2025 NASCAR preview: Everything to know ahead of the new season

Football season is over, which means racing season is here.

Starting this weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series will be going on a grueling journey -- 37 races in the next 38 weeks with just one week off for Easter.

There are plenty of things to keep an eye on entering the upcoming season, from driver and team changes to rule modifications, schedule tweaks and more.

Here's everything you need to know for the 2025 season:

When does the NASCAR season start?

Technically, it already kicked off. The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium took place on Feb. 2, with Chase Elliott winning in dominant fashion. That race was just an exhibition, though, sort of like a preseason game for everyone to get back in the swing of things.

The regular season officially starts with the Daytona 500 on Feb. 16, the 67th running of "The Great American Race."

What is the 2025 NASCAR schedule?

There are 36 points-paying races, plus the All-Star Race and the aforementioned (and already completed) Clash at Bowman Gray.

Aside from Bowman Gray, there are several other changes to the 2025 schedule. Most notably is a trip to Mexico City's Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the first points-paying international race in Cup Series history. There are also three new tracks in the playoffs this season: Darlington, Gateway and New Hampshire. The Championship Race will once again be held in the desert at Phoenix Raceway on NBC.

Here's the full Cup schedule for 2025:

Race number	Track	Date	Broadcast
N/A	Bowman Gray Stadium (Clash)	Feb. 2	FOX
1.	Daytona International Speedway	Feb. 16	FOX
2.	Atlanta Motor Speedway	Feb. 23	FOX
3.	Circuit of the Americas	March 2	FOX
4.	Phoenix Raceway	March 9	FS1
5.	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	March 16	FS1
6.	Homestead-Miami Speedway	March 23	FS1
7.	Martinsville Speedway	March 30	FS1
8.	Darlington Raceway	April 6	FS1
9.	Bristol Motor Speedway	April 13	FS1
10.	Talladega Superspeedway	April 27	FOX
11.	Texas Motor Speedway	May 4	FS1
12.	Kansas Speedway	May 11	FS1
N/A	North Wilkesboro Speedway (All-Star)	May 18	FS1
13.	Charlotte Motor Speedway	May 25	Prime Video
14.	Nashville Superspeedway	June 1	Prime Video
15.	Michigan International Speedway	June 8	Prime Video
16.	Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez	June 15	Prime Video
17.	Pocono Raceway	June 22	Prime Video
18.	Atlanta Motor Speedway	June 28	TNT/Max
19.	Chicago Street Course	July 6	TNT/Max
20.	Sonoma Raceway	July 13	TNT/Max
21.	Dover Motor Speedway	July 20	TNT/Max
22.	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	July 27	TNT/Max
23.	Iowa Speedway	Aug. 3	USA
24.	Watkins Glen International	Aug. 10	USA
25.	Richmond Raceway	Aug. 16	USA
26.	Daytona International Speedway	Aug. 23	NBC
27.	Darlington Raceway	Aug. 31	USA
28.	World Wide Technology Raceway	Sept. 7	USA
29.	Bristol Motor Speedway	Sept. 13	USA
30.	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	Sept. 21	USA
31.	Kansas Speedway	Sept. 28	USA
32.	Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course	Oct. 5	USA
33.	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	Oct. 12	USA
34.	Talladega Superspeedway	Oct. 19	NBC
35.	Martinsville Speedway	Oct. 26	NBC
36.	Phoenix Raceway	Nov. 2	NBC

How to watch NASCAR this year

The new season also brings in a new media rights deal with new broadcasting partners.

For the 25th straight season, FOX will handle the early-season portion of the schedule with 14 events (including the Clash and All-Star Race) on its networks (FOX and FS1). Then, the new partners step in.

Amazon Prime Video will debut with the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25 to begin its five-race schedule. TNT and streaming partner Max take over on June 28 in Atlanta and continue for five races through the Brickyard 400.

The final partner of the season is NBC, which will utilize NBC, USA Network and Peacock for its 14 broadcasts. It begins on Aug. 3 in Iowa and includes the full 10-race playoff slate, concluding in Phoenix on Nov. 2.

Here are the broadcasting teams for 2025:

• FOX: Mike Joy (play-by-play), Kevin Harvick (analysis), Clint Bowyer (analysis)
• Prime Video: Adam Alexander (play-by-play), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (analysis), Steve Letarte (analysis)
• TNT/Max: Adam Alexander (play-by-play), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (analysis), Steve Letarte (analysis)
• NBC: Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Steve Letarte (analysis), Jeff Burton (analysis)

NASCAR offseason driver changes for 2025

Silly season was in full swing this year.

It's going to take some time getting used to the drivers who changed teams, and it can be confusing to keep track of. Here's a full breakdown:

• Stewart-Haas Racing closed its doors and rebranded as Haas Factory Team, downsizing from four teams to one. Cole Custer will drive the No. 41 for HFT.
• Stewart-Haas Racing's four drivers from last year -- Chase Briscoe, Josh Berry, Noah Gragson and Ryan Preece -- all found new homes for 2025.
• Briscoe is replacing the retiring Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.
• Berry is replacing Harrison Burton in the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing. Burton moved down to the second-tier Xfinity Series.
• Gragson will join Front Row Motorsports to drive the No. 4 Ford, a new entry for the organization in 2025.
• Preece will join RFK Racing to drive the No. 60 Ford, a new entry for the organization in 2025.
• Michael McDowell and Zane Smith essentially swapped rides for 2025, with McDowell taking over the No. 71 for Spire Motorsports and Smith in the No. 38 for Front Row Motorsports.
• Kaulig Racing has two new drivers this season, with A.J. Allmendinger in the No. 16 and Ty Dillon in the renumbered No. 10 Chevy. The No. 16 had a handful of part-time drivers last season, while Dillon replaces Daniel Hemric (who dropped down to the third-tier Truck Series).
• Shane van Gisbergen, who won in his NASCAR debut at the 2023 Chicago Street Race, will be a full-time Cup driver in 2025 for the first time. He'll drive the No. 88 for Trackhouse Racing, a new entry for the team.
• Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing will also add a third team, with Riley Herbst driving the No. 35 Toyota after five seasons in the Xfinity Series.
• Cody Ware, who was part-time last year, will take over full-time in the No. 51 Ford for Rick Ware Racing.

NASCAR rule changes for 2025 season

The drivers and teams aren't the only ones making changes this season. NASCAR has implemented a number of rule modifications for 2025 -- here are the highlights:

• In-Season Tournament: Following in the NBA's footsteps, there will be a NASCAR in-season tournament this summer. There will be three seeding races (Michigan, Mexico City, Pocono) to determine the 32 participants. Once TNT and Max take over broadcasting in Atlanta, all five of their races will be the tournament. The drivers will be paired in head-to-head matchups in a bracket that mirrors March Madness.
• Xfinity Fastest Lap: Whoever runs the fastest lap in each race will score an additional point. All drivers are eligible -- regardless of where they are running, when they set the lap time and where they finish.
• Open Exemption Provisional: Creates a 41st starting spot for a special entrant in certain situations where more than 40 cars are entered in a race. The provisional will guarantee a starting spot to eligible drivers who are significantly accomplished on a case-by-case basis. They will not be eligible for points, prize money or any other benefit of their finishing position, though.
  • Four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves was granted the open exemption provisional for the Daytona 500 as he'll make his NASCAR debut for Trackhouse Racing in a one-off outing.
• There will be revamped practice and qualifying procedures. Practice will be split into two groups with 25 minutes each, a five-minute increase from last year. Qualifying won't include groups this year, it will simply be one round with every driver making one or two laps. Full rules vary based on the track type.
• The damaged vehicle policy (DVP) has been adjusted so that damaged cars that are either driven or towed to the garage are no longer out of the race. Starting in 2025, cars will be permitted to continue in the race after repairs in the garage.
• Drivers who are granted a waiver for playoff eligibility will forfeit any playoff points they earn in the regular season (this would have impacted Kyle Larson last year, who needed a waiver after missing the Coca-Cola 600 for the Indy 500).

NASCAR predictions for 2025

With 16 of the 36 full-time drivers making the playoffs, it can be tricky to predict who makes it in. Let's break it down.

Three drivers from Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing will make the playoffs, which blocks off six spots. With the final 10 spots, I see Team Penske, 23XI Racing, Trackhouse Racing and RFK Racing taking two each. That leaves just two open spots, with one going to Spire Motorsports and another to Front Row Motorsports.

Here's how the playoff field looks in that scenario:

• Kyle Larson (Hendrick)
• Chase Elliott (Hendrick)
• William Byron (Hendrick)
• Denny Hamlin (Gibbs)
• Chase Briscoe (Gibbs)
• Christopher Bell (Gibbs)
• Ryan Blaney (Penske)
• Joey Logano (Penske)
• Tyler Reddick (23XI)
• Bubba Wallace (23XI)
• Ross Chastain (Trackhouse)
• Shane van Gisbergen (Trackhouse)
• Brad Keselowski (RFK)
• Chris Buescher (RFK)
• Justin Haley (Spire)
• Todd Gilliland (Front Row)

Van Gisbergen, Haley and Gilliland would be the surprises of that group, as none of them have made the playoffs before. SVG is a full-time rookie, while Haley and Gilliland both have over 100 starts. The Trackhouse driver is bound to win on a road course again, while Haley is now paired with championship crew chief Rodney Childers and Gilliland vastly improved last season.

If those 16 do in fact make the playoffs, there would be a handful of big names missing out. Two-time champion Kyle Busch (active wins leader) is the headliner, but he missed the playoffs last year and appears to be on the backswing of his storied career. Four playoff drivers from last year also miss the cut in this scenario: Austin Cindric, Alex Bowman, Ty Gibbs and Daniel Suarez.

Looking at those 16 drivers, here's who makes the Championship 4: Bell, Blaney, Elliott and Chastain. All four have made it to the finale before, but only Blaney (2023) and Elliott (2020) have won the title. This time around it'll be the 30-year-old Bell, who has a Phoenix win to his name and has come so close to lifting his first Cup over the last three years.