The 2025 season is in the books for NASCAR's Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Craftsman Truck Series. For the next three months, we'll be counting down the days until the 2026 Daytona 500, but in the meantime, there's still a lot to digest.
Kyle Larson won his second NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway, capping off a season filled with twists and turns around every corner. What will be remembered the most from 2025? It's hard to say.
With that in mind, it feels like a good idea to award some superlatives from the recently completed campaign. Down below, we'll highlight the best driver, best race, best performance, and plenty more from 2025.
Best driver: Ryan Blaney
It was one of those years where there are probably at least three, if not four or five drivers, with a case to be considered the best performer, depending on what stats you value the most.
But using a metric called "the eye test", the easy choice is Ryan Blaney. He won four times, tied for the most top five finishes, and had it not been for eight luck-induced DNFs, he'd have run away with the points lead while driving for only the third-fastest team in the sport.
Blaney recorded one of the highest pass differentials in a season (+538) since the statistic first started being tracked in 2005, showcasing his ability to thrive even when routinely placed in disadvantageous situations. When it comes to the factors that are within the driver's control, nobody was better.
Honorable mention: William Byron
Best race: Quaker State 400 (EchoPark Raceway)
The version of Daytona International Speedway that existed prior to its 2010 repave, also known as the greatest track in NASCAR history, is unfortunately never coming back. But the next-best thing is here, and it's the reconfigured EchoPark Raceway in Atlanta: white-knuckle pack racing with maneuverability and separation, just the way superspeedways were intended to be.
In late June, EchoPark put on its most cinematic performance yet. After a massive crash took out about half the field early in the going, the remaining drivers spent the rest of the night treating fans to an pure masterpiece of non-stop action. After 46 lead changes, Chase Elliott came from the back of the top 10 to the front in the final laps to score a thrilling victory.
Honorable mention: Straight Talk Wireless 400 (Homestead-Miami Speedway)
Best finish: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Daytona International Speedway)
Arguably no race summed up the genius of Blaney's 2025 season more than the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. Apparently nobody told him that it's impossible to escape the two-by-two gridlock on superspeedways in the Next Gen car, as he went from the back of the pack to the lead in no time at all in the final laps of the Cup Series' regular-season finale.
With Daniel Suarez, Cole Custer, Justin Haley, and more all vying for a spoiler playoff berth, the Team Penske star beat them all to the line in a four-wide finish.
Honorable mention: Hollywood Casino 400 (Kansas Speedway)
Best performance: Ross Chastain, Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte Motor Speedway)
From last to first. Ross Chastain had to start at the rear of the field in NASCAR's longest race, but 600 miles later, he was in the right place at the right time. He completed his Herculean effort by passing William Byron, the dominant driver all night, at the conclusion of an 87-lap marathon to the finish.
Furthermore, it was Trackhouse Racing's only oval win of 2025, and really the only time the team looked remotely competitive on one.
Honorable mention: Ryan Blaney, Coke Zero 400 (Daytona International Speedway)
Biggest surprise: Chase Briscoe
No one knew quite what to make of it when Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Chase Briscoe would replace the retiring Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 car for 2025.
He had been solid in spurts, but he was wildly inconsistent with embarrassing lows when he drove for Stewart-Haas Racing. All he did was win three times and qualify for the Championship 4. Not bad at all.
Honorable mention: Shane van Gisbergen
Best team: Joe Gibbs Racing
There were two teams that distinctly separated themselves from the field this year, and the edge has to go to Joe Gibbs Racing.
Their qualifying speed (particularly that of the No. 19 and No. 11 Toyotas) shows they were the fastest team week-to-week, and they combined to win 13 races. In comparison, Hendrick Motorsports won only eight, despite their driver lineup having the slight advantage on paper.
Honorable mention: Hendrick Motorsports
Biggest rising star: Connor Zilisch
This was a tough one, as there were two drivers who dominated the living daylights out of each of NASCAR's top developmental series.
Corey Heim won 12 races and the championship in the Truck Series, while Connor Zilisch won "only" 10 in Xfinity Series competition and lost the most important one to Jesse Love. However, the soon-to-be 2026 Cup Series rookie is only 19 and was in his first full season of NASCAR competition, while the 23-year-old Toyota prospect has been a regular since 2022. That will make the difference.
Honorable mention: Corey Heim
Biggest wreck: Ryan Preece, Daytona 500 (Daytona International Speedway)
The final superlative here isn't exactly one to be proud of, but it had to be included. Ryan Preece, for the second time, found himself (literally) flying down Daytona's backstretch, this time in a bizarre wreck where he launched off the front of Christopher Bell's car in the final laps of the season opener.
He hung in the air on his rear wheels for several seconds before rolling upside-down and slamming the outside wall, but just as he did in the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400, he climbed out unhurt.
Honorable mention: Zane Smith, Hollywood Casino 400 (Kansas Speedway)