Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2025 NASCAR Cup Series Preview
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series starts on the 2nd of February with a pre-season race at the Bowman Gray Stadium with the first official points-scoring race being the Daytona 500 on the 16th of February and the season will run through to the 2nd of November.
This season is the 24th season of the modern-era Cup Series and the 77th official NASCAR stock car season, it will feature twenty-six point-scoring races before moving into the ten playoff races, finishing with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at the Phoenix Raceway.
What are the current NASCAR Cup Series Standings? Head over to the official NASCAR Standings for the full list.
Which Bookie is Best for NASCAR? We have created an article that looks at which Bookie is best for Motor Racing so head over to that.
Past NASCAR Cup Series Champions
Joey Logano won his second championship in 2022 having also previously won it in 2018 and becoming the 17th driver to win multiple championships. In 2024 he won his third championship, he is just the 10th driver to win three or more championships and puts his name up there with the legends of the sport.
Logano will head into 2024 looking to tie Jeff Gordon on four wins and will be looking to become the first back-to-back winner of the championship since 2010 when Jimmie Johnson achieved it. Only ten drivers have previously achieved such a feat, and the list is full of NASCAR legends, Jimmie Johnson successfully defended his championship four times, Dale Earnhardt won back-to-back championships three times and both Cale Yarborough and Richard Petty did it twice.
In addition to those three drivers, Buck Baker, Lee Petty, Joe Weatherly, David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip, and Jeff Gordon all managed to win back-to-back championships once in the carers.
Three NASCAR legends share the most championship series wins between them, all three of them have won the championship a total of seven times each, Richard Petty picked up his wins between 1964 & 1979, Dale Earnhardt between 1980 & 1994, and Jimmie Johnson between 2006 & 2016. Jeff Gordon won four championships whilst Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip & Tony Stewart all won three championships each.
Jimmie Johnson also holds the record for consecutive championships having won five on the bounce between 2006 & 2010, the only other driver to win three or more back-to-back is Cale Yarborough who won his titles in 1976, 1977 & 1978.
In total, thirty-six different drivers have won the NASCAR Cup Series championship with seventeen of those drivers having picked up multiple championships.
| Year | Driver/Team | Stats |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 22. Joey Logano (Ford) Roger Penske (Team Penske) | 36-3-4-12-5040 |
| 2023 | 12. Ryan Blaney (Ford) Roger Penske (Team Penske) | 36-0-3-18-5035 |
| 2022 | 22. Joey Logano (Ford) Roger Penske (Team Penske) | 36-4-4-15-5040 |
| 2021 | 5. Kyle Larson (Chevrolet) Rick Hendrick (Hendrick Motorsports) | 36-2-10-26-5040 |
| 2020 | 9. Chase Elliott (Chevrolet) Rick Hendrick (Hendrick Motorsports) | 36-1-5-22-5040 |
| 2019 | 18. Kyle Busch (Toyota) Joe Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) | 36-1-5-27-5040 |
| 2018 | 22. Joey Logano (Ford) Roger Penske (Team Penske) | 36-3-3-26-5040 |
| 2017 | 78. Martin Truex Jr (Toyota) Barney Visser (Furniture Row Racing) | 36-3-8-26-5040 |
| 2016 | 48. Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet) Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon (Hendrick Motorsports) | 36-1-5-16-5040 |
| 2015 | 18. Kyle Busch (Toyota) Joe Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) | 25-1-5-16-5043 |
Past NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturers Champions
Chevrolet returned to winning ways in 2021, which was their first success since their last win in 2015, and then backed that up by winning it every year since. They were a dominant force winning every single series between 2003 & 2015 and their success in 2024 was their 43rd Cup series success.
The closest Manufacturer to them is Ford who is some way back on seventeen wins with their latest coming in 2020, along with Chevrolet they are the only two manufacturers with 10+ championships.
Toyota only joined in 2007 and took some time to find its feet as you would expect with any new team and in their 10th season, they picked up their first manufacturer's title which they backed up in 2017, and picked up their third in 2019.
| Year | Manufacturer | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 2023 | Chevrolet | 18 |
| 2022 | Chevrolet | 19 |
| 2021 | Chevrolet | 19 |
| 2020 | Ford | 18 |
| 2019 | Toyota | 19 |
| 2018 | Ford | 19 |
| 2017 | Toyota | 16 |
| 2016 | Toyota | 16 |
| 2015 | Chevrolet | 15 |
2025 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule - Preseason
The season as per usual kicks off with a pre-season race, this year it will be at the Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the exhibition event known as the 'Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium' is only one of two races that are non-point scoring races on the schedule with the All-Star race being the other. The second event is used as the qualifying event for the opening race, the Daytona 500, known as the 'Daytona Duel', there are two races to determine the front row of the Daytona 500 grid.
| Round | Race |
|---|---|
| Pre-Season 02-02-2025 | Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| Daytona 500 Qualifying 02-13-2025 | Bluegreen Vacations Duel Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida |
| Daytona 500 Qualifying 02-13-2025 | Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida |
2025 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule - Phase 1
The first phase of the season consists of twelve races, just under half of the regular season races which kick off with the Daytona 500 on the 16th of February and will run through to the 11th of May with the AdventHealth 400 in Kansas City before a small break.
| Round | Race |
|---|---|
| Round 1 02-16-2025 | Daytona 500 Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida |
| Round 2 02-23-2025 | Ambetter Health 400 Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia |
| Round 3 03-02-2025 | EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas |
| Round 4 03-09-2025 | Shriners Childrens 500 Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona |
| Round 5 03-16-2025 | Pennzoil 400 Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Round 6 03-23-2025 | Straight Talk Wireless 400 Homestead–Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida |
| Round 7 03-30-2025 | Cook Out 400 Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia |
| Round 8 04-06-2025 | Goodyear 400 Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina |
| Round 9 04-13-2025 | Food City 500 Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee |
| Round 10 04-27-2025 | Jack Links 500 Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama |
| Round 11 05-04-2025 | Würth 400 Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas |
| Round 12 05-11-2025 | AdventHealth 400 Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas |
2025 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule - All-Stars
The drivers get a small break mid-season and during that break, the All-Star races will take place, the All-Star Open first, and then the All-Star Race on the same day.
| Round | Race |
|---|---|
| All-Star Weekend 05-18-2025 | NASCAR All-Star Open North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina |
| All-Star Weekend 05-18-2025 | NASCAR All-Star Race North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina |
2025 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule - Phase 2
The second phase of the season gets underway on the 25th of May with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway with points once again awarded, that is the first of fourteen races that will conclude the second part of the regular season which runs through to the 23rd of August when the Coke Zero Sugar 400 race completes the regular season.
coca-cola-600-round-13 ally-400-round-14 firekeepers-casino-400-round-15 nascar-cup-series-at-mexico-city-round-16 the-great-american-getaway-400-round-17 quaker-state-400-round-18 grant-park-165-round-19 toyotasave-mart-350-round-20 autotrader-echopark-automotive-400-round-21 brickyard-400-round-22 iowa-corn-350-round-23 go-bowling-at-the-glen-round-24 cook-out-400-round-25 coke-zero-sugar-400-round-26
| Round | Race |
|---|---|
| Round 13 05-25-2025 | Coca-Cola 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina |
| Round 14 06-01-2025 | Ally 400 Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee |
| Round 15 06-08-2025 | FireKeepers Casino 400 Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan |
| Round 16 06-15-2025 | NASCAR Cup Series at Mexico City Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico |
| Round 17 06-22-2025 | The Great American Getaway 400 Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania |
| Round 18 06-28-2025 | Quaker State 400 Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia |
| Round 19 07-06-2025 | Grant Park 165 Chicago Street Course in Chicago, Illinois |
| Round 20 07-13-2025 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California |
| Round 21 07-20-2025 | Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, Delaware |
| Round 22 07-27-2025 | Brickyard 400 Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana |
| Round 23 08-03-2025 | Iowa Corn 350 Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa |
| Round 24 08-10-2025 | Go Bowling at The Glen Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York |
| Round 25 08-16-2025 | Cook Out 400 Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia |
| Round 26 08-23-2025 | Coke Zero Sugar 400 Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida |
2025 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule - Playoffs
We move into the playoffs with the Cook Out Southern 500 (Round of 16) at World Wide Technology Raceway on the 31st of August kicking off the first of three races in the Round of 16 stage, there are then three races for both the Round of 12 and Round of 8 stages before the season is completed at Phoenix Raceway with the Championship race on the 2nd of November.
| Round | Race |
|---|---|
| Round of 16 08-31-2025 | Cook Out Southern 500 Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina |
| Round of 16 09-07-2025 | Enjoy Illinois 300 World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois |
| Round of 16 09-13-2025 | Bass Pro Shops Night Race Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee |
| Round of 12 09-21-2025 | USA Today 301 New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire |
| Round of 12 09-28-2025 | Hollywood Casino 400 Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas |
| Round of 12 10-05-2025 | Bank of America Roval 400 Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval) in Concord, North Carolina |
| Round of 8 10-12-2025 | South Point 400 Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Round of 8 10-19-2025 | YellaWood 500 Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama |
| Round of 8 10-26-2025 | Xfinity 500 Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia |
| Championship 4 11-02-2025 | NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona |
NASCAR Cup Series Driver Standings
Here are the current driver standings for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series.
| Pos. | Driver | Pts. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Byron | 116 |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 114 |
| 3 | Tyler Reddick | 111 |
| 4 | Christopher Bell | 95 |
| 5 | Chase Elliott | 95 |
| 6 | Bubba Wallace | 94 |
| 7 | Alex Bowman | 87 |
| 8 | Michael McDowell | 85 |
| 9 | Kyle Busch | 81 |
| 10 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 80 |
2025 NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet Teams & Drivers
Here are the Chevrolet-powered teams for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series.
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 5 | Kyle Larson |
| Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 9 | Chase Elliott |
| Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 24 | William Byron |
| Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 48 | Alex Bowman |
| Chevrolet | JTG Daugherty Racing | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| Chevrolet | Kaulig Racing | 10 | Ty Dillon |
| Chevrolet | Kaulig Racing | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger |
| Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | 3 | Austin Dillon |
| Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | 8 | Kyle Busch |
| Chevrolet | Spire Motorsports | 7 | Justin Haley |
| Chevrolet | Spire Motorsports | 71 | Michael McDowell |
| Chevrolet | Spire Motorsports | 77 | Carson Hocevar |
| Chevrolet | Trackhouse Racing Team | 1 | Ross Chastain |
| Chevrolet | Trackhouse Racing Team | 88 | Shane van Gisbergen |
| Chevrolet | Trackhouse Racing Team | 99 | Daniel Suárez |
| Chevrolet (Limited Schedule) | Live Fast Motorsports | 78 | B. J. McLeod |
| Chevrolet (Limited Schedule) | Team AmeriVet | 50 | TBA |
2025 NASCAR Cup Series Ford Teams & Drivers
Here are the Ford-powered teams for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series.
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford | Haas Factory Team | 41 | Cole Custer |
| Ford | RFK Racing | 6 | Brad Keselowski |
| Ford | RFK Racing | 17 | Chris Buescher |
| Ford | Rick Ware Racing | 15 | TBA |
| Ford | Rick Ware Racing | 51 | TBA |
| Ford | Team Penske | 2 | Austin Cindric |
| Ford | Team Penske | 12 | Ryan Blaney |
| Ford | Team Penske | 22 | Joey Logano |
| Ford | Wood Brothers Racing | 21 | Josh Berry |
| Ford (Non-Chartered) | Front Row Motorsports | 38 | Todd Gilliland |
| Ford (Non-Chartered) | Front Row Motorsports | TBA | Noah Gragson |
| Ford (Non-Chartered) | Front Row Motorsports | TBA | TBA |
2025 NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Teams & Drivers
Here are the Toyota-powered teams for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series.
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | 19 | Chase Briscoe |
| Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | 20 | Christopher Bell |
| Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | 54 | Ty Gibbs |
| Toyota | Legacy Motor Club | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek |
| Toyota | Legacy Motor Club | 43 | Erik Jones |
| Toyota (Non-Chartered) | Legacy Motor Club | 84 | Jimmie Johnson |
| Toyota (Non-Chartered) | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Toyota (TBD) | 23XI Racing | 23 | Bubba Wallace |
| Toyota (TBD) | 23XI Racing | 45 | Tyler Reddick |
| Toyota (TBD) | 23XI Racing | TBA | TBA |
Contributor Details
Andy Powell manages all of our Motor Racing content as a huge F1 and Speedway fan, giving up much of his weekend to watching the action unfold in qualifying and betting on the various potential outcomes as well as managing the Motor Racing Tips and Tipsters in the competition. Ably assisting with the data collection as necessary is our Data Scientist on the expert team, Dan Tracey.
Dan Tracey
Data Scientist and Football Editor
Andy Powell
Content Editor
