Menu
The series that probably had the most drama throughout the 2024 season was the NASCAR Cup Series. From all-out brawls to short tempers to teams feuding with NASCAR, the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series had it all! It got all of us and fans alike excited for what’s to come in 2025. Many teams will be the same and will be hoping to build on what they created last year. Others will be looking to do something a little different. There’ll be new faces in new places for some of these drivers. Here’s who you might want to watch out for come 2025.
In most cases, putting Kyle Busch on a list like this would be blasphemous. But let’s face it: 2024 was an awful year for the 20-year vet and his number 8 RCR crew. Clearly, the team just wasn’t up to speed with the rest of the field. And, whenever Busch tried pushing the envelope and getting more out of the car than the car had to give, he usually spun out or wrecked. Kyle Busch went winless for the first time in his NASCAR career in 2024.
Now, it would be easy to say that this trend will continue and that Kyle Busch’s winning ways are behind him. But we don’t think that’s the case. He showed us all his talent when he left the comfort of his JGR M&Ms 18 for the middling RCR team. He won 3 races in 2023 alone, putting aside his late-season collapse that carried into 2024 like a bad hangover. But we expect KFB to return to form in 2025. He ain’t done yet, guys. Watch out for Kyle Busch to grab a number of wins in 2025.
Heading into 2024, nobody was expecting Carson Hocevar to set the world on fire. He was driving for Spire Motorsports, a team that has improved over the years but was still solidly a mid-pack team. Considering the team he was driving for, he did pretty well. He outran both of his teammates pretty consistently and even scored a 3rd place finish at Watkins Glen, his best of the season. He finished in the top 20 23 times, 6 of them being top 10s.
While not exactly championship material, this does provide a solid foundation for the team to build on in 2025. It is clear that Hocevar is Spire’s new cornerstone driver. They’re looking to build this team around him, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those top-20 runs turn into top-15 and top-10 finishes.
There will be a lot of eyes on SVG in 2025, and that’s for a very good reason. I personally think that he’s a virtual shoo-in for the NASCAR Playoffs. Think about it: he won in his debut Cup Series race. That’s nearly unheard of! In 2024, he ran a handful of races for Kaulig in the Cup Series, backing up his win with a 2nd place finish at Watkins Glen.
On the Xfinity side of things, he ran the full 2024 season, including 3 wins. Needless to say, he qualified for the 2024 Xfinity Series post-season but was eliminated in the Round of 12. He improved on the ovals throughout the year, ending the season with two top-10 finishes at Kansas and Darlington, respectively. Look for SVG to win at least one of the road course races in his Trackhouse number 88 in 2025.
Many fans consider Ryan Preece a NASCAR bust. He has had an abysmal NASCAR Cup Series career so far. But to be fair, look at who he was driving for. His first full-time season returned in 2019 when he drove the 47 car for JTG Daugherty Racing. For the 2020 and 2021 seasons, they moved him to the number 37 open entry, replacing him with Chris Buescher. In 2022, he dropped to part-time after signing a developmental contract with Stewart-Haas Racing.
He was officially called up to the Majors for the 2023 season, taking over the struggling number 41 team from Cole Custer. But Preece didn’t perform any better in the car. His best points finish was 23rd, and Tony Stewart already had one foot out the door. SHR was on a downward trajectory even before Preece joined the team. Meanwhile, RFK, with the help of co-owner Brad Keselowski (who is actually present in team operations), is trending in the right direction.
They won one race in 2022 with Chris Buescher and followed that up with three more wins for the 17 car in 2023. Brad got his first win for the team at Darlington in 2024, and Buscher scored a win at Watkins Glen. In 2025, Ryan Preece will run an expansion team in the number 60 car for RFK Racing. Look for this team to run just as well as its 6 and 17 teammates.
In Kevin Harvick’s departure, Chase Briscoe became The Guy at Stewart-Haas Racing. Though, even he didn’t run that great. He did, however, deliver SHR their final victory and Playoff berth, so there’s that. Most of his issues over the last couple of years were almost entirely on the team. Even Kevin Harvick couldn’t win in their equipment at the end, and after he left, the team crumbled and folded in on itself. In 2025, look for Briscoe to make a huge jump in performance. He’s leaving the floundering SHR team for the thriving team of Joe Gibbs Racing. He will drive the number 19 Bass Pro Shops Chevy, teaming with MTJ’s former crew chief, James Small.
He might not win off the bat. It may take a few starts for him to get used to his new environment. But once everything is adjusted, I wouldn’t be surprised one bit to see Chase Briscoe become a legit championship threat.
That does it for us, Daily Downforce readers. What drivers do you think we ought to keep an eye on next year? Who will take a step forward, and who do you think will regress? Let us know by commenting on our posts! And be sure to come back here all offseason long for the latest breaking news and silly season rumors in NASCAR.
