The NASCAR Cup Series season is past the halfway point this year and there are only eight races left for the regular season. With the playoff race tightening, we’re delivering predictions for the winners of the last eight races.
Let’s dive into our NASCAR predictions for who will win the final eight races of the Cup Series regular season.
Grant Park 165 (Chicago): Shane Van Gisbergen
Shane van Gisbergen has already secured his spot in the playoffs with the win in Mexico City. Now is when he begins to better position himself for the postseason. According to DriverAverages.com, SVG boasts the third-best average finishing position (10.9) on road courses and is tied for the third-most wins (two), despite having participated in 10 fewer races. After crashing out in the 2024 Chicago Street Race, SVG gets his redemption with a win.
Related: NASCAR In-Season Challenge predictions for Chicago
Save Mart 350 (Sonoma): Chris Buescher
Back-to-back road course races create a higher probability of two new winners in the Cup Series this season. While we have SVG coming out on top in Chicago, NASCAR’s trip to California will deliver a new winner. Chris Buescher finished third last year in the Save Mart 350, with a Stage 2 win. He also leads the Cup Series in average finishing position on road courses (8.8), and he’s finished in the top five at Sonoma Raceway in all three races. This time around, he celebrates in victory lane after punching his ticket to the playoffs.
Related: NASCAR In-Season Challenge bracket, matchups
EchoPark Automotive 400 (Dover): Chase Elliott
Chase Elliott hasn’t won two races in a Cup Series season since 2022. We believe that stretch comes to an end at Dover Motor Speedway. The No. 9 car has truly been great over the last two months—from the All-Star Race to Atlanta—boasting an average finishing position of 7.14. He’s also historically great at Dover, recording a top-five finish and a win in three races. There’s also a little added pressure for Elliott to win, so he can secure more playoff points since he doesn’t have a stage win this season. In a tight finish, Elliott beats out Denny Hamlin and Alex Bowman for his second win of 2025.
Related: NASCAR schedule for Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series
Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis): Kyle Larson
It’s been a rough few months for Kyle Larson. Following his win at Kansas, Larson recorded just one top-five finish in his last seven races, and he had multiple DNFs. As bad as things have been, one of the best drivers in NASCAR and the best team in the Cup Series will rebound. Larson won the Brickyard 400 last season, and it’s fair to say he wants some redemption after what happened earlier this year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Larson will get his redemption on July 27, becoming the first Cup Series driver to win four races in 2025.
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Iowa Corn 350 (Iowa): William Byron
The NASCAR Cup Series has never had a regular-season champion win just a single race during the regular season. There’s no reason to believe that with the season William Byron is having, the No. 24 car will make history in 2025. Byron finished second at Iowa Speedway last season and he’s consistently positioning himself for wins with one of the highest average starting positions this year. This will be a great race, with Byron finally recording his first win since the Daytona 500.
Related: NASCAR standings for Cup Series, Xfinity Series, Truck Series
Go Bowling at The Glen (Watkins Glen): Christopher Bell
One trend with our NASCAR predictions for the rest of the regular season is drivers who haven’t won in a while. In the case of Christopher Bell, he hasn’t been to victory lane since recording three consecutive victories back in February and March. We believe Bell’s winless streak will be snapped at Watkins Glen. While he’s never won here in the Cup Series, Bell did record a pair of top-five finishes in the last three years. It’s going to be a fun battle with Bell, Chris Buescher, A.J. Allmendinger and Joey Logano, but Bell wins it at the end.
Cook Out 400 (Richmond): Denny Hamlin
At this point in the Cup Series regular season, there will be only two open spots remaining for the playoffs. Tyler Reddick will be secure points-wise, so he’ll just need someone who has already clinched a spot to win. Fortunately for the 23XI Racing team, co-owner Denny Hamlin will come through with his fourth win of the season. When his car hasn’t been taken out by a wreck around him or malfunctioned, Hamlin has separated himself as one of the three best NASCAR drivers this season. In his return to Richmond, where he has two wins and five top-10 finishes in six races, Hamlin will tie Kyle Larson for the most wins (four) in the Cup Series during the regular season.
Related: Denny Hamlin credits Kyle Busch for huge development in his career
Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Daytona): Carson Hocevar
In the final NASCAR race of the regular season, Tyler Reddick is locked into the playoffs based on points. That leaves a field of drivers competing for the 16th spot. Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace, and Kyle Busch will have the spotlight on them. Instead, all three veterans get knocked out by a first-time Cup Series winner. The No. 77 has been one of the fastest cars on the track for months now, and Hocevar is getting better and better in traffic. With the stakes at an all-time high for the 22-year-old, he delivers his first win in the regular-season finale to secure a playoff spot.
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