Four NASCAR Dark Horses For 2025

Going into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, the list of potential championship contenders put together by fans and media seems pretty conclusive. Names such as Larson, Hamlin, Blaney and Bell dominate discussions regarding championship favorites. However, there are several drivers who could be overlooked as potential title threats. Here are four drivers that could be dark horses to win the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Chris Buescher, No. 17 Ford, RFK Racing

Buescher was incredibly consistent in 2024, and only a rash of winners below the playoff cut line knocked him out of postseason contention. He also got back to victory lane at Watkins Glen after a last-lap tussle with Shane van Gisbergen, notching his fifth victory over the last three seasons.

The simultaneous rise of both Buescher and RFK Racing has been thrilling to watch, and barring another onslaught of surprise winners, Buescher will likely make the playoffs. He made the Round of 8 in 2023, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him go on a Cinderella championship run.

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro, Richard Childress Racing

This may seem asinine given Busch’s poor performance over the last year and a half, but Busch can never be counted out. The No. 8 team seemed to find more speed towards the end of 2024, which nearly culminated in Busch winning at Kansas. Busch’s 2024 campaign was the first winless season of his career, but history may be on Busch’s side: In 1979, following the first winless season of his full-time Cup Series career, a 42-year-old Richard Petty won his seventh and final Winston Cup championship. The 39-year-old Busch will be looking for a career revival in 2025, and there’d be no better way for him to make a comeback than a potential championship run.

Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Briscoe takes over the vacancy left at JGR by the now retired Martin Truex Jr., who was a perennial contender for much of the last decade. Briscoe has huge shoes to fill at JGR, and he won’t have very many mulligan seasons. His ceiling as a driver is still unknown, but he’s shown flashes of championship potential over the years. Briscoe will have the best equipment of his Cup Series career underneath him in 2025, along with the opportunity to prove he’s worthy of a JGR ride. He nearly made the Championship 4 with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2025, and he could be a threat to make it to Phoenix again next season.

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro, Hendrick Motorsports

2024 will always be a “what could’ve been” year for Bowman, who was knocked out of the Round of 8 following his disqualification at the Charlotte Roval. Whether or not Bowman would’ve made the Championship 4 is a question we’ll never know the answer to, but one thing is clear: Bowman isn’t getting talked about enough going into 2025. Any Hendrick Motorsports driver will be considered a title threat, and with Bowman breaking his long winless streak and making a deep playoff run in 2024, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take the next step in 2025. With rumors always swirling about his job security at HMS, a Championship 4 appearance would silence his doubters.