Skip to content
GO TO bet365 Sports
NASCAR
  1. Motorsports

NASCAR Cup Series Championship: Dates, drivers, teams, circuits, format, history and more

Regarded as the crown jewel of American stock car racing, the NASCAR Cup Series holds races all over the United States and provides gripping wheel-to-wheel racing throughout the season.

NASCAR Cup Series dates

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series will begin at the Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday 2nd February and conclude with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday 2nd November.

NASCAR Cup Series drivers and teams

A total of 39 drivers across 15 chartered teams have been confirmed for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.

Ahead of the season, NASCAR introduced the Open Exemption Provisional rule to the Cup Series, where teams are permitted to add a starting slot for an 'elite' driver.

The 2025 season will also be the first under the new charter agreement, which restricts teams to a maximum of three charter. Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, who currently have four each, were grandfathered into the deal and will not need to sacrifice one of their charters to compete.

Although teams outside of Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing are not permitted four charters, it doesn't limit them from using a fourth, non-chartered car.

Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

  • Kyle Larson
  • Chase Elliott
  • William Byron
  • Alex Bowman

Hyak Motorsports (Chevrolet)

  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)

  • Ty Dillon
  • A. J. Allmendinger

Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

  • Austin Dillon
  • Kyle Busch

Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet)

  • Justin Haley
  • Michael McDowell
  • Carson Hocevar

Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet)

  • Ross Chastain
  • Shane van Gisbergen
  • Daniel Suarez

Front Row Motorsports (Ford)

  • Noah Gragson
  • Todd Gilliland
  • Zane Smith

Haas Factory Team (Ford)

  • Cole Custer

RFK Racing (Ford)

  • Brad Keselowski
  • Chris Buescher
  • Ryan Preece

Rick Ware Racing (Ford)

  • Cody Ware

Team Penske (Ford)

  • Austin Cindric
  • Ryan Blaney
  • Joey Logano

Wood Brothers Racing (Ford)

  • Josh Berry

23XI Racing (Toyota)

  • Bubba Wallace
  • Riley Herbst
  • Tyler Reddick

Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

  • Denny Hamlin
  • Chase Briscoe
  • Christopher Bell
  • Ty Gibbs

Legacy Motor Club (Toyota)

  • John Hunter Nemechek
  • Erik Jones

NASCAR Cup Series circuits

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship consists of 21 oval tracks, five road courses and one street circuit.

Highlights of the calendar include Daytona 500 at Daytona, Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis and the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington.

Oval Tracks

  • Daytona International Speedway
  • Atlanta Motor Speedway
  • Phoenix Raceway
  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway
  • Homestead-Miami Speedway
  • Martinsville Speedway
  • Darlington Raceway
  • Bristol Motor Speedway
  • Talladega Superspeedway
  • Texas Motor Speedway
  • Kansas Speedway
  • North Wilkesboro Speedway
  • Charlotte Motor Speedway
  • Nashville Superspeedway
  • Michigan International Speedway
  • Pocono Raceway
  • Dover Motor Speedway
  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway
  • Iowa Speedway
  • Richmond Raceway
  • World Wide Technology Raceway
  • New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Road Courses

  • Circuit of the Americas
  • Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
  • Sonoma Raceway
  • Watkins Glen International
  • Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval)

Street Course

  • Chicago Street Course

NASCAR Cup Series format

The NASCAR Cup Series campaign is divided into two segments: the regular season and the playoffs.

Following the opening 26 races, the driver with the most points will be crowned the unofficial regular series champion. The top 16 drivers at that stage - determined by the number of race wins and points accrued - contest the playoffs, at which stage their points tallies are all reset.

Although the playoffs are focused on the 16 qualifying drivers, the entire field will still compete in the final 10 races, which only heightens the drama.

NASCAR's playoffs comprise of three rounds that slowly whittle down the number of drivers eligible for the title. Each round consists of three races, and for each round, the four drivers who have failed to win and gained the fewest playoff points will be eliminated.

A race victory during the playoffs earns a driver automatic entrance to the next round.

The driver who wins a race in the final round and amasses the most points is crowned NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Related Articles

bet365 uses cookies

We use cookies to deliver a better and more personalised service. For more information, see our Cookie Policy

New to bet365? Bet £10 & Get £50 in Free Bets Join Now

Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.