The 2025 NASCAR season will provide a fresh opportunity for the NASCAR Cup Series field. There are, however, a few drivers in need of a big season. Here are five Cup Series drivers who must show out in 2025.
Bubba Wallace
Wallace’s 2024 season was the best of his career from a statistical standpoint, but still left a lot to be desired. His improvement since joining 23XI Racing in 2021 has been undeniable, but it seems as if his progress has stalled out. Wallace missed the playoffs in 2024, and hasn’t won a race since Kansas in September of 2022. With his teammate in Tyler Reddick making the Championship 4 in 2024, Wallace and new crew chief Charles Denike will be under the microscope from the get-go next season.
Ryan Preece
RFK Racing will give Preece the best opportunity of his Cup Series career in 2025, as he’ll drive the team’s new No. 60 car. Good results from Preece could mean long-term stability, but he’ll undoubtedly be measured up against teammates Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher, who both won races in 2024. With his teammates counted as near-shoe ins to make the playoffs in 2025, Preece must perform or face scrutiny during his first year with his new team.
Kyle Busch
After winning three of the first 15 races in 2023, Busch and Richard Childress Racing have been in a tailspin. In 2024, Busch went winless for the first time in his career, and had his worst season since his rookie year in 2005. Busch isn’t in danger of losing his ride at RCR, but he needs to at least win a race to rebuild momentum in the waning years of his career. Another winless season may bring him closer to making a potential decision on his future.
Denny Hamlin
Hamlin is still near the top of his game, but it feels like 2025 may be one the final seasons in which he’ll be a legitimate title threat. At 44, Hamlin isn’t getting younger, and Father Time inches closer to claiming his career with every passing season. Hamlin hasn’t made the Championship 4 since 2021, and has seen a series of bizarre circumstances take him out of title contention over the past three seasons. Like Wallace, Hamlin will also have a new crew chief – Chris Gayle will move over from Ty Gibbs’ pit box to call the shots for Hamlin. If Hamlin doesn’t win his first Cup Series championship in 2025, the comparisons to Mark Martin will only continue to increase in number.
Chase Briscoe
All eyes will be on Briscoe when the circuit heads to Daytona in February. It’s a product of driving for a team like Joe Gibbs Racing, as Briscoe will take over as the pilot of the No. 19 Toyota following Martin Truex Jr.’s retirement. Briscoe isn’t in a situation where his job is on the line if he lacks results in 2025, but driving for one of the best teams in the sport will always carry lofty expectations, even in Year 1. Like Preece, Briscoe will be in the best equipment he’s had so far in his Cup Series career. He’s long been tabbed as a budding star held back by mediocre Stewart-Haas Racing equipment, and 2025 is his first chance to prove he deserves to be mentioned in conversations regarding NASCAR’s elite.
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