The Super Bowl ended the 2024-2025 NFL season in New Orleans on Sunday with the Eagles defeating the Chiefs 44-20. Now, it is time for the Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing: The Daytona 500.

Instead of ending the season with such an event, NASCAR kicks off their season with the biggest race of the year. The race is 200 laps around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway, as it is the first points paying contest of the season.

Let’s pump the brakes. First, we need to recap this frenzied off season by knowing which drivers will be driving full time for which teams in 2025.

TRACKHOUSE RACING – CHEVROLET

#1 Let’s start with Pitbull and Justin Marks’ lineup for the year. Starting with driver of the Busch Light chevy Ross Chastain. He won the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway last September, but that would be the only time he visits victory lane in 2024. Chastain was in contention to win the Dayton 500 at the beginning of the year but got spun coming to the white flag. This year, he’s looking to make his return to the playoffs after boasting a 6th place finish in the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

#88 Shane van Gisbergen won the 2023 Chicago Street Race and has since been a very respected driver in the Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Because of his recent success, he’s been given a full time ride for Trackhouse as the 88 makes a return to NASCAR. The Aussie, ‘SVG’, is ready to make his impact on the rest of the field in the 2025 season.

#99 After winning one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history at Atlanta last February, Daniel Suarez is set to make another appearance behind the 99 Chevy this season. Suarez signed a one year deal last August keeping him at Trackhouse through the 2025 season. The Mexican native is looking to get back in victory lane this year as Trackhouse looks to get all three cars in the playoffs.

TEAM PENSKE – FORD

#2 Austin Cindric won the Daytona 500 in his rookie year back in 2022. After going winless in 2023, he took the checkered flag right out of the hands of his teammate Ryan Blaney at St. Louis in June of last year. After Blaney ran out of gas coming to the white flag, Cindric went around the 12 car and locked himself into the playoffs. The former Xfinity Series champ looks to get back in the top 16 this year.

#12 The 2023 Cup Series champion finished runner up last year behind his teammate Joey Logano as Team Penske is the back-to-back champs. The emotionally driven 31 year old from Ohio will be another threat in this seasons as he looks to make it three years in the row making the championship race as a finalist.

#22 Joey Logano won the 2024 Cup Series championship in a controversial way. After being ‘eliminated’ in the round of 12 at the Charlotte Roval, everyone thought it was over for the iconic Pennzoil Ford. However, after Alex Bowman’s car did not meet the minimum weight requirement in post race inspection, NASCAR disqualified him. Which based on points in the round, allowed Logano to sneak into the round of 8, where he would win at Las Vegas the following week. Many fans took to social media to bash the playoff format and claim Logano was one of the most undeserving champions of the sport. This year, Logano is blocking out all the haters, saying: “I can’t hear it because my trophies, they kind of echo around me. It’s kind of crazy.”

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING – CHEVROLET

#3 Speaking of Controversial wins in 2024, Austin Dillon threw his hat in the ring as he had probably the most debatable finish of the year after he wrecked Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin for the win at Richmond in August. After a few back and forth rounds between NASCAR and RCR, it was decided that Dillon was allowed to keep his Richmond trophy, but was not allowed to lock himself into the playoffs. Richard Childress’ grandson wasn’t able to point his way in to the playoffs, but is on a mission to get another win this year.

#8 Rowdy. One of the best drivers this sport has ever seen, and he hasn’t won the Daytona 500 in his lustrous 20-year career. Sound familiar? It took Dale Earnhardt, arguably the greatest NASCAR driver of all time, 20 years to win The Great American Race. And in year 21, Kyle Busch is looking to add the most watched race of the season to his already impressive resume. After going 19 straight seasons with a win, the streak came to an end in 2024 after going winless all year. In 2025, he looks to get back in the win column.

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS – FORD

#4 Due to Stewart Haas Racing closing their doors and selling 3 of their charters, Noah Gragson moves from the number 10 to the number 4. Gragson looks to make a lasting impression on his new team as he’ll be teamed up with crew chief Drew Blickensderfer. Blickensderfer won the 2021 Daytona 500 with Front Row Motorsports as he was on top of the box for Michael McDowell. Drew knows how to get the job done.

#34 Todd Gilliland is taking over the 34 that Blickensderfer and McDowell were working on together the past few seasons. The second year driver had a solid stand out rookie year driving the 38 for Front Row after posting four top 10’s and leading 130 laps on the year. Gilliland has been out front at a lot of these super speedway races, don’t be surprised to see the bright yellow Ford out front this Sunday.

#38 Zane Smith drove for Spire Motorsports last season where he had an average finish of 23.19 and two top 5’s. The 2022 Truck Series Champ was shocked when Spire Motorsports traded him for Michael McDowell. Now driving the 38, Smith is looking to prove a lot of people wrong by finding a way to turn those top 5’s into wins.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS – CHEVROLET

#5 He has been dominant for the last few years, and looks to continue doing so in 2025. Kyle Larson led the Cup Series in wins last year, and by a lot. Larson had 6 wins, with the second closest being Joey Logano (4) including the championship race win by the 22. Driving the newly iconic Hendrick.com blue, red, and white chevy Larson looks to use his talent and race his way through the field both on the track and in the standings. Larson’s history with Daytona however, isn’t the greatest. We’ll see if he can flip that narrative on Sunday.

#9 Winner of the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray, Chase Elliott is off to a good start in the 2025 season. Unfortunately for Chase, the Clash is an exhibition race, and therefore his win does not count points-wise, and he will have to win again in the regular season to lock himself in. However, I’m sure he’s not too worried, as he clearly had the fastest car in the Clash and is ready to build on that speed the ext few weeks.

#24 The reigning Daytona 500 steps back into Florida with a ring on his finger and the same idea in mind: be in the right place at the right time. William Byron benefited most from the overtime restarts as he worked his way through the top ten to secure his spot in the playoffs, in race number 1 of the year. Winning the first race is always beneficial because it allows you to stack playoff points throughout the season with stage wins, race wins, and the newest addition to the standings: one point for having the Xfinity Fastest Lap of the race. Byron is my sleeper pick to make the championship four, and be very competitive for the title.

#48 Alex Bowman was blindsided after being disqualified in the round of 12 for failing post race inspection. His DQ allowed Joey Logano to remain in the playoffs after temporarily being eliminated, and eventually Logano would win the championship. Bowman told his story when he found out: “I proceeded to throw my phone in the pool, and my phone proceeded to call 911 and tell them I was in a car crash”. A disappointing end to the season doesn’t neglect the fact that he is fast at Daytona. Him starting in P7 last year snapped his 6 year streak of starting on the front row at the 500, but after winning the Chicago Street Course race, there is a newfound confidence within Bowman as he looks to continue finding success in 2025.

RFK RACING – FORD

#6 After joining Jack Roush in 2022 to co-own the NASCAR team he drives for, Brad Keselowski had a good 2024 as he won the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway and finished 13th in points. The first round exit looks to bounce back and make a deeper run come playoff time. While Keselowski has won a 400 mile Daytona race during the summer, he has never won The Great American Race.

#17 Chris Buescher was probably the unluckiest driver in 2024. He was on the losing end of the closest finish in NASCAR history (0.001), was taken out battling Tyler Reddick at Darlington, and couldn’t buy a win no matter how close to the front he was. However, he finally got one in September when he made a dramatic last lap pass on Shane van Gisbergen at Watkins Glen to get his lone win of the year. In 2025, there is no doubt Chris Buescher and his boss/teammate Brad Keselowski will help each other succeed.

#60 Another Stewart-Haas Racing charter that was being sold was bought by fellow Ford organization RFK racing. Not only did they get the charter, they signed the same driver and brought on Ryan Preece on board to pilot the number 60 mustang. Stewart-Haas had a troublesome final few years before shutting down, but Ryan Preece always believed he has potential, and is going to have a great chance to compete for wins in strong equipment.

SPIRE MOTORSPORTS – CHEVROLET

#7 Another driver who has upset the field and won a rain shortened race at Daytona is Justin Haley. Not only did Spire sign a strong candidate on the track, they got a superstar on top of the box. Crew Chief Rodney Childers shocked everybody by signing with this young team and deciding to work with Justin Haley in 2025. Childers had a great career stat line working with Kevin Harvick all the way up until he retired from racing after the 2023 season.

#71 Michael McDowell not only changed teams, he changed manufacturers. McDowell drove the 34 for Front Row Motorpsorts (Ford) for a few seasons but ultimately decided to land at Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet). The 2021 Daytona 500 champion is looking to get back to victory lane, this time just with a new squad.

#77 Carson Hocevar was named the 2024 Rookie of the Year and recorded one top 5 along with six top 10’s. The second year racer is back in the 77 and looks to build on his impressive start to the career. An aggressive driver who has gotten physical to win races in previous years, will be an underdog in this year’s Daytona 500. Don’t count him out.

KAULIG RACING – CHEVROLET

#10 The 2011 ARCA Racing Series champion Ty Dillon is ready to make a splash in the cup series as he has finally found a stable ride in the sport’s premier division. Ty Dillon got into it with his brother Austin at the Clash, but after a few weeks, the tension settles and the Chevrolet teammates will most likely push each other in the race come Sunday.

#16 AJ Allmendinger is a familiar face around the Kaulig building. With nine full time seasons, Allmendinger is always looking to play spoiler as he has wins in 2023, 2021, and 2014. Allmendinger is strongest on the road courses, but with more talent coming in, AJ needs to find other ways, and tracks, he can win at. We all know superspeedways are wildcards, maybe AJ can shock the fans, and the books.

JOE GIBBS RACING – TOYOTA

#11 Finally, a Toyota team pops up in the article. Denny Hamlin is back in the iconic number 11, but with some different stickers. FedEx, longtime primary sponsor of Hamlin decided they no longer wanted to represent the 11 each weekend. Instead, King’s Hawaiian, Mavis Tires, and National Debt relief will all take their turns on the hood of Denny’s Camry. The age old question is ‘will Denny Hamlin ever win a championship’. So far, the answer is no. Denny enters his 19th season racing for JGR and looks to finally breakthrough and get the job done. Can he? Only time will tell.

#19 I would love to make a joke, but Christopher Bell would leak the punchline. Bell was in an interview last summer when he accidentally said Chase Briscoe’s name and that he would be coming on board. Well, it ended up being true and Chase Briscoe is the driver of the number 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota and looks to make a splash with his new team. He will be the talk of this blue-blood NASCAR team as he has some big shoes to fill. Martin Truex Jr. retired from full time racing after 2024, but will still attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 in the 56. Chase Briscoe won the final race of the regular season at Darlington to solid his playoff spot, but as a product of the Stewart-Haas closing, Briscoe is ready to compete for more wins under Coach Gibbs.

#20 Speaking of Christopher Bell, he’s next on the list as he drives the number 20 Dewalt, Interstate Batteries, Rheem Toyota. Bell opens as one of the title favorites along with Kyle Larson at +550, according to Draft Kings Sportsbook. I personally love this pick and think Christopher Bell will be the best JGR driver this year, and will have the best shot at the 2025 title. Christopher Bell fans should be very excited to watch their talented driver this year.

#54 Ty Gibbs is one of the most talented young drivers the Cup Series currently has. After having 8 top 5’s and 2 starts on the pole in 2024, I think he is going to be another underdog for a couple wins this year. Not just one, a couple. Lots of people think he was gifted a ride, but he’s been in contention for so many wins. If Ty can figure out how to close a race, he is going to find himself in vid story lane. Even if he doesn’t, you can most likely count him as a 2025 playoff driver.

WOOD BROTHERS RACING – FORD

#21 This move was just another piece of the Stewart-Haas Racing disbanding. Josh Berry drove for SHR in the number 4 and was competitive in some, and non-existent in others. Berry is a great short track driver that has a win under his belt at Junior Motorpsorts in the Xfinity series. If Berry can wheel the iconic red 21 to more consistent finishes, he will have a solid year.

23XI RACING – TOYOTA

#23 Bubba Wallace is a strong superspeedway racer and has a win at Talladega. As long as he stays accident free throughout the race, you may see the McDonald’s Camry in contention for a nice payday. Some people brought up the idea that Bubba is on the hot seat and needs to get a win in 2025, and some have a good argument. After just barely missing the 16-driver playoff bracket, Bubba’s ready for this season and looks to be one of those 16 to have a shot at the Bill France Cup.

#35 Riley Herbst was a hot name in the Xfinity Series last year when teams were searching for their next driver. Riley Herbst decided to stay in house and sign with Toyota team 23XI racing. With two solid teammates and Denny Hamlin/Michael Jordan as your owners, Riley is sure to learn a lot and potentially succeed in his first full year in Cup.

#45 Another name to be on the lookout for in the 2025 playoffs, Tyler Reddick. After racking up 3 wins and 21 top 10’s in 2025, Reddick is ready to go for more than just a few wins. Reddick has brought pristine to the young organizations in 23XI, NASCAR fans should expect nothing less than that this year as Reddick will be a force to be reckoned with.

HAAS FACTORY TEAM – FORD

#41 Cole Custer raced a few years in Cup before getting sent back down to the Xfinity Series in 2023 where he won the series championship and won the regular season title in 2024. Back in the Cup Series, Custer is ready to add to his win statistic, as he already has one from his Kentucky win back in 2022. After previously driving for Stewart Haas, Gene Haas wanted at least one entry in Cup, and chose Cole Custer to drive for his one car team.

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB – TOYOTA

#42 Legacy Motor Club is owned by NASCAR great Jimmie Johnson, with minority stakes from The King Richard Petty, switched from Chevrolet to Toyota this season, in hopes of seeing more success. John Hunter Nemechek captains the 42 and will also be a sneaky contender in some races. Legacy as a team has never been too consistent, but John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones are the guys that can make that happen.

#43 Erik Jones won the Southern 500 at Darlington in 2022 for Legacy Motor Club’s first ever win, and also won the endurance event in 2019. Jones is a solid driver and can cause spoiler. If Legacy stays clear of trouble, this could be an underdog team that could steal a couple top 10 spots, and maybe ever a win or two.

HYAK MOTORSPORTS – CHEVROLET

#47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a former Daytona 500 champion and knows a thing or two about being in the right place at the right time. Stenhouse Jr. also has a win at Talladega. Stenhouse is going to be a superspeedway threat all year and can steal the show for some if he can catch a few breaks. The 2023 Daytona 500 champion is going to look for another ring as he hits the track sporting the 47 this weekend.

RICK WARE RACING – FORD

#51 Finally, the last full time entry in the NASCAR Cup Series is Cody Ware. Former racer Rick Ware started this team and they have fielded some part time cars since 1998. Cody Ware, after running into a few legal issues, is back behind the car and ready to pilot the #51 Ford.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The Daytona 500 is Sunday February 15th at 2:30pm on FOX. The Great American Race is kicking off the 2025 season and NASCAR fans should be very excited, as this season should bring some exciting moments, and new drivers! Let us know on Fantom Sports Social Media who you think will perform the best in the arising NASCAR season. Also follow Race Day Report on Twitter.

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