ryan Blaney Jonathan Hassler 22 Joey Logano Paul Wolfe Wood Brothers Racing 21 Josh Berry Miles Stanley Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing 11 Denny Hamlin Chris Gayle Ryan Truex 19 Chase Briscoe James Small 20 Christopher Bell Adam Stevens 54 Ty Gibbs Tyler Allen Legacy Motor Club 42 John Hunter Nemechek Travis Mack 43 Erik Jones Ben Beshore
Non-chartered teams Full schedule
Manufacturer Team Driver Crew chief ReferencesFordFront Row Motorsports 4 Noah Gragson Drew Blickensderfer 34 Todd Gilliland Kevyn Rebolledo Chris Lawson 38 Zane Smith Ryan Bergenty Toyota23XI Racing 23 Bubba Wallace Charles Denike 35 Riley Herbst (R) Davin Restivo 45 Tyler Reddick Billy Scott
Limited schedule Manufacturer Team Driver Crew chief Races References Chevrolet Beard Motorsports 62 Anthony Alfredo Darren Shaw Jesse Love JR Motorsports 40 Justin Allgaier Greg Ives Kaulig Racing 13 Will Brown Mike Cook Live Fast Motorsports 78 B. J. McLeod David Ingram Katherine Legge NY Racing Team 44 J. J. Yeley Jay Guy Derek Kraus Brennan Poole Joey Gase Richard Childress Racing 33 Austin Hill Andy Street Jesse Love Team AmeriVet 50 Burt Myers Tony Eury Jr. Trackhouse Racing 87 Connor Zilisch Darian Grubb 91 Hélio Castroneves Ford Garage 66 66 Chandler Smith Carl Long Casey Mears Josh Bilicki Chad Finchum David Starr Joey Gase Timmy Hill Rick Ware Racing 01 Corey LaJoie Jerry Kelley Toyota 23XI Racing 67 Corey Heim Bootie Barker Legacy Motor Club 84 Jimmie Johnson Chad Johnston Tricon Garage 56 Martin Truex Jr. Cole Pearn
Notes
Team changes New teams/rebrands Haas Factory Team was formed by Gene Haas after retaining the sole remaining charter from Stewart–Haas Racing. The team runs the No. 41 car, driven by Cole Custer. JTG Daugherty Racing rebranded itself into Hyak Motorsports, following the departure of co-owners Jodi and Tad Geschickter. Brad Daugherty retains his stake in the team's ownership, alongside Gordon Smith, Mark Hughes, and Ernie Cope. JR Motorsports debuted in the Cup Series at the 2025 Daytona 500 with the No. 40 car driven by Justin Allgaier. According to the team, no further races are planned. Tricon Garage fielded a car in the series for the first time in the 2025 Daytona 500. Martin Truex Jr. drove the No. 56. MBM Motorsports rebranded their Cup entry as Garage 66.
Expansions 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports, and Trackhouse Racing purchased the charters from Stewart–Haas Racing during the 2024 season. 23XI's third team is the No. 35 car, driven by Riley Herbst. FRM's third team is the No. 4 car for Noah Gragson, and Trackhouse's is the No. 88 car, driven by Shane van Gisbergen. RFK Racing leased a third charter from Rick Ware Racing to field the No. 60 car full-time, driven by Ryan Preece.
Closures Stewart–Haas Racing shut down its operations at the conclusion of the 2024 season.
Manufacturers Chevrolet continued to field cars with the Camaro ZL1 body, but without the Camaro branding, as the manufacturer discontinued the car after 2023 with no direct replacement. Instead, the cars were branded as the "ZL1".
Sponsorship WeatherTech sponsored Trackhouse Racing for the No. 88 car driven by Shane van Gisbergen during the 2025 season, as it was announced during 2024 season. WeatherTech sponsored van Gisbergen during the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. FedEx did not return to Joe Gibbs Racing, Denny Hamlin, and NASCAR during the 2025 season as it was announced at the end of the 2024 season. In addition, He Gets Us, Mavis Tires & Brakes, and Auto-Owners Insurance have reportedly left JGR after the 2024 season. Kroger wouldn't return to Hyak Motorsports for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. during the 2025 season as announced at the end of the 2024 season, as the grocery chain later announced they moved to RFK Racing after the announcement of the third charter. Rate would sponsor the Hyak No. 47 at COTA. Real American Beer, co-founded by former WWE wrestler Hulk Hogan, signed a deal to sponsor the Hyak No. 47 car for Las Vegas 1 and Michigan. Betr would sponsor the No. 47 car at Homestead. Love's Travel Stops continued to sponsor Front Row Motorsports's No. 34 car of Todd Gilliland for multiple races in 2025. Todd's father, David, represented Love's at FRM. Amazon Prime signed a multi-year deal to serve as sponsor of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 car of Chase Elliott, starting in 2025. Campbell's joined Joe Gibbs Racing as a partner for the 2025 season after signing a partnership agreement with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, an investor in JGR. Traveller Whiskey, in collaboration with Chris Stapleton, would sponsor JR Motorsports for the No. 40 car driven by Justin Allgaier at the 2025 Daytona 500. Winchester Repeating Arms Company joined Bass Pro Shops in sponsoring the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 car driven by Austin Dillon. SunnyD signed a multi-year deal to sponsor the Hyak No. 47 for 5 races in 2025. In addition, SunnyD would also sponsor the No. 35 of Riley Herbst at Las Vegas 1. Rush Truck Centers followed Noah Gragson from Stewart–Haas Racing to Front Row Motorsports for 2025. They sponsored his No. 4 car in eight races. King's Hawaiian ended its partnership with RFK Racing and would now sponsor the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 car, reportedly due to a brand conflict with one of RFK's new sponsors. Additionally, National Debt Relief signed on to sponsor the car for four races, Ampm served as a sponsor for two races, and Progressive Insurance agreed to an 18-race sponsorship of the JGR No. 11 car. Bob's Discount Furniture also joined as a sponsor under a multi-year deal in the 2025 season. Red Bull would return to NASCAR to sponsor the Trackhouse Racing Nos. 87 and 88 cars for multiple races. The sponsorship reunited Red Bull with Shane van Gisbergen (driver of the 88), who had previously driven Red Bull-sponsored cars in the Supercars Championship for Triple Eight Race Engineering (with whom van Gisbergen won his three titles). Saia signed a multi-year deal to sponsor the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 driven by Ty Gibbs for seven races in 2025. Sonic signed a deal to sponsor the JGR No. 54 at Atlanta 2. PPG Paints sponsored the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing car driven by Josh Berry at the Brickyard 400. Aaron's would return to NASCAR and sponsor Front Row Motorsports Nos. 34 and 38 cars. The Backstreet Boys would sponsor the Legacy Motor Club No. 42 car driven by John Hunter Nemechek at Las Vegas 1 to promote the boy band's residency show "Into the Millennium" at the Sphere. The car rental company Hertz sponsored JHN at Dover. Robinhood would be the primary sponsor of the No. 23 car driven by Bubba Wallace and the No. 67 car driven by Corey Heim for two races each. Telcel sponsored the No. 99 of Trackhouse Racing at the Mexico City race. The company also sponsors Andrés Pérez de Lara in the Craftsman Truck Series. Rinnai sponsored the FRM No. 34 at Atlanta 2. Fanatics Sportsbook sponsored the NY Racing Team No. 44 car driven by J. J. Yeley at Nashville and Phoenix.
Driver changes Moving teams Former Stewart-Haas Racing drivers Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, Ryan Preece, and Chase Briscoe moved to Front Row Motorsports, Wood Brothers Racing, RFK Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing, respectively. Michael McDowell moved from Front Row Motorsports to drive the No. 71 car for Spire Motorsports on a multi-year deal, replacing Zane Smith. Zane Smith left Spire Motorsports to drive the No. 38 for Front Row Motorsports, replacing Michael McDowell. Cody Ware returned to the Rick Ware Racing No. 51 car after driving part-time in the No. 15 car in 2024. Corey LaJoie drove part-time in the Rick Ware Racing No. 01 car after driving the No. 51 car for seven races in 2024.
Moving between series A. J. Allmendinger moved back to full-time Cup Series competition in the Kaulig Racing No. 16 car after running part-time in 2024. Harrison Burton, who was released by Wood Brothers Racing, moved back to the Xfinity Series for AM Racing in 2025. Cole Custer moved back to the Cup Series after running full-time in the Xfinity Series for two years. Daniel Hemric moved back to the Truck Series to drive the No. 19 truck for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. Ty Dillon replaced him as the driver of the Kaulig Racing No. 10 car (renumbered from No. 31) after running the Truck Series in 2024. Retirement Martin Truex Jr. retired from full-time competition at the conclusion of the 2024 season, vacating his No. 19 for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Rookies running full-time
Shane van Gisbergen moved up to the Cup Series full-time after running in the Xfinity Series in 2024. Riley Herbst moved up to the Cup Series full-time after running in the Xfinity Series in 2024.
Rookies running part-time Katherine Legge made her Cup Series debut in March at the Shriners Children's 500, making her the first woman to compete in the Cup Series since Danica Patrick in the 2018 Daytona 500. Connor Zilisch ran races at Austin, Charlotte, and Atlanta. Zilisch was also scheduled to run Watkins Glen, but sustained a broken collarbone after falling from his car after winning the Xfinity race the previous day, forcing his car to withdraw from the race. Jesse Love debuted at Bristol for his Xfinity team, Richard Childress Racing. Love split other races during the season between RCR and Beard Motorsports. Burt Myers, a modified racing driver, made his official Cup Series debut at Martinsville, after competing in the preliminaries for the exhibition Cook Out Clash.