By ZECH YODER
NASCAR has experienced a lot of change in the last 12 months, probably nothing more significant than the closing of Stewart Haas Racing, a team with dozens of wins and two Cup Series Championships. With the closing of Stewart Haas Racing and the conclusion (almost) of the NASCAR “silly season,” what is the outlook for 2025?
Four teams in the NASCAR garage will expand from two teams to three teams. Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing will add ex-Stewart Haas driver, Ryan Preece to its line-up and has leased a charter from Rick Ware Racing. This appears to be a culminating moment for RFK Racing as the former powerhouse team fielded as many as five full-time cup drivers in the mid-2000s. It seems with the addition of Ryan Preece and a third full-time Cup team, RFK Racing is in a position to legitimately challenge for a Cup Series title.
Trackhouse Racing will add New Zealand road course ace, Shane Van Gisbergen, to its stable of drivers. After winning the inaugural Chicago Street Course in his first ever NASCAR start in 2023, Van Gisbergen had a stellar year in the Xfinity Series, dominating on road courses. Because of his exceptional ability on road courses, he is a playoff contender, if not a lock. His inexperience on ovals is an obvious detriment and even a handful of top 10 finishes on ovals should be considered a success. Van Gisbergen is likeable and has quickly become a fan favorite. The fact that he will be driving the No. 88 car will only make his NASCAR stardom rise faster.
The final two-car teams adding a third will be quite the story. Both 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports will be adding drivers in 2025. As you might recall, however, both teams are embroiled in an antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR and at the moment, will not be considered chartered teams for the 2025 season. While 23XI has its driver lineup set, Front Row Motorsports has only announced two of its three drivers for 2025. 23XI will be adding Riley Herbst in the number 35 car. Herbst spent several years in the Xfinity Series and shown significant improvements over the last two years. He comes with the backing of Monster Energy, which also has sponsorship ties with his 23XI teammate, Tyler Reddick, and Joe Gibbs Racing counterpart, Ty Gibbs. In his limited Cup Series starts in the last couple years, Herbst has shown maturity and consistency. While I don’t expect him to take the Cup Series by storm, he may be a surprise playoff driver. Front Row Motorsports will add Noah Gragson for 2025. Gragson, who is with his third team in three years, showed marked improvement with SHR in 2024. As Front Row Motorsports is in an upward trajectory, I expect Gragson will be close to or in the top 10 for a majority of races in 2025.
As one might expect, I don’t foresee the power dynamic in NASCAR change much for 2025. Hendrick, Gibbs, and Penske will be strong like in years past. As I said above, I do believe RFK Racing will continue making strides and are poised to put themselves back into the top echelon of the Cup Series. What I am most interested to see if the performance of Legacy Motor Club. Legacy’s performance in 2024 was disappointing, especially when considering the change in manufactures from Chevy to Toyota. I think year two with Toyota will come with a giant boost in performance and I would even venture to guess that Erik Jones picks up a win enroute to the playoffs.
Only two months until the 2025 NASCAR season begins. What will we see?
Zech Yoder is a local resident, an attorney at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville, and a lifelong race fan.