2025 NASCAR Discussion ThreadNASCAR

[Dylan]

This is the discussion thread for the 2025 NASCAR Season. Primarily the top 3 North American national touring series, Cup, Xfinity, and Craftsman Trucks.

This OP will be updated in the next day or two with series logos and schedules.

 

[Eggstor]

The list of networks and start times for the three national series is now available. We're down to 9 Cup races (8 points) and 3 Truck races on over-the-air TV, though as previously announced, the entire Xfinity schedule is available over-the-air on the CW (listed in calendar order):

• The Clash on Fox
• Daytona 500 on Fox
• Atlanta spring Cup race on Fox
• COTA Cup race on Fox
• Homestead Truck race on Fox (the Cup race is on FS1)
• Talladega spring Cup race on Fox
• Michigan Truck race on Fox
• Lime Rock Park Truck race on Fox
• Daytona summer race (the last regular-season race) on NBC
• Talladega fall race (3rd-last of the season) on NBC
• Martinsville fall race (the final cutdown race) on NBC
• Phoenix championship race on NBC

The rest of the Cup races are on FS1 (Phoenix spring through the All-Star Race excepting Talladega spring) / Amazon Prime (Coca-Cola 600 through Pocono) / TNT (Atlanta summer through Indianapolis) / USA (Iowa through Martinsville excepting Daytona summer). The rest of the Truck races are on FS1.

 

[Dolph Drago]

Coming in with my yearly old man rant. No race start before 2pm. In fact, the only race that starts before 3 (THREE!) on FOX is the 500, surprisingly, which starts at 2:30. Finishing under the lights used to be a novelty. It feels like it happens over half the season now.

Remember when races would start at 1 or even as early as noon?

 

[Eggstor]

Coming in with my yearly old man rant. No race start before 2pm. In fact, the only race that starts before 3 (THREE!) on FOX is the 500, surprisingly, which starts at 2:30. Finishing under the lights used to be a novelty. It feels like it happens over half the season now.

Remember when races would start at 1 or even as early as noon?
View attachment 1404824

Blame the West Coast for that.

Prediction - the bulk of the Daytona 500 will be on Monday again as the usual late-afternoon showers wash out Sunday.

 

[Blitz24]

Blame the West Coast for that.

Prediction - the bulk of the Daytona 500 will be on Monday again as the usual late-afternoon showers wash out Sunday.

Or blame NASCAR deciding that chasing viewers is worthwhile. It would be interesting to see if the distribution of viewers still skews heavily towards the east coast.

 

[Eggstor]

TNT and Amazon have announced their announce crew (not crews) for their portions of the Cup schedule:

Play by play - Adam Alexander
Color - Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Letarte will also continue on NBC's coverage per TNT.

 

[Blitz24]

New team new sponsor

 

[Eggstor]

Some further news from Bob Pockrass:

• The 3rd RFK charter is a lease from Rick Ware Racing.
• 23XI/Front Row didn't get their preliminary injunction to allow them to compete as chartered teams, with the teams and NASCAR now battling over the timing of the appeal (23XI/FRM want oral arguments next month, NASCAR wants to push it to/beyond a late-January "freeze the charter field" date).
• Related, NASCAR belatedly presented 23XI/FRM open agreements with the no-lawsuit provision removed. They haven't signed that yet.
• Speaking of Front Row, Todd Gilliland is moving to the 34, which retains the Love's sponsorship his father brought to Front Row.
• Joe Gibbs drivers will get to race on dirt on their off days.
• JTG Daugherty has been rebranded as Hyak Motorsports as the Geschickters finish departing.

And fresh on November 20, Riley Herbst will be driving the #35 Monster Energy 23XI Toyota (no word on whether any of the three 23XI teams will be allowed a charter). The 35 does have a Michael Jordan connection, as he wore the number as a Scottsdale Scorpion when he played baseball in the Arizona Fall League in 1994.

 

[Dylan]

Excited to see how this plays out. I’ve been a proponent of the short course since we started racing there. Should definitely help reduce the time under caution with the laps being so much shorter.

 

[Eggstor]

In charter lawsuit news, 23XI/FRM have filed a motion to dismiss the appeal of the denial of a preliminary injunction that would have allowed them to compete as chartered teams. The teams' lawyers said that circumstances have changed that both made the appeal moot and made a new request of relief from the district court necessary.