While Team Penske is enjoying a three-year stranglehold on the NASCAR Cup Series championship, 2025 could be the year that a driver with another organization breaks through.
While former champions such as Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott are arguably the most likely to dethrone Penske, the two Hendrick Motorsports teammates are hardly the only drivers with a chance to put a stop to Penske’s mini dynasty.
Up next are four non-Penske drivers with a real shot to claim their first NASCAR Cup Series championship — and why they’re so formidable.
1. Christopher Bell, Driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
After qualifying for the Championship 4 in back-to-back seasons, Bell just narrowly missed the cut in 2024. Well, sort of. Bell briefly made the cut, but NASCAR threw him out of the Championship 4 just minutes later following an extended review of a move he made in the last corner at Martinsville Speedway in the Round of 8 elimination race.
In NASCAR’s estimation, Bell’s maneuver bore too striking of a resemblance to the video-game-style move that Ross Chastain made — and later NASCAR banned — in the Round of 8 elimination race at Martinsville two years earlier. Despite getting the raw end of a controversial decision that ultimately cost him a shot at the championship, Bell still finished fifth in the standings on the strength of three wins. This was the fourth season in a row that Bell has been to Victory Lane. And it was Bell’s third consecutive season with multiple victories.
All that’s left for Bell to do now — besides capture NASCAR’s most prestigious race, the Daytona 500 — is close the deal on a championship.
2. William Byron, Driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Only one driver — teammate Larson — has gone to Victory Lane more often than Byron over the last two NASCAR Cup Series seasons. Although Byron’s year-over-year win total dropped from six to three in 2023/2024, he still reached the Championship 4 and finished third in points for the second year in a row.
Moreover, Byron proved by winning the 2024 Daytona 500 that he can be at his best under the brightest lights.
Anything less than a championship — which Byron is more than capable of earning — will be a disappointment for the Charlotte, North Carolina native in 2025.
3. Tyler Reddick, Driver of the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Building on a stout three-win season in 2022 followed by a two-win 2023 that culminated in his then-career-best points finish of sixth, Reddick took his game to yet another level in 2024. Along with matching his career-high win total from 2022, Reddick made his first appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Championship 4 and finished a new-career-best fourth in the standings.
Shining a light on Reddick’s overall stellar results in 2024 were the struggles of 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace, who failed to win a race and finished 18th in points.
A two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champ, Reddick has a history of clutch performances. That history, coupled with last year’s miss in the final race, should serve him in well in 2025 if he returns to the Championship 4.
4. Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Tabbed by Joe Gibbs Racing to replace the mostly retired Martin Truex Jr. in 2025, Briscoe has big shoes to fill in the upcoming season. All signs suggest he’s up for the task.
Over the past three seasons at Stewart-Haas Racing, which shuttered operations after the final race of 2024, Briscoe has gone to Victory Lane twice and made just as many appearances in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. That success was in large part the catalyst for him landing easily the most coveted ride of the 2024 NASCAR “Silly Season.”
As driver of the No. 19 Toyota for JGR, Briscoe will wheel the best race cars he’s ever had. As a result, expectations from all sides will be high.
How high? Well, his achievements the last three seasons coupled with an equipment upgrade immediately put him on the shortlist of legitimate title contenders.
