Through the first 15 races of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, none of the full-time drivers have missed any races. In fact, all 36 chartered cars are driven by full-time drivers for the first time since the charter system was implemented back in 2016, and there have been two races in which there were no non-chartered (open) cars.
Those two races were, believe it or not, the first two races in the history of the Cup Series not to feature any part-time drivers. They took place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March and Michigan International Speedway last week.
This weekend's race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, which is set to be the first ever Cup Series race in Mexico, is set to feature one open car, that being the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet. Katherine Legge is set to make her second career Cup Series start in the No. 78 car this Sunday.
But for the first time this year, a driver lineup change has been made that doesn't involve an open entry.
Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin has spent the last three weeks on baby watch, and Ryan Truex was on standby for him at both Nashville Superspeedway and Michigan as Hamlin and longtime partner, Jordan Fish, were expecting their third child.
Hamlin competed in both races, and he's certainly glad he did, given the fact that he won a stage at Nashville, finished third, and then won at Michigan, bolstering his playoff point total to 18 and moving up to third place in series points.
But the baby was born earlier this week, and given how far Mexico is from his North Carolina home, he has opted to remain in the United States.
He is expected to be granted a playoff waiver, meaning that his missed start will only count against him in that he won't score any points this weekend. He is set to retain his playoff eligibility and not lose any of his playoff points, despite a controversial offseason rules change.
As a result, Truex is set to make his first Cup Series start since September 2014, and Hamlin is set to miss his first Cup Series start since March 2014.
And for the first time in 2025, a full-time driver is set to miss a race.
Live coverage of the Viva Mexico 250 is set to be provided by Amazon Prime Video beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET from Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez this Sunday, June 15. This race is the fourth of five races on Prime's portion of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series broadcast schedule.