By Aidan Sinclair
With the 2025 NASCAR season just a few days away, it's time to take a look at what we can expect from some of racing's biggest names. Here are writer Aidan Sinclair's power rankings of the top 20 drivers this upcoming season.
Kyle Larson - #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Since Joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, Larson has been an unstoppable force. He has amassed 23 wins and a championship in 2021 in that time, while posting an average finish of 8.3. Though a few aggressive moves in the Round of 8 last season dwindled his championship hopes for 2024, he still remained the winningest driver last season and looks poised for another trip to the final four in 2025.
Christopher Bell - #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
After a heartbreaking finish to his season at Martinsville Speedway—riding the wall in an attempt to make it into his third consecutive final four—Bell appears to be a serious threat to contend for Joe Gibbs Racing’s first title since 2019. He’ll have a chip on his shoulder in 2025 after feeling ‘cheated’ out of a shot at winning the championship last year.
William Byron - #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
After winning the Daytona 500 and remaining near the top of the regular season standings for most of the year, Byron is favoured for another Championship 4 appearance. Seven top-six finishes to round out the playoffs makes him one of the most consistent drivers out there, so though a lack of speed at Phoenix Raceway halted his championship hopes last year, they are very much alive in 2025.
Ryan Blaney - #12 Team Penske Ford
One of the most clutch drivers of the past two years, Blaney won his first championship in 2023 and finished second in 2024. Alongside teammate Joey Logano, team Penske has a formidable 1-2 punch with eyes to dominate for the foreseeable future.
Tyler Reddick - #45 23X1 Racing Toyota
2024 was the most successful year to date for the Michael Jordan/Denny Hamlin-led 23X1 team, with Reddick’s number 45 car in the Championship 4 for the first time. A thrilling final-lap pass on owner Hamlin and 2023 champ Ryan Blaney to win at Homestead Miami Speedway earned Reddick a fourth place finish in the final standings and a regular season championship.
Chase Elliott - #9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
After a miserable 2023 season, Elliott bounced back with an early win at Texas Motor Speedway in 2024. After a late-race pass on teammate Larson at Martinsville Speedway with a shot to upset and advance to his fourth Championship 4 appearance, Elliott ran out of steam and ultimately finished seventh in the standings. Expect to see Elliott in victory lane multiple times in 2025 en route to an even deeper playoff run.
Joey Logano - #22 Team Penske Ford
The king of even years did it once again in 2024, ending up as a champion for the third time in his career—solidifying himself as a future hall of famer. However, it took a late season win at Nashville Superspeedway just to enter the playoffs and a post-race disqualification for Alex Bowman at the Charlotte Roval to allow Logano into the Round of 8. His average finish of 17.1 was his worst mark since 2012 and given 2025 is an odd year, it's not extreme to suggest that Logano won’t be a serious threat this season.
Alex Bowman - #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Though a post-race disqualification eliminated him from playoff contention after the Round of 8 cutoff race at the Charlotte Roval, Bowman showed consistent speed throughout the playoffs. He finished the year with a win at the Chicago Street Race, 17 top tens and a 14.8 average finish, his best since 2020.
Denny Hamlin - #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
It feels fair to predict another lost year for Hamlin as he still searches for his first cup title in what will be his 21st season in 2025. He hasn’t been to the final four in the past three seasons and his time may be running thin. Nevertheless, new crew chief Chris Gayle could help build on Hamlin’s productive 2024, where he won three races and racked up 18 top tens.
Ross Chastain - #1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Chastain broke onto the scene in 2022 with an incredible first season at Trackhouse Racing, emerging as a contender throughout the year and putting his “hail-melon” on display at Martinsville Speedway. He has regressed each year since then, but a late season win at Kansas Speedway in September could be the momentum shift he needs to return to contention in 2025.
Brad Keselowski - #6 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
Keselowski has had an up-and-down tenure since joining RFK Racing in 2022. His worst season since 2010 came in 2022 but he bounced back with an eighth place finish in the standings in 2023 and returned to victory lane at Darlington Raceway in 2024. A familiar face in crew chief Jeremy Bullins could propel Keselowski to another high-points finish as he enters the back-end of his career.
Chase Briscoe - #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
A lost summer gave way to a salvageable finish to his stint with Stewart-Haas racing last year when Briscoe held off veteran Kyle Busch to win at Darlington Raceway, capturing a playoff spot in the process. 2025 holds great expectations for Briscoe, who will be joining Joe Gibbs Racing, taking over for longtime legend Martin Truex Jr. The new equipment should propel Briscoe to his best year yet in the Cup Series.
Chris Buescher - #17 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
2024 was a stepback for Buescher. After his deepest playoff run to date in 2023, finishing seventh in overall points standings, he finished 17th in 2024. His late season win at Watkins Glen International made up for lacking speed throughout the summer so he will hope to tap into that success as he looks to rebound to his 2023 form.
Ty Gibbs - #54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Though the season became something of a sophomore slump, Gibbs started off his 2024 campaign with great speed, leading lots of laps at the Bristol Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway spring races. He showed improvement from his rookie season in 2023, proving his ability to run atop with the best of the best. However, this consistency dwindled towards the end of the year when he was eliminated in the round of 16 and produced a sour DNF to end his 2024 campaign at Phoenix Raceway. This year, he’ll seek to lock in his early season form and achieve his elusive first race win.
Daniel Suarez - #99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Suarez returned to victory lane for the first time since 2022 last year, barely edging out Busch and Blaney at Atlanta Motor Speedway in a thrilling finish. His 2024 playoff appearance was underwhelming as though he held onto the final spot above the cut in the Round of 16 cutoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway, he ended up dropping to 12th place in the standings.
Bubba Wallace - #23 23X1 Racing Toyota
Another driver who stepped-back in 2024, Wallace has been unable to return to victory lane since 2022. Charles Denike taking over for longtime crew chief Bootie Barker could be the reset he needs to get back on track in 2025.
Austin Cindric - #2 Team Penske Ford
Cindric is another Penske driver who found tremendous luck with a win at World Wide Technology Raceway. Despite beating out teammate Blaney and making his first playoff appearance since 2022, his overall numbers came out to a middling average finish of 19.9.
Shane Van Gisbergen - #88 Trackhouse Racing Ford
The road-course master from New Zealand won his first cup race at the Chicago Street Course two years ago, signalling his talent could translate from Australia to America. He won three more races at the Xfinity Series level in 2024 and could earn his first playoff spot with another win in 2025.
Kyle Busch - #8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Father time looks to have caught up with one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of the 2010s. Since his last championship victory in 2019, Busch just hasn’t been the same. His relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing deteriorated in 2022 and though he racked up three wins in his first season with Richard Childress Racing in 2023, the team as a whole seems to be spiralling. Busch had his worst season since his rookie year in 2005 in 2024, while seeing his 19-year streak of winning at least one race come to an end.
Carson Hocevar - #77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
The 2024 Rookie of the Year put together a great showing in his first full Cup Series season. He topped all rookies with an average finish of 18.3 and finished 21st in points standings. He will have some cleaning up to do in 2025, though, as his aggressive driving style did get him into some late race troubles towards the second half of the season.
Stay tuned for more from Aidan and the Intermission Sports team on NASCAR and all things motorsports.
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