2025 NASCAR lineup projections: Offseason moves await
With silly season in full swing, here is a team-by-team look at how their 2025 lineups could look.
As talks are ongoing, these projections/outlooks will change and we'll keep you updated.
Here's my outlook as of Nov. 11, as a handful of cars still do not have announced drivers heading into the offseason.
Joe Gibbs Racing
11: Denny Hamlin is signed through at least next year and no changes are expected.
19: Chase Briscoe will replace Martin Truex Jr. next year, the team announced Tuesday. Crew chief James Small will remain with the team.
20: Christopher Bell is signed through at least next year and no changes are expected.
54: Ty Gibbs is the grandson of the team owner and is expected to have a ride as long as the team has Joe Gibbs in operation. Whether he would ever change to the No. 18 — the signature and original JGR number — probably would be the biggest question. Joe Gibbs indicated there is nothing imminent as far as a number change.
Denny Hamlin said 23XI would have a Cup car ready for Martin Truex Jr.
Hendrick Motorsports
5: Kyle Larson is signed through at least next year and no changes are expected.
9: Chase Elliott is signed through at least next year and no changes are expected.
24: William Byron is signed through at least next year and no changes are expected.
48: Alex Bowman is signed through at least next year.
23XI Racing
23: Bubba Wallace signed a multiyear contract extension, the team announced Sept. 18. He will have a new crew chief as Charles Denike will come from being the crew chief for Christian Eckes in trucks to Wallace, while Bootie Barker moves to a shop role.
45: Tyler Reddick is signed through at least next year and no changes are expected.
67 (or another number for third car with charter likely acquired from SHR): With the team already having a Monster Energy relationship, adding Riley Herbst and his Monster deal would make sense, but nothing has been announced yet — likely because of the ongoing antitrust lawsuit the team has against NASCAR. Corey Heim is the team's driver of the future, but he might be a year or two away from being fully Cup-ready. Despite the charter drama, 23XI Racing has been hiring employees to fill a third car for next year and the Herbst deal is still expected to happen.
Team Penske
2: Austin Cindric is signed through at least next year and no changes are expected.
12: Ryan Blaney is signed through at least next year and no changes are expected.
22: Joey Logano is signed through at least next year and no changes are expected.
FINAL LAPS: Joey Logano secures his third NASCAR Cup Series title
RFK Racing
6: Brad Keselowski is a co-owner and is expected to be back in this car next year. Matt McCall will not return as crew chief. Jeremy Bullins, who won Xfinity titles with Keselowski, is the top candidate to fill that role.
17: Chris Buescher is signed through at least next year and no changes are expected.
60: RFK Racing is expected to get the Kroger sponsorship for 2025 (which could go across more than one car) and run a third full-time car with Ryan Preece the heavy favorite. Brad Keselowski said on Nov. 9 that there should be announcements in the next couple of weeks. The team possibly could lease a charter from Rick Ware Racing. Kroger has previously been a sponsor of Chris Buescher and Preece, and had good relationships with both when they drove for JTG Daugherty Racing.
Trackhouse Racing
1: Ross Chastain is signed through at least next year and no changes are expected.
99: Daniel Suarez has signed a contract extension that will keep him in the seat next year, the team announced Aug. 9.
88 (charter acquired from SHR): Trackhouse announced Aug. 24 that Shane van Gisbergen will compete full-time in the Cup Series in 2025. He is running several Cup races this year for Kaulig Racing, the organization he has driven for in the Xfinity Series full-time this year as part of an agreement with Trackhouse. Stephen Doran, the crew chief for Zane Smith this year in Cup, will crew chief for van Gisbergen.
Richard Childress Racing
3: Austin Dillon is signed through at least next year. While there is chatter that maybe he could step aside (much like his grandfather Richard Childress did for Dale Earnhardt decades ago), it is far more likely he is back in this car next season.
8: Kyle Busch is signed through at least next year and no changes are expected.
33: The team had flirted with adding a third full-time car for next year but that is not expected to happen.
Haas Factory Team
41: Cole Custer was announced on July 20 as the driver for this team next year. The defending Xfinity Series champion and current series points leader who had spent 2020-2022 in the Cup Series at SHR, was the natural choice for this car with his Xfinity performance and the Haas sponsorship he has carried throughout his career. The team will remain Ford and have an RFK alliance. Aaron Kramer, lead engineer for Chris Buescher in Cup at RFK, will be the crew chief for Custer.
Front Row Motorsports
34: Noah Gragson is signed with the team for next year. The team has not announced whether he would be the No. 34 or its third car.
36 (charter acquired from SHR): Zane Smith has been a top candidate for this ride, and after a couple of months of a roller coaster on whether he would or would not get it, he remains the favorite. The car number also is still to be determined as Front Row is considering changing its car number lineup.
38: Todd Gilliland is signed through at least next season and no changes are expected.
Todd Gilliland discusses unexpected contract extension with Front Row Motorsports
Spire Motorsports
7: Corey LaJoie was signed through next season but found out July 24 that he will not be driving for Spire. Justin Haley was announced as the driver of this car Sept. 20 and took over that ride in late September. Starting next season, the former Rick Ware Racing driver will be paired with new crew chief Rodney Childers.
71: Michael McDowell (currently driving for Front Row Motorsports) signed with Spire through at least next season and joins the team to replace Zane Smith. McDowell will bring crew chief Travis Peterson with him to Spire.
77: Carson Hocevar is signed at least through next season. His performance this year has been strong enough to potentially get a look from other teams, but he will stay at Spire for 2025.
Legacy Motor Club
42: John Hunter Nemechek is signed through at least next season and no changes are expected.
43: Erik Jones, it was announced Aug. 13, signed a contract extension that should keep him in the No. 43 at least through 2026. He will have a new crew chief in 2025 as Dave Elenz was released late in the 2024 season.
JTG Daugherty Racing
47: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is signed at least through next season and no changes are expected. Even with Kroger likely leaving as the primary sponsor, the team has been upgrading the shop as Gordon Smith, who is now being referred to as the team's primary owner in news releases, taking an active role.
Rick Ware Racing
15: With multiple drivers (Kaz Grala is the anchor driver), if a driver came with sponsorship, this ride would be a possibility. If this charter gets leased to RFK, there is a likelihood that the team would field this car as an open car for at least a partial schedule.
51: Justin Haley will leave for Spire Motorsports and it was announced Sept. 20 that he would leave after the Sept. 22 race at Bristol in pretty much a driver swap with Corey LaJoie to drive the No. 51 car for the final seven races of 2024. Whether LaJoie drives the car in 2025 is still to be determined.
Kaulig Racing
16: AJ Allmendinger will return to Cup full-time in 2025 in the same car he drove during the 2023 season.
10 (formerly 31): Kaulig Racing announced Sept. 28 that Ty Dillon would replace Daniel Hemric In this ride next year. It has obtained the No. 10 for next year as Stewart-Haas Racing's shutting down left that number available.
Wood Brothers Racing
21: Josh Berry has been announced as the driver of this car for 2025 as the SHR driver will replace Harrison Burton, who will drive for AM Racing in the Xfinity Series next season. Penske engineer Miles Stanley will crew chief the car.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
