2025 has seen its fair share of thrillers only halfway through the season. From domination to strategy, the Cup Series has now produced 12 winners in the first 18 races of the season. Each of those 12 winners have locked into the 2025 Playoffs, but with 8 races left and only 4 spots, will points matter after Daytona in August?
Winners So Far
William Byron – No. 24 (Daytona 500)
Christopher Bell – No. 20 (Ambetter Health 400, EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, Shriners Children’s 500)
Chase Briscoe – No. 19 (The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA.com)
Chase Elliott – No. 9 (Quaker Stake 400 Available at Walmart)
2024 Winners winless in 2025
Tyler Reddick – No. 45
Chris Buescher – No. 17
Alex Bowman – No. 48
Daniel Suarez – No. 99
Brad Keselowski – No. 6
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – No. 47
Austin Dillon – No. 3
Who’s Hot
Out of last year’s winners who are winless in 2025, Chris Buescher is the hottest with an average finish of 10.2 over the last 6 races. Don’t be fooled by just the winners from 2024, as multiple teams have found speed during this summer stretch.
Alex Bowman was one move from locking into the Playoffs at Atlanta this past weekend, and this coming weekend we are returning to where he scored his last victory, Chicago.
Tyler Reddick, like Bowman was up front all night at Atlanta, but was unable to stop the charging No. 9 Napa Chevy in the closing laps. Reddick is the first driver in on points with a healthy +128 cushion.
Brad Keselowski has now scored four top-10 finishes in the last six races. They currently sit 28th in points -122 below the cutline. The No. 6 Ford Mustang is in a must-win situation in these final 8 weeks of the regular season.
Legacy Motor Club Erik Jones has shown speed, scoring stage points throughout the past few races. Jones has moved to -49 below the cutline. Jones’s worst finish since the All-Star Race was 17th at Mexico City.
Favorites For the Final Races of the 2025 Regular Season
The eight races that remain on the 2025 regular season schedule present their own array of challenges and wild cards. From road courses, to short tracks, and a superspeedway to cap it, anyone has a chance to make their mark and lock into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Chicago Street Race – Alex Bowman is the reigning winner, but road course specialists such as AJ Allmendinger, Michael McDowell, Ty Gibbs, and Daniel Suarez are in the wings itching to burn down tires on S. Columbus Dr.
Sonoma Raceway – NASCAR returns to wine country on July 13th. Another opportunity for the road course ringers to lock into the playoffs.
Dover Motor Speedway – The Monster Mile makes it’s appearance in 2025 with a mid-summer battle on concrete. Since 2022, Alex Bowman leads winless drivers in consistency with a 6.5 average finish at Dover. Next best is Kyle Busch with a 10.7 average finish.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Tyler Reddick worked to chase down Kyle Larson last year at the return to the Brickyard 400, but he was unable to get to him. Is 2025 his year to win at Indy?
Iowa Speedway – Chevy and Ford dominated Iowa with 9 of the top-10 cars. This high-speed short track plays great for anyone willing to bullnose their way through. Carson Hocevar could break through and lock in.
Watkins Glen International – Chris Buescher left it all on the track last year, scoring his first and only win of 2024. Coming back to defend his win at the Glen could be the win needed for a 2025 playoff run.
Richmond Raceway – Late last summer, NASCAR saw one of the most controversial moves as Austin Dillon plowed his way to a victory. The following Monday, he was stripped of his playoff berth. Could he clean it up and redeem himself at Richmond?
Daytona International Speedway – The closer of the regular season. The wild card of wild cards. The summer Daytona night race is known to produce a new winner. Last year, we saw Harrison Burton lock the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford into the 2024 Playoffs. Who could lock in at the buzzer in 2025?
The 2025 season continues to produce great battles, and as the regular season winds down, the Playoff race is heating up. Eight races and four spots, who will lock in, and who will miss the cut?
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