What To Watch For In The 2025 NASCAR Season

After a short winter slumber, it’s now only hours until we hear those most famous words in motorsports at Bowman Gray Stadium: “Drivers start your engines” and the 2025 NASCAR Cup season kicks into high gear.

The sport’s landscape is shifting faster than a Next Gen car at Watkins Glen, and if last season was any indication the upcoming year promises enough twists to make your head spin. Let’s dive into the burning questions that will shape this year’s championship battle and stories to watch for in the season ahead.

Can Anyone Dethrone Hendrick Motorsports?

Hendrick Motorsports is the juggernaut of NASCAR, and in recent years, they’ve made winning look as easy as hitting the snooze button. With a lineup that boasts Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Alex Bowman, it’s clear they’ve come to play.

Elliott, the fan favorite, is back with a vengeance after a rollercoaster season. Can he continue his resurgence and reclaim his spot as NASCAR’s golden boy? Meanwhile, Larson’s consistency has been nothing short of machine-like—he might as well be sponsored by a metronome. Byron will look to bounce back after a season that saw him win three of the first eight races of the season only to go winless the rest of the way.

And then there’s Bowman, the quiet assassin, and to some a forgotten stepchild. After his Chicago win and playoff disappointment last season, could he finally emerge as a true championship threat? Hendrick’s opponents better buckle up; the kings of the garage aren’t giving up their throne without a fight.

The Continued Rise of the Next Gen Car

The Next Gen car is like that new gadget you bought on Black Friday—exciting, full of promise, but still working out the kinks. In its third year, the Next Gen machine will continue to evolve, the question is: how?

Will the promised parity continue to be delivered? Fans want door-to-door racing, and teams are pushing the envelope to find every possible edge in this tech-laden beast. Will one team’s engineers unearth a game-changing tweak that could tilt the competitive balance, or will NASCAR’s rulebook slam the door shut? The Next Gen car remains the great equalizer… or at least, it’s supposed to be.

Fresh Faces, Fierce Competition

The 2025 field is teeming with fresh talent and hungry teams, ready to leave their tire marks on history. But which rookies will step up and make a splash? Will a young gun steal a win and shake up the playoff picture? Will Riley Herbst live up to the hype, or can Connor Zilisch make waves in the Xfinity series? And will Toni Breidinger pave the way for females in NASCAR with a stellar first full season in the Truck series, or fall flat like some others before her?

Meanwhile, seasoned teams like Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske are re-calibrating to keep pace with the new kids on the block. Gibbs has Chase Briscoe now as a driver and arguably he will be in the best equipment of his short career. Penske meanwhile showed everyone how to dance through the playoffs and win it all. And let’s not forget the newest three car team on the block, 23XI with the Herbst factor. The battle for supremacy could be epic. Hendrick better watch their rearview mirrors.

The Championship Showdown

The road to the championship is always a gauntlet of high-pressure moments and razor-thin margins, and that should remain true in 2025. Will we see a repeat champion, or will a new name etch themselves onto the trophy? NASCAR has already said it will not make the once rumored tweaks to the playoff this season. That means for this year at least it will be status quo, the playoffs will remain a pressure cooker, and with NASCAR’s win-and-you’re-in format, anything can happen. Expect photo finishes, tempers flaring, and a whole lot of sheet metal swapping paint as drivers fight tooth and nail for the ultimate prize.

There will be plenty of stories to look for off the pavement as well.

The Sport’s Evolution-Or Devolution- And Legal Battles Yet To Come

NASCAR isn’t just a sport; it’s an ever-evolving spectacle. New rules, formats, and initiatives are reshaping the fan experience. The addition of Amazon and TNT Sports to the broadcast lineup promises to bring NASCAR into more homes and onto more screens, both big and small. Streaming’s younger audience might just be the injection of adrenaline the sport needs.

But with innovation comes uncertainty. Will the new broadcasters capture the soul of NASCAR, or will fans be left longing for the good old days? And let’s not forget the legal drama. The ongoing lawsuit involving 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR could be a seismic event, with repercussions that ripple through every corner of the sport. And with a court date that won’t happen until December, unless there is some sort of settlement, this shadow could hang over the sport all season. For now, it’s courtroom intrigue meets pit-lane drama that has yet to play out.

The OEM Wild Card: Is Honda Coming to Play?

The rumor mill is ablaze with whispers of Honda joining the NASCAR fray. Their expertise in other motorsports makes them a tantalizing prospect, but bringing a new manufacturer on board is no small task. It’s a logistical marathon, and the clock is ticking. If Honda steps in, they could redefine the competitive landscape, but until the ink dries, it’s all speculation. That speculation, however, could get closer to reality sometime this season with an announcement that Honda will be coming to a NASCAR track near you soon.

The Future: Hybrid and Electric?

An electric NASCAR Cup series in 2025? Nope. But hybrids in the coming years? Now we’re talking. A blend of traditional engines and electric motors could be the next big thing, offering a mix of performance, efficiency, and innovation. But let’s be clear: implementing this tech is a Herculean challenge. NASCAR’s purists might balk, but progress waits for no one, and we could very well hear that hybrids will be racing, not in 2025, but maybe as soon as 2026.

On a Lighter Note

Okay, while we can speculate on what might happen in NASCAR in 2025, here are a few things that definitely won’t happen this season. Influenced, perhaps, by a glass, or two, of good scotch.

The “Gentleman’s Agreement” Returns: Drivers rediscover the lost art of racing etiquette. No more bumping and grinding, just clean, respectful passes all day long. Fans are baffled, sponsors confused, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s wife Amy decides it’s tame enough for him to return to full-time racing.

NASCAR Adopts the IndyCar Aero Kit: In a bizarre turn of events, NASCAR decides to ditch the Next Gen car and adopt one with an IndyCar aero kit. Chaos ensues as drivers struggle with open-wheel aerodynamics, leading to spectacular crashes and even more bewildered fans.

The “No-Sponsor” Challenge: A rogue driver, fueled by pure passion and a burning desire to prove a point, decides to race the entire season without a single sponsor. Their car is a kaleidoscope of duct tape and hand-painted slogans, and their only income comes from selling fan-made merchandise at the track and on eBay.

The Prius 500: Toyota decides to enter its most iconic hybrid into NASCAR competition, complete with regenerative braking and a 25-second 0-to-60 time.

Amazon’s Drone Delivers Victory Lane Confetti: With their new broadcast deal, Amazon decides to drop confetti from drones after every win. Unfortunately, one misfires and ends up showering the infield hot dog stand at Martinsville instead (wait, this whole scenario might actually play out).

So there you have it—the highs, the hopes, and the drama of what’s to come in 2025. This season promises to be as unpredictable as a rain delay at Daytona, with plenty of storylines and maybe even a few surprises no one saw coming. Grab your favorite driver gear, fire up the grill, and settle in, because NASCAR’s greatest show is about to begin. Who knows? By the end, we might just be looking at the dawn of a whole new era—or at least a few more drone confetti incidents. Either way, it’s going to be a wild ride.