The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is officially scheduled to get underway this Sunday afternoon with the 67th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
The single-car qualifying session to set the front row for the "Great American Race" took place on Wednesday evening and it was followed by the two Duel at Daytona qualifying races on Thursday night to solidify the full starting lineup for Sunday afternoon's 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval.
There have been a number of team name changes over the offseason. Fans will no longer see the names Stewart-Haas Racing, JTG Daugherty Racing, or MBM Motorsports competing throughout the year.
3 NASCAR team names no longer being used
Stewart-Haas Racing announced early in the 2024 season that they would be shutting down once it ended, and they did that. However, Gene Haas, co-owner of the four-car team, decided to retain a charter for the 2025 season. Instead of running Stewart-Haas Racing, he is now running Haas Factory Team. They are set to field the No. 41 Ford full-time for Cole Custer.
JTG Daugherty Racing underwent an ownership change, as Gordon Smith became the prinicipal owner following the quiet departure of Tad and Jodi Geschickter. Brad Daugherty, Mark Hughes, and Ernie Cope are co-owners of what is now known as Hyak Motorsports. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is still set to drive the No. 47 Chevrolet for the team whose name means "fast" in Chinook Jargon.
Then there is MBM Motorsports, whose name is actually still around, just not in the Cup Series. The Carl Long-owned organization have rebranded their part-time Cup Series effort to Garage 66, while the team's name in the Xfinity Series is unchanged. They entered the No. 66 Ford at Daytona for Chandler Smith, but this car is not a chartered entry and Smith ultimately failed to qualify.
Tune in to Fox at 1:30 p.m. ET (note the late schedule change) this Sunday, February 16 for the live broadcast of the 67th annual Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss any of the action!