There were plenty of memorable moments during the NASCAR Cup Series season.
From the thrill of victory for Kyle Larson, to the agony of defeat for Denny Hamlin, to the fear of crashes for Ryan Preece and others, to the intensity of side-by-side battles on the rack, the 2025 Cup season had more than its fair share of highlights and lowlights.
Here are my top 10 moments of 2025:
10. Bowman Gray a huge hit
The return to Bowman Gray was epic and electric … and won by an Elliott.
9. Preece goes upside-down Daytona
Ryan Preece flipped once again at Daytona, this time during the 500. He was not injured. NASCAR eventually required flaps on the A-post in hopes of eliminating cars getting airborne.
8. Hamlin “Against The World”
Denny Hamlin continued to play the role of the heel as he displayed an “11 Against The World” flag after a victory at Martinsville.
7. Byron wins Daytona 500
With a move past Denny Hamlin as the leaders crashed on the final lap, William Byron, who started the final lap in ninth, won his second consecutive Daytona 500.
6. Drama in Mexico
Amid a spirited crowd in Mexico City, the Cup drivers put on a show in their debut with a couple familiar themes: An SVG win and Carson Hocevar in the middle of drama (this time with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.).
5. Hamlin-Gibbs squabble at Kansas
Some JGR-on-JGR crime made things spicy in Kansas as Ty Gibbs came under fire in battles with playoff drivers and teammates Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin … with Gibbs eventually going into the wall.
4. Blaney wins Daytona fall race to keep Bowman in playoffs
In a dramatic four-wide Daytona finish, Ryan Blaney captured the regular-season finale, finishing ahead of five drivers who needed a win to make the playoffs.
3. Final two laps Phoenix title
Overtime determined the Cup title with Kyle Larson hanging on after taking two tires while a dominant Denny Hamlin couldn’t rally after taking four — a crushing blow in Hamlin’s quest for a title.
2. Bell races Busch clean to win COTA
Christopher Bell outdueled Kyle Busch in a thrilling end at COTA. Bell was determined not to rough up Busch as he had in a past race there. He made the pass clean for his third consecutive win.
1. Kansas finish with Elliott winning while Wallace-Hamlin tangle
It looked like Kansas would come down between boss Denny Hamlin and employee Bubba Wallace. But Hamlin drifted into Wallace, allowing Chase Elliott to dip to the inside … and into victory lane.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR 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.
