Denny Hamlin makes a pit stop during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Pocono Raceway, Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Long Pond, Pa. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
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Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Wabash Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VISITPA.com at Pocono Raceway on July 14, 2024 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
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Denny Hamlin makes a pit stop during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Pocono Raceway, Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Long Pond, Pa. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
It was a difficult year for NASCAR in 2025.
There was the antitrust lawsuit and trial over charter status involving 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports that got nasty before being settled. Fan displeasure over the playoff format reached its peak. Tragedy struck with days of each other in late December when former driver Greg Biffle and his family were among seven killed in a plane crash Dec. 18 in Statesville, North Carolina, and Denny Hamlin’s father died from injuries suffered in a house fire Dec. 28.
But that is the past. NASCAR is ready for a new Cup Series season to begin Sunday with the 68th running of the Daytona 500.
“That’s all behind us. We’re going to keep pushing forward and do what we do,” Pocono Raceway president Ben May said. “As far as the sport goes, the series goes, I think there’s some excitement. It’s going to be interesting.”
Perhaps the biggest change for this season is the return of “The Chase.” Gone is the playoff format that eliminated drivers after every three races to set up a one-race championship among the final four remaining drivers. This year, after the 26-race regular season, the top 16 drivers will qualify for “The Chase” over the final 10 races. Whoever has the most points at the end of those 10 races is the champion. It is the format that was used from 2004 to 2013.
Also gone is the win-and-you’re-in format. No longer does winning a race automatically qualify a driver for the postseason. Winning still is important, but consistency is being rewarded.
Homestead returns as the host the final race where the champion in all three national series will be crowned Nov. 6-8. The Florida track did so from 2002 to 2019. Phoenix has hosted the final race since 2020.
“There was some excitement to going to the last race of the year at Phoenix and winning it all,” May said. “But I do see the flaws in that from a fan perspective. You want to reward consistency. I think ‘The Chase’ is going to be good. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.”
Other changes to the schedule include the return of Chicagoland Speedway on July 5 instead of running the Chicago street course; North Wilkesboro getting a points race for the first time in 30 years July 19 after being revived in 2023 to host the All-Star Race; and Charlotte putting its fall race Oct. 11 back on the oval track instead of the “Roval” infield course.
A street race is set for June 21 on the Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, California. It will help celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy.
One week prior to the San Diego race is NASCAR’s annual stop at Pocono Raceway. The 2.5-mile triangular track in Long Pond will host an ARCA Menard Series race June 12, an O’Reilly Auto Parts (formerly Xfinity) Series race June 13 and a Cup Series race June 14. There is no Craftsman Truck Series race this year. May said that is just a one-year hiatus to ease the burden on Fox, which will be televising the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament that begins June 11.
“The plan is to get the Truck Series back in 2027,” May said. “The massive amount of production and work going into the World Cup, they needed a little space there and we were happy to give it. Thankfully, we have such a good relationship with Ron Drager and ARCA and that whole group that they were willing to come back to Pocono after a couple years off, slide in and entertain the fans on Friday.”
Pocono recently announced that its O’Reilly Series race will be the MillerTech Battery 250 Presented by KOA (Kampgrounds of America) on June 13 at 4 p.m. MillerTech sponsored last year’s Truck Series race at Pocono.
Last week, Pocono revealed that VISITPA will sponsor the Cup Series race for a third straight year. The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA is June 14 at 3 p.m. It again will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video, one of five races that network will stream (Charlotte, Nashville, Michigan, Pocono, San Diego).
“We have such a great relationship with the tourism office and the (Gov. Josh) Shapiro administration,” May said. “Sixty percent of our fans come from out of state, so we’re driving $75 to $100 million of economic impact over one weekend. It feels good. It supports our local businesses, supports our hotels. And we’re able to educate our fans on all the great stuff there is to do in Pennsylvania.
“Pennsylvania’s cooking this year. There’s a lot going on with the NFL Draft, PGA Championship, MLB All-Star Game, World Cup, America 250. We’ve fallen in a good window when it comes to tourism.”
May said ticket sales are exactly where they were at this time last year, when the race sold out for a third consecutive year. Infield camping is close to being sold out, while spots are still available in the track’s outside camping area.
There will be plenty of storylines during the Pocono weekend. Besides the anticipation of the San Diego street race the following week, Pocono is the final race to determine the seeds for the NASCAR’s second In-Season Challenge. The top 32 drivers in points will go head-to-head in an elimination-bracket tournament over five races: Sonoma on June 28, Chicagoland on July 5, Atlanta on July 12, North Wilkesboro on July 19 and Indianapolis on July 26. The winner gets $1 million. Ty Gibbs won the inaugural Challenge last season.
“We always seem to end up in that scenario — and it’s worked for us — where we were before or after the Chicago street race or after Mexico City and got a lot of attention,” May said. “So that window is good. The more people talking about Pocono is good for me.
“We take a ton of pride in trying to grow the sport. We’re a family-owned business that’s pushing a quality product at a great value. We take that very seriously.”
Besides Pocono, other races in the northeast on the NASCAR schedule are Watkins Glen in New York on May 10 and Dover, Delaware on May 17 for the All-Star Race.
Predictions
Almost all the teams remained intact from last season. The lone driver move saw Daniel Suarez go to Spire Motorsports and replaced at Trackhouse Racing by Connor Zilisch, the 19-year-old rising star who won 10 Xfinity Series races last season, including at Pocono.
So which 16 drivers will qualify for “The Chase?” Listed alphabetically, they are: Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, Denny Hamlin, Carson Hocevar, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace.
And the winner is …
Hamlin is the sentimental pick after what he has gone through with his father’s death and the fact that he just missed winning his first championship last season. But he will be driving with a shoulder ailment throughout the season. So the choice here is Elliott. The switch to the new playoff format suits his consistent driving style. He’ll beat out Bell, Blaney and Byron for the title.
As for Sunday’s Daytona 500, Byron is looking to make history as the first driver to win three straight. Kyle Busch is on the pole and he has yet to win a Daytona 500. Neither has Blaney, who starts fifth, but that ends Sunday. Look for the No. 12 Ford to take the checkered flag.