NASCAR 2025: A look ahead to next season in Cup Series. New faces, new places

Another NASCAR season has been put to bed, but if you miss it already, don’t worry. The dawn will break on a new season before you know it.

The 2025 season will see a few drivers in new places, owing mostly to the shuttering of Stewart-Haas Racing following the ’24 season.

The new faces will see some races in new places, including the traditional season-opening exhibition. The Busch Light Clash, after three years at the Los Angeles Coliseum, finds new digs in NASCAR’s roots as it moves to historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Four months later, around midseason, NASCAR heads south. Way south, as in south of the border, for the first-ever Cup Series race on the Mexico City road course, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

Let’s get a jumpstart on 2025 with a look at race dates and the roster of Cup Series drivers

Key dates between now and February in Daytona

• Nov. 22: NASCAR Awards Banquet in Charlotte, N.C.

• Jan. 17-19: IMSA’s Roar Before the Rolex 24, three-day test session at Daytona

• Jan. 25-26: Rolex 24 at Daytona

• Feb. 2: Busch Light Clash, at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

• Feb. 12: Daytona 500 pole qualifying

• Feb. 13: Daytona Duels, 150-mile qualifying races to set the Daytona 500 lineup

• Feb. 14: NASCAR Truck Series opener at Daytona

• Feb. 15: ARCA-Xfinity Series doubleheader at Daytona

• Feb. 16: 67th Daytona 500

2025 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule

• Feb. 2: Busch Clash at Bowman Gray

• Feb. 13: Daytona Duels

• Feb. 16: Daytona 500

• Feb. 23: Atlanta

• March 2: Austin

• March 9: Phoenix

• March 16: Las Vegas

• March 23: Homestead-Miami

• March 30: Martinsville

• April 6: Darlington

• April 13: Bristol

• April 27: Talladega

• May 4: Texas

• May 11: Kansas

• May 18: North Wilkesboro All Star Race

• May 25: Charlotte

• June 1: Nashville

• June 8: Michigan

• June 15: Mexico City

• June 22: Pocono

• June 28: Atlanta

• July 6: Chicago

• July 13: Sonoma

• July 20: Dover

• July 27: Indianapolis

• Aug. 3: Iowa

• Aug. 10: Watkins Glen

• Aug. 16: Richmond

• Aug. 23: Daytona

Playoffs Round of 16

• Aug. 31: Darlington

• Sept. 7: St. Louis

• Sept. 13: Bristol

Playoffs Round of 12

• Sept. 21: New Hampshire

• Sept. 28: Kansas

• Oct. 5: Charlotte Roval

Playoffs Round of 8

• Oct. 12: Las Vegas

• Oct. 19: Talladega

• Oct. 26: Martinsville

Championship Round

2025 Cup Series Driver Lineup

Car number, driver, make

• 1. Ross Chastain, Chevrolet

• 2. Austin Cindric, Ford

• 3. Austin Dillon, Chevrolet

• 5. Kyle Larson, Chevrolet

• 6. Brad Keselowski, Ford

• 7. Justin Haley, Chevrolet

• 8. Kyle Busch, Chevrolet

• 9. Chase Elliott, Chevrolet

• 10. Ty Dillon, Chevrolet

• 11. Denny Hamlin, Toyota

• 12. Ryan Blaney, Ford

• 15. Unknown, Ford

• 16. AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet

• 17. Chris Buescher, Ford

• 19. Chase Briscoe, Toyota

• 20. Christopher Bell, Toyota

• 21. Josh Berry, Ford

• 22. Joey Logano, Ford

• 23. Bubba Wallace, Toyota

• 24. William Byron, Chevrolet

• 34. Noah Gragson, Ford

• 36. Zane Smith, Ford

• 38. Todd Gilliland, Ford

• 41. Cole Custer, Ford

• 42. John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota

• 43. Erik Jones, Toyota

• 45. Tyler Reddick, Toyota

• 47. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet

• 48. Alex Bowman, Chevrolet

• 50. Unknown, Toyota

• 51. Corey LaJoie, Ford

• 54. Ty Gibbs, Toyota

• 60. Ryan Preece, Ford

• 71. Michael McDowell, Chevrolet

• 77. Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet

• 88. Shane van Gisbergen, Chevrolet

• 99. Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR offseason is short. A look ahead to 2025 Cup Series season