NASCAR Cup Series: 5 seats open for the 2025 season

As a long-time NASCAR enthusiast with memories of Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. races etched into my gaming soul, I must say the 2025 season looks like it’s shaping up to be an exciting one! The driver lineup changes are reminiscent of a high-speed pit stop during the Daytona 500.

This past Sunday afternoon, the NASCAR Cup Series season of 2024 concluded at Phoenix Raceway, as Joey Logano from Team Penske clinched his third title and the second one in the last three years.

Although the playoff structure has stirred up much discussion, with Logano clinching the championship despite ranking 11th in accumulated points across the 36-race season, attention is gradually moving towards the 2025 campaign. However, the driver roster for that year is still unconfirmed.

In the year 2025, it is anticipated that there will be five vehicles competing on a full-time basis, but as of now, their drivers are still unconfirmed. Let us take a glance at each one of them.

Rick Ware Racing (two cars)

As of now, Rick Ware Racing has not officially announced who will be behind the wheels of the No. 15 and No. 51 Fords. Initially, it was planned that Justin Haley would continue driving the No. 51 Ford, but a last-minute driver swap occurred at Spire Motorsports, resulting in Justin swapping positions with Corey LaJoie.

As a gamer, here’s my take: Last year, LaJoie was driving for Rick Ware Racing, but I haven’t heard anything official yet about whether he’ll be sticking around next season. It seems like having him on board full-time could help us build some stability as we move forward. Interestingly, the No. 15 Ford was passed among three drivers – Kaz Grala, Cody Ware, and Riley Herbst – throughout the 2024 racing season.

RFK Racing (one car)

RFK Racing plans to grow their team to include three vehicles, but only if they acquire a third charter. Since it seems like all four Stewart-Haas Racing charters are taken, their technical partnership with Rick Ware Racing might lead to an increase of Rick Ware Racing’s teams to three as well. In this scenario, it appears that Rick Ware Racing may only have one vacant seat remaining.

In 2025, it’s expected that Ryan Preece will be chosen as the preferred driver for the third RFK Racing Ford. He will join team co-owner Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher on the team.

23XI Racing (one car)

23XI Racing plans to increase their fleet to three cars by purchasing a charter from Stewart-Haas Racing. However, the exact outcome of the ongoing legal dispute with NASCAR, resulting from the team’s decision not to sign the new charter agreement, is yet to be determined.

It seems we can expect that issues will be resolved, either directly or indirectly, and it’s anticipated that three cars will compete next year, whether through charters or not. Riley Herbst has often been considered the top contender to team up with Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick.

Front Row Motorsports (one car)

Front Row Motorsports finds itself in the same position as 23XI Racing, with ambitions to field three cars by the year 2025. Zane Smith is widely expected to be tapped for the third seat alongside Todd Gilliland and new recruit Noah Gragson, following their acquisition of a charter from Stewart-Haas Racing.

The upcoming NASCAR Cup Series season in 2025 kicks off on February 16 (Sunday) with the 67th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. However, there are several details yet to be finalized before that date. Fox will be broadcasting the event, known as “The Great American Race”, live.

2024-11-15 17:02

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