Every NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Current Contract Status
What’s Happening? Like any other sport, Free Agency is a key part of NASCAR. However, driver-free agency is not covered like…
NASCAR’s 2025 season is fully underway. However, the start of the season always brings to mind what drivers could be on the move should they not perform well. So, as we sit at the start of a new year, what drivers might be on the hot seat, and who need to step up big in 2025 to avoid the hot seat?
What’s Happening? Like any other sport, Free Agency is a key part of NASCAR. However, driver-free agency is not covered like…
The least likely of these drivers is far and away Denny Hamlin. There is no real suggestion that Hamlin could be out of No. 11. However, during the preseason, fans speculated that the veteran’s time at Joe Gibbs Racing was running out thanks to an unlikely source.
Denny ended 2024 without a win in the second half of the season but ran well in the playoffs. But the biggest storyline was the rumor and confirmation that Hamlins’ longtime sponsor, FedEx, would leave JGR at the season’s end.
Most fans theorized that FedEx’s departure, followed by two-year sponsor Mavis, would be Hamlin’s undoing, similar to former JGR teammate Kyle Busch, who, after his winning ways fell off and sponsor his Mar’s split, was out of his longtime ride.
Regardless, Hamlin and JGR found sponsorship from National Debt Relief and King’s Hawaiian. But if this continues, and should a suitable replacement emerge, Hamlin may be on the hot seat. For now, the veteran is locked in at JGR.
What’s Happening? Denny Hamlin is the second-longest active full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver entering the 2025 season. However, his offseason of…
Like Hamlin, fans have theorized that off-track factors could play into Cindric’s departure from Team Penske. On Jan. 31, Team Penske announced that his father, Tim Cindric, will step back from his role as day-to-day leader of the company’s multifaceted racing programs.
Cindric will remain at Penske in an IndyCar-related role; however, due to Tim leaving his former role at Team Penske and Austin’s struggles at the Cup level, fans joked that the driver of the No. 2 had better step it up soon.
In his three full-time seasons in the No. 2, Cindric is far from the driver he was in the Xfinity Series. After a difficult sophomore slump in 2023, Cindric scored a win and improved his average finish in 2024. Furthermore, Penske does not have a clear replacement should they move Cindric.
While Tim Cindric’s new role is interesting, nothing suggests it will affect Austin’s spot as a driver for Team Penske.
What’s Happening? Tim Cindric, a well-known face in the garage areas of NASCAR and IndyCar, is stepping back from his role…
One interesting candidate is John Hunter Nemechek, who had an inconsistent 2024 with Legacy Motor Club.
Last season was Nemechek’s return to the Cup Series since he essentially restarted his career in the Truck Series in 2021. Following these solid seasons in the Truck and Xfinity Series, Nemechek entered last season with optimism.
In 2024, Nemechek’s average finish was 25.4, his career worst. His four top tens came at a diverse range of tracks, showing his ability. But, his poor overall performance resulted in a late season rumor, quickly shot down by rumor mill accounts, that he could be out of the car for 2025.
Now entering his sophomore season, Nemechek earned his first career top-five in the Daytona 500, a solid start to 2025. However, with a large amount of well-sponsored young talent in the Toyota pipeline, John Hunter will need to step it up in 2025 to secure his spot with LMC for the long term.
What’s Happening? Monday morning, a circulating rumor stated that Corey Heim would replace John Hunter Nemechek in the Legacy MC No….
Since the end of 2020, when Germain Racing closed, Ty Dillon has bounced around all three NASCAR National Series on a consistent basis. This includes a total of six NASCAR Cup Series teams, six Xfinity Series teams, and two Truck Series teams.
For the first time since 2023, Dillon will be full-time in the Cup Series in 2025. After a strong start at Daytona, it doesn’t appear that Dillon is on the hot seat; however, as an aging driver and Kaulig Racing’s young Talent, Dillon could see himself on the move once again.
There’s no telling how Dillon’s year will go. Though he will have to monitor his performance, he should also closely watch the performance of Kaulig’s top prospect, Christian Eckes. If he performs as well as he did in the 2024 Truck Series, Eckes could find himself hot-shotted to the Cup Series.
But, with Kaulig looking towards the future, they could stay sat with their current veteran lineup and let Eckes take his time in the Xfinity Series.
What’s Happening? Kaulig Racing finished its silly season this past weekend by adding its second Cup Series driver for the 2025…
No matter the year, the past few seasons have seemed to begin with Daniel Suarez on the proverbial “hot seat.” However, in 2025, it may not be performance-related.
After a tough 2023 campaign, it was no secret that Suarez was on a contract year in 2024. A dramatic win in Atlanta boosted Suarez’s stock as Trckhouse Racing expanded to three cars with Shane van Gisbergen and released now-former developmental prospect Zane Smith. This resulted in Suarez earning an extension in August.
While it would seem he is safe for a while, the looming threat of Trackhouse prospect and racing prodigy Connor Zilisch is again raising questions about Suarez’s future.
Alongside his debut win and hot-shotting to full-time Xfinity Series competition, Trackhouse announced that Zilisch will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at COTA on Mar. 2. Should Zilisch impress, perhaps Suarez’s seat at Trackhouse will grow ever hotter as the season continues.
What’s Happening After more than a decade, the energy drink brand Red Bull has returned to NASCAR. The company, which last…
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