The good – and bad – from the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season

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And, so long to the 2025 season.

The book is about to be closed and put on the shelf, and the shift comes to what’s ahead in 2026. After how the month of December has played out for the NASCAR community with multiple tragedies, it’s perhaps not a minute too soon. But it was another memorable racing season for one reason or another, the good and the bad. 

We will always remember the dominance of Shane van Gisbergen, and the time spent on the streets of Chicago. And we’ll think of this season as the year when Kyle Larson became a multi-time champion, but wasn’t the biggest story coming out of the finale thanks to who lost the championship. On and on it goes.

So, here is one more look back the year that was 2025.

Driver of the Year: Denny Hamlin

At 44 years old, Hamlin had an incredible season; one of the best he’s had in his career. The win count was the highest he’s had since 2020, but moreso, it appeared there weren’t many weaknesses around the No. 11 team. It’s a great to see a driver of Hamlin’s caliber still at the top of his game at this point in his career, because it doesn’t always happen. But he is as strong as ever both mentally and physically, and he remains one of the biggest threats on the racetrack. Granted, the lasting memory of the season might be his emotional defeat in the title race, but it shouldn’t overshadow everything Hamlin and his group accomplished before that weekend. 

Most Improved Driver: Bubba Wallace

The way the season stared for Wallace and new crew chief Charles Denike, it seemed like multiple wins were in the cards. Wallace was a consistent face up front and through the first few months, was earning plenty of points. While they fell short on multiple wins, they had opportunities and by the eye test, this was a season in which it became the norm to see the No. 23 Toyota in the picture. Denny Hamlin, his co-owner, even acknowledged late in the season on his podcast that Wallace w as the fastest car 23XI Racing had. Overall, the numbers, from laps led to stage points, and more, as well as Wallace’s attitude were greatly improved and noticeably different. 

Biggest Surprise: RFK Racing going winless

It’s hard to believe, considering how well the organization ran whether it was all three teams, or two of three, or just one during any given weekend. There were opportunities, and some that seemed closer than others, but it didn’t happen. And none of the three – Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece, or Chris Buescher – made the postseason, which just added insult to injury. But there should be a foundation laid for bigger success going forward. 

RFK Racing did a lot of the right things, but had little to show for it at the end of the season. David Jensen/Getty Images

Most Disappointing: Ty Gibbs

There should always be a grace period for drivers moving into the Cup Series because regardless of talent, the adjustment is steep. The learning curve is wide. But it’s been three full seasons (plus 15 races) now for Gibbs driving a car for what is arguably one of the three best organizations in the Cup Series, and there has hardly been anything to write home about. Gibbs was the fourth-best Joe Gibbs Racing driver in 2025 and fell way behind the accomplishments of his teammates – and that was with a new crew chief, Tyler Allen, and added help late on the year from Chris Gabehart. 

MVP: Amazon

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One of NASCAR’s newest partners only had five races on its slate, but they made the most of it. The group assembled were familiar faces and talented, and it showed in how they presented the racing product. It was fun but insightful, and didn’t seem over the top.  There was no reinventing the wheel. Plus, the length of the pre- and post-race coverage was a big hit. Viewers want more content, not less, and whether its interviews with drivers or extended highlights and analysis, Amazon brought it all, and did so at a high level. 

Story of the Year: Cup Series playoff format

No, we aren’t overlooking the lawsuit because that was absolutely the story for the past 14 months. But that was away from the racing. So, when we look at the season and the product, the biggest underlying story was continued conversation around the playoff format. NASCAR even created a committee to discuss is future, which held its first meeting the weekend of the very first points race – the Daytona 500. While there are certainly those in the garage and grandstands who like the current format, there has been a very vocal opposing side and it seems change is coming. Of course, if it wasn’t enough to have talked about it all year, the season finales in all three series produced scenarios that fueled the flames of hate toward the format. 

Best Paint Scheme: Axalta (Daytona 500)

The colors. The flames. The details. William Byron’s scheme was a classic, and it flat-out looked good. But let’s talk some more about the details. Hendrick Motorsports got creative with the look of the flames by inserting circles so the wrap color below showed through. There was a clear gradient. However, you might have noticed that the paint scheme changed after the Daytona 500. NASCAR wasn’t a fan of what Hendrick had done to create the scheme, and had the team remove the circles. The team decided that since a gradient wouldn’t work without those, and the flames became a solid color.

William Byron’s Daytona 500 paint scheme was a one (or won?) and done. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Best Race: Coca-Cola 600 

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It might have been a marathon race, but it didn’t feel like a drag watching it unfold. Ross Chastain was the story within the race coming from last place and winning, overtaking William Byron late, but there was plenty more that happened throughout the night. The races within the race, you’d say. For example, Kyle Larson’s double attempt. The first race for Amazon. The eight caution flags and incidents that eliminated contenders. It was another good night for an intermediate race with the current car, and it’s been better when it’s one of the sport’s biggest races. 

Worst Race: Bristol Motor Speedway (spring)

On the flip side of races with tire wear, fuel mileage, or the ability to battle for position with stories within the race, are the races where it seems absolutely nothing is happening. It’s just logging laps. There is nowhere worse for that to happen than short tracks, in particular at Bristol when one driver is leading nearly every lap. Those races become easy to forget. The checkered flag can’t come soon enough. Kyle Larson and his team weren’t to blame; it was just one of those days where a race happened, we put it on the books, and moved on. 

Coolest Moment: Daniel Suarez winning in Mexico City

NASCAR’s return to Mexico – but its first visit for the Cup Series – came with a lot of expectation, and even some skepticism. In the end, there were two great events, and to start the weekend with the star of the show winning on Saturday made it all the better. A lot had been put on Suarez’s shoulders as the face of the event, and then he still needed to get behind the wheel in not one, but two races. Add in that the first race started with him wrecking the primary car and having to start in the rear. The reaction to Suarez was hard not to be caught up in, and when he won, it was the sort of thing great highlights are made of.

Breakout Driver: Chase Briscoe 

Finally. Briscoe is one of the most talented drivers in NASCAR but if the resources aren’t there, it’s hard to deliver. Briscoe met the moment in Joe Gibbs Racing equipment with multiple wins and going as far as the title race, the latter of which was icing on the cake. The ability to not just win, but win multiple races in top equipment is key, and after the team went through its growing pains, they were among the fastest in the series. It turned Briscoe into a driver that people got used to seeing the front on a consistent basis. This was a year in which anyone who has believed from the start that Briscoe is capable of big things was finally seeing it come to fruition. 

Briscoe has plenty of reasons to feel good about his 2025 campaign. Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Wanted More: Bristol fall (tires)

There was a time when tire wear and fuel mileage races were a normal occurrence in NASCAR. But nowadays when they happen, one of two things results: people don’t understand what they’re seeing and don’t like it, or there is calls for more of it. It’s the latter in this case. A driver’s skillset should include more than just being able to hold the throttle pedal to the floor, and with tire management races, a lot more of the day’s success is put in their hands. Plus, it’s entertaining to see who is able to manage his equipment better than the competition, or for how much longer during a run. It would be nice to see more of these races return to the sport instead of the high speed, full throttle, air racing that has become all too familiar. 

Feel-good Story: Wood Brothers Racing 

NASCAR has succeeded on the backs of pioneers like the Wood family. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest team in the Cup Series and has built a reputation and following as fan favorites. So,when the team does well, it’s all the more special – and arguably important for the sport. The famed No. 21 car had a solid season with Josh Berry behind the wheel as legitimate top 16 contenders, and earning stats that hadn’t been seen in a few years for the team, such as in top-10 finishes and average finish. Plus, the victory at Las Vegas came on merit, and there could have potentially been some more. But the most important thing is that they were relevant. 

Crew Chief of the Year: Cliff Daniels

It seems like low-hanging fruit considering Daniels and Kyle Larson won the championship, but that accomplishment helped solidify this sentiment. Daniels is one of the top crew chiefs in the garage, and his talent and leadership have made the No. 5 team what is today. More so, Daniels has a way of keeping his driver and team in the game, whether through motivational actions and words, or his abilities within a race. Every team needs that playmaker or the guy who can put them on his back when needed, and where Larson does it on the track, the rest is done by Daniels.