The 2025 NASCAR season is closer than ever, and most driver rosters for 2025 are complete. This allows us to reflect on one of the most active Silly Seasons in recent NASCAR history. Here are three underrated 2025 Silly Season moves to look out for this season and the long-term future.
After a very public and frustrating free agency, Chandler Smith found himself behind the wheel of a Truck Series ride. As a driver who had Cup Series aspirations not but two seasons ago, this looked like a turn for the worse. However, a deeper look into Smith, Front Row Motorsports, and Ford suggests this is the opportunity he may be looking for.
Following a decent season with Kaulig Racing in 2023, Smith moved back to Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing for another season of Xfinity Series action. While he did not win a championship, Smith had a championship-caliber season, ranking in the top three and leading some of the most important season-long statistics.
Smith’s “demotion” is less related to his skill and more to some financial backing issues. However, landing in the Ford camp may be for the best. While FRM has a crowded Cup Series roster, Ford itself has a severe lack of developmental talent.
While he is back in Trucks, somewhere he struggled to get out of in the past, fans should not overlook the potential long-term upsides for both Ford and Smith.
What’s Happening? Despite a solid career in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck and Xfinity Series, Chandler Smith has not had a chance…
Kaulig Racing was once a dominant force in the NASCAR Xfinity Series; since expanding to a full-time two-car Cup Series operation in 2022, their Xfinity program felt unorganized. However, the team has regrouped and looks to have a clear long-term plan.
While signing Ty Dillon and A.J. Allmendinger for full-time Cup Series action is definitely a short-term option, the team has two long-term options in the bay. These are the 2024 Truck Series playoff contenders: Daniel Dye and Christian Eckes.
While Dye has his pros and cons, the latter of the two may be a genuine long-term option for Kaulig to get their Xfinity and Cup lineup back on track. At just 24 years old, Eckes is coming off one of the greatest non-championship seasons in Truck Series history.
Following a coming-out party in 2023 for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing and Eckes, the two went back at it in their No. 19 truck in 2024. Eckes tied their 2023 wins with four, had five for top-fives, scoring 15, and had 22 top-tens in 23 races. He and Toyota’s Corey Heim had a battle for the ages that resulted in both of them coming up short in the Playoffs.
Eckes may need time to adjust to his new ride, much like he did in Trucks. However, if he can find anywhere close to that same consistency in 2025, Kaulig may have had the signing of the year.
What’s Happening? Kaulig Racing has added another piece to the 2025 puzzle. Ty Norris, a longtime NASCAR Executive, is heading to…
Josh Berry is a 34-year-old sophomore in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, his signing with Wood Brothers Racing could pay massive dividends in the long term for both the team and the driver.
Berry is a legend in East Coast short-track racing. A driver with a laundry list of late model successes, including being the all-time wins leader in the ZMAX CARS Tour, Berry is a true story of hard work paying off.
He earned the right to replace Kevin Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing in 2024 after earning a ride with JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series in 2022. When the injury bug bit Hendrick Motorsports in 2023, Berry stepped up and showed his steady and consistent hand at the Cup Series level.
Unfortunately, his solo season with SHR was a major disappointment; while it could be the driver’s fault, SHR in 2024 was not the organization it once was. But, the short track ace landed on his feat in a sponsored ride at Wood Brothers Racing, which is coming off a disappointing stretch with young Harrison Burton.
This match could pay off, as WBR may need a veteran short-track ace to guide them back into victory lane. The team is already off to a solid start after Berry stole the show on Sunday night despite not winning his Heat, LCQ, or the Main Event.
What’s Happening? NASCAR Silly Season tends to create a domino effect of driver moves, promotions, demotions, and expansions. This year, one…
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