2025 NASCAR lineup projections: Will Ryan Preece drive third RFK car?
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 Sept. 16 as the teams with unsettled plans appear ready to finalize them over the next month.
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.
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. Hendrick leadership has reiterated publicly and to Bowman in recent weeks that Bowman will remain in the car despite speculation he could be loaned to Spire Motorsports next year while still under contract with Hendrick.
23XI Racing
23: Bubba Wallace isn’t signed yet for next year but is expected to return. He indicated that the charter agreement between NASCAR and the teams (23XI Racing has not yet signed the deal) was the primary hurdle in announcing his extension.
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 Herbst has indicated his future is still not set. 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.
Team Penske
2: Austin Cindric indicated in August that he is signed for next season (it didn’t seem he was on the hot seat anyway). It wasn’t an announcement of anything being recently signed but more of clearing up any confusion from what had been interpreted in some comments following his Gateway win earlier this year.
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.
RFK Racing
6: Brad Keselowski is a co-owner and is expected to be back in this car next year.
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 has repeatedly said he would need about a month before announcing anything. 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.
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 seems much less likely than in early June.
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.
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 most recently has emerged again as the favorite. Chandler Smith has been the other likely candidate. 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.
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, whose performance at Rick Ware Racing has caught the attention of some big teams, remains the favorite to land this ride as he is not expected to return to RWR next season. The team, whose relationships and partnerships include some crossover with both Hendrick and Trackhouse, has announced that current SHR crew chief Rodney Childers will crew chief the car next year with current crew chief Ryan Sparks concentrating on his role as competition director.
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.
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.
51: Justin Haley is signed through at least next year but is not expected to return to RWR, according to sources. Spire Motorsports is his most likely destination. Why make that move? Spire and Hendrick have a close relationship and a strong performance at Spire could put him more in line for a Hendrick (or other Chevrolet) ride. This possibly could end up almost as a swap as soon-to-be former Spire driver Corey LaJoie is a candidate to replace him.
Kaulig Racing
16: AJ Allmendinger will return to Cup full-time in 2025 in the same car he drove during the 2023 season.
31: Daniel Hemric is not signed for next season and with Kaulig’s increased alliance with Richard Childress Racing, Ty Dillon has emerged as the favorite for this ride in 2025. The team and Dillon flirted with each other last year before being unable to finish the deal, but it now appears he will be there full-time next season. Dillon has had a handful of starts in Kaulig’s No. 16 car this year.
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. Burton has some sponsorship that he could bring with him but his 2025 landing spot is unclear with a return to trucks or Xfinity possible and/or possibly driving for Rick Ware Racing in select Cup events.
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.
Get more from NASCAR Cup SeriesFollow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
