With the start of the NASCAR season upon is, here is a look at five Cup races not to miss in 2025.
1. Talladega playoff race (Oct. 19 on NBC)
Last year’s event was the middle race in the second round and featured a 23-car crash.
This year’s race moves into the third round. That means it will have a direct impact on who — and maybe who does not —advance to the championship race.
So much can happen in a superspeedway race and putting it so deep in the playoffs can only add to the chaos and drama of Talladega.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won last year’s race, nipping Brad Keselowski by .006 seconds. Could that be the difference between a driver advancing to the Championship 4 this year?
2. Daytona 500 (Feb. 16 on Fox)
This much-anticipated event rarely fails to deliver on drama and excitement.
The last four years has featured a first-time Daytona 500 winner: Michael McDowell (2021), Austin Cindric (2022), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2023) and William Byron (2024).
Daytona 500 primer: What to know about 2025 NASCAR Cup season opener
It won’t be long before cars are on track at Daytona International Speedway and the Daytona 500 takes the green flag.
Kyle Busch has not won this race. He will be making his 20th attempt to do so. Dale Earnhardt won his only Daytona 500 in 1998 in his 20th start there.
Denny Hamlin seeks to win his fourth Daytona 500, which would tie him with Cale Yarborough for second on the all-time list of Daytona 500 victories.
3. Martinsville playoff race (Oct. 26 on NBC)
The final race before the championship event has had its share of fireworks and drama.
Last year’s finish saw controversy with some drivers helping William Byron and Christopher Bell, based on their manufacturer alliance and NASCAR penalizing Bell for riding the wall on the last lap in a similar move to the what Ross Chastain did in 2022 to make the Championship 4.
Last year also saw Ryan Blaney rally to win to advance. In 2022, Christopher Bell had to win at Martinsville to secure a spot in the championship race and did so.
So much can happen at this track one never knows what could come next.
4. Phoenix championship race (Nov. 2 on NBC)
It all comes down to this race for four drivers. Team Penske has won the championship at Phoenix each of the past three years — Joey Logano in 2022 and ’24 and Ryan Blaney in 2023. Hendrick Motorsports drivers won the title before that with Kyle Larson in 2021 and Chase Elliott in 2020.
5. Mexico City (June 15 on Prime Video)
NASCAR goes international with its first points race in the modern era.
The series will race on the 2.674-mile road course that was home to the Xfinity Series from 2005-08.
This race could create some interesting storylines. Can Shane van Gisbergen — or another road racing star — score a win to earn a playoff spot? Will Hendrick Motorsports continue its domination on road courses? Or will someone else emerge to win this inaugural event?
Read the full article here
