Racing is back in full force. Notable events such as the Chili Bowl and Rolex 24 have already graced race fans. Now, NASCAR hits the track this weekend for Cup Series action. The Clash will be hosted at Bowman Gray Stadium, returning to NASCAR’s roots and bringing more teams into the competition. Before too long, it will be Daytona 500 time. With that excitement on deck, the Pit Pass Network crew are ready to put in their 2025 Preseason Predictions for the NASCAR and IndyCar season. Each member of the team put in their picks for a variety of categories: champions, most wins, number of winners, and more. Bookmark this article in order to reflect upon the genius (or epic failure) of the following predictions. Without further ado, time to check out the Pit Pass Network 2025 Preseason Predictions.
Zach Adams
NASCAR Cup Series
Champion: Ryan Blaney
Remaining Championship Four: Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, & Christopher Bell
Driver to Make Playoffs Who Missed in 2024: Ross Chastain
Driver to Miss Playoffs Who Made it in 2024: Austin Cindric
Rookie of the Year: Shane van Gisbergen
Daytona 500 Winner: William Byron
Coca-Cola 600 Winner: Kyle Larson
Driver with Most Wins: Kyle Larson
How Many Different Winners: 18
How Many First Time Winners: 2
First to Win 1st Cup Race: Ty Gibbs
Silly Season Prediction: Daniel Suarez loses his Trackhouse ride to Connor Zilisch
Bold Prediction: Joey Logano misses the playoffs
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Champion: Austin Hill
Remaining Championship Four: Jesse Love, Justin Allgaier, & Josh Williams
Rookie of the Year: Connor Zilisch
Unexpected Winner: Josh Williams
Driver with Most Wins: Justin Allgaier
How Many Different Winners: 15
Bold Prediction: 2 rookies will advance to the Round of 8
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Champion: Layne Riggs
Remaining Championship Four: Grant Enfinger, Corey Heim, & Ben Rhodes
Rookie of the Year: Connor Mosack
Unexpected Driver to Make Playoffs: Andres Perez
Driver with Most Wins: Corey Heim
How Many Different Winners: 17
Bold Prediction: No driver wins more than 4 races
IndyCar
Champion: Alex Palou
Rookie of the Year: Louis Foster
Driver with Most Wins: Will Power
How Many Different Winners: 8
First Time Winner: Marcus Armstrong
Andy Coffey
NASCAR Cup Series
Champion: Kyle Larson
Remaining Championship Four: Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, & Christopher Bell
Driver to Make Playoffs Who Missed in 2024: Shane van Gisbergen
Driver to Miss Playoffs Who Made it in 2024: Daniel Suarez
Rookie of the Year: Shane van Gisbergen
Daytona 500 Winner: Chase Elliott
Coca-Cola 600 Winner: Kyle Larson
Driver with Most Wins: Kyle Larson
How Many Different Winners: 16
How Many First Time Winners: 1
First to Win 1st Cup Race: Ty Gibbs
Silly Season Prediction: Alex Bowman will be removed from the 48 for 2026
Bold Prediction: Denny Hamlin retires at season’s end
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Champion: William Sawalich
Remaining Championship Four: Jesse Love, Justin Allgair, & Brandon Jones
Rookie of the Year: William Sawalich
Unexpected Winner: Nick Sanchez
Driver with Most Wins: Justin Allgaier
How Many Different Winners: 12
Bold Prediction: Justin Allgaier retires
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Champion: Grant Enfinger
Remaining Championship Four: Tanner Gray, Rajah Caruth, & Ben Rhodes
Rookie of the Year: Gio Ruggiero
Unexpected Playoff Driver: Gio Ruggiero
Driver with Most Wins: Grant Enfinger
How Many Different Winners: 10
Bold Prediction: There will be a race where there are only stage cautions (no incidents)
IndyCar
Champion: Josef Newgarden
Rookie of the Year: Robert Shwartzman
Driver with Most Wins: Josef Newgarden
How Many Different Winners: 10
First Time Winner: No first time winner
Robert Cwick
NASCAR Cup Series
Champion: Christopher Bell
Remaining Championship Four: Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, & Joey Logano
Driver to Make Playoffs Who Missed in 2024: Ross Chastain
Driver to Miss Playoffs Who Made it in 2024: Brad Keselowski
Rookie of the Year: Shane van Gisbergen
Daytona 500 Winner: Chris Buescher
Coca-Cola 600 Winner: Chase Elliott
Driver with Most Wins: Kyle Larson
How Many Different Winners: 10
How Many First Time Winners: 1
First to Win 1st Cup Race: Todd Gilliland
Silly Season Prediction: Connor Zilisch will be fulltime Cup racing in 2026
Bold Prediction: Alex Bowman will win multiple races
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Champion: Justin Allgaier
Remaining Championship Four: Sheldon Creed, Jesse Love, & Austin Hill
Rookie of the Year: Connor Zilisch
Unexpected Winner: Christian Eckes
Driver with Most Wins: Justin Allgaier
How Many Different Winners: 20
Bold Prediction: Sheldon Creed wins 2 races
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Champion: Corey Heim
Remaining Championship Four: Grant Enfinger, Tyler Ankrum, & Layne Riggs
Rookie of the Year: Kaden Honeycutt
Unexpected Playoff Driver: Kaden Hoenycutt
Driver with Most Wins: Corey Heim
How Many Different Winners: 5
Bold Prediction: Tanner Gray breaks through and wins his first Truck Series race
IndyCar
Champion: Scott McLaughlin
Rookie of the Year: Robert Shwartzman
Driver with Most Wins: Colton Herta
How Many Different Winners: 4
First Time Winner: Santino Ferrucci
Tiffany Faw
NASCAR Cup Series
Champion: Ryan Blaney
Remaining Championship Four: Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, & William Byron
Driver to Make Playoffs Who Missed in 2024: Chris Buescher
Driver to Miss Playoffs Who Made it in 2024: Daniel Suarez
Rookie of the Year: Shane van Gisbergen
Daytona 500 Winner: Brad Keselowski
Coca-Cola 600 Winner: Tyler Reddick
Driver with Most Wins: Christopher Bell
How Many Different Winners: 14
How Many First Time Winners: 0
First to Win 1st Cup Race: No First Time Winner
Silly Season Prediction: At least 2 drivers will swap Cup teams for 2026
Bold Prediction: A driver will miss a race due to an injury
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Champion: Jesse Love
Remaining Championship Four: Sheldon Creed, Justin Allgaier, & Austin Hill
Rookie of the Year: Connor Zilisch
Unexpected Winner: Carson Kvapil
Driver with Most Wins: Austin Hill
How Many Different Winners: 17
Bold Prediction: The regular season champion does not make the Championship Four
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Champion: Layne Riggs
Remaining Championship Four: Corey Heim, Ty Majeski, & Chandler Smith
Rookie of the Year: Connor Mosack
Unexpected Playoff Driver: Jake Garcia
Driver with Most Wins: Corey Heim
How Many Different Winners: 9
Bold Prediction: A Truck Series team will announce an organizational shutdown at season’s end
IndyCar
Champion: Josef Newgarden
Rookie of the Year: Louis Foster
Driver with Most Wins: Josef Newgarden
How Many Different Winners: 7
First Time Winner: Santino Ferrucci
Griffin Fuller
NASCAR Cup Series
Champion: Christopher Bell
Remaining Championship Four: Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, & Tyler Reddick
Driver to Make Playoffs Who Missed in 2024: Kyle Busch
Driver to Miss Playoffs Who Made it in 2024: Alex Bowman
Rookie of the Year: Shane van Gisbergen
Daytona 500 Winner: Ryan Blaney
Coca-Cola 600 Winner: Tyler Reddick
Driver with Most Wins: Tyler Reddick
How Many Different Winners: 11
How Many First Time Winners: 2
First to Win 1st Cup Race: Carson Hocevar
Silly Season Prediction: Carson Hocevar goes to Hendrick Motorsports for 2026
Bold Prediction: JGR and Hendrick Motorsports have a combined 3 drivers miss the playoffs
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Champion: Austin Hill
Remaining Championship Four: Justin Allgaier, Christian Eckes, & Connor Zilisch
Rookie of the Year: Connor Zilisch
Unexpected Winner: Harrison Burton
Driver with Most Wins: Austin Hill
How Many Different Winners: 14
Bold Prediction: A Cup/part-time driver will tie for most series wins
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Champion: Layne Riggs
Remaining Championship Four: Daniel Hemric, Ty Majeski, & Chandler Smith
Rookie of the Year: Kaden Honeycutt
Unexpected Playoff Driver: Spencer Boyd
Driver with Most Wins: Layne Riggs
How Many Different Winners: 7
Bold Prediction: Ford will win 15 of the 25 races
IndyCar
Champion: Pato O’Ward
Rookie of the Year: Robert Shwartzman
Driver with Most Wins: Josef Newgarden
How Many Different Winners: 6
First Time Winner: Santino Ferrucci
Robert Hill Jr
NASCAR Cup Series
Champion: Tyler Reddick
Remaining Championship Four: Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, & Christopher Bell
Driver to Make Playoffs Who Missed in 2024: Shane van Gisbergen
Driver to Miss Playoffs Who Made it in 2024: Ty Gibbs
Rookie of the Year: Shane van Gisbergen
Daytona 500 Winner: Justin Haley
Coca-Cola 600 Winner: Kyle Busch
Driver with Most Wins: Christopher Bell
How Many Different Winners: 14
How Many First Time Winners: 2
First to Win 1st Cup Race: Todd Gilliland
Silly Season Prediction: Austin Dillon retires by season’s end
Bold Prediction: Kyle Busch will win multiple races
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Champion: Connor Zilisch
Remaining Championship Four: Sheldon Creed, Justin Allgaier, & Brandon Jones
Rookie of the Year: Connor Zilisch
Unexpected Winner: Ryan Ellis
Driver with Most Wins: Connor Zilisch
How Many Different Winners: 9
Bold Prediction: DGM, Jeremy Clements Racing, & Jordan Anderson Racing all win a race
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Champion: Tanner Gray
Remaining Championship Four: Corey Heim, Daniel Hemric, & Ty Majeski
Rookie of the Year: Andres Perez
Unexpected Playoff Driver: Toni Breidinger
Driver with Most Wins: Ty Majeski
How Many Different Winners: 7
Bold Prediction: Toni Breidinger will be the first female winner in NASCAR’s top 3 series
IndyCar
Champion: Pato O’Ward
Rookie of the Year: Louis Foster
Driver with Most Wins: Colton Herta
How Many Different Winners: 5
First Time Winner: Santino Ferrucci
Cash James
NASCAR Cup Series
Champion: Christopher Bell
Remaining Championship Four: Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, & Joey Logano
Driver to Make Playoffs Who Missed in 2024: Michael McDowell
Driver to Miss Playoffs Who Made it in 2024: Austin Cindric
Rookie of the Year: Shane van Gisbergen
Daytona 500 Winner: Zane Smith
Coca-Cola 600 Winner: Kyle Larson
Driver with Most Wins: Christopher Bell
How Many Different Winners: 13
How Many First Time Winners: 2
First to Win 1st Cup Race: Riley Herbst
Silly Season Prediction: No major driver swaps for top tier teams
Bold Prediction: Shane van Gisbergen will have more wins than Chase Elliott
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Champion: Connor Zilisch
Remaining Championship Four: Jesse Love, Justin Allgaier, & Austin Hill
Rookie of the Year: Connor Zilisch
Unexpected Winner: Daniel Dye
Driver with Most Wins: Austin Hill
How Many Different Winners: 9
Bold Prediction: Connor Zilisch wins the championship in his rookie season
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Champion: Corey Heim
Remaining Championship Four: Layne Riggs, Bayley Currey, & Rajah Caruth
Rookie of the Year: Connor Mosack
Unexpected Playoff Driver: Bayley Currey
Driver with Most Wins: Corey Heim
How Many Different Winners: 9
Bold Prediction: Corey Heim dominates the season, wins double digit races
IndyCar
Champion: Scott Dixon
Rookie of the Year: Jacob Abel
Driver with Most Wins: Scott Dixon
How Many Different Winners: 9
First Time Winner: Christian Rasmussen
Terra Jones
NASCAR Cup Series
Champion: Christopher Bell
Remaining Championship Four: Joey Logano, William Byron, & Tyler Reddick
Driver to Make Playoffs Who Missed in 2024: Chris Buescher
Driver to Miss Playoffs Who Made it in 2024: Alex Bowman
Rookie of the Year: Shane van Gisbergen
Daytona 500 Winner: Todd Gilliland
Coca-Cola 600 Winner: Kyle Larson
Driver with Most Wins: Kyle Larson
How Many Different Winners: 17
How Many First Time Winners: 2
First to Win 1st Cup Race: Todd Gilliland
Silly Season Prediction: Denny Hamlin retires at the end of the season
Bold Prediction: Joe Gibbs Racing misses the Championship Four entirely
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Champion: Sheldon Creed
Remaining Championship Four: Carson Kvapil, Sammy Smith, & Austin Hill
Rookie of the Year: Carson Kvapil
Unexpected Winner: Ryan Sieg
Driver with Most Wins: Carson Kvapil
How Many Different Winners: 9
Bold Prediction: One Xfinity Series team shuts down during the season
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Champion: Grant Enfinger
Remaining Championship Four: Corey Heim, Tanner Gray, & Ben Rhodes
Rookie of the Year: Kaden Honeycutt
Unexpected Playoff Driver: Stewart Friesen
Driver with Most Wins: Tanner Gray
How Many Different Winners: 8
Bold Prediction: A DQ will lead to a driver’s first career Truck Series win
IndyCar
Champion: Colton Herta
Rookie of the Year: Robert Shwartzman
Driver with Most Wins: Josef Newgarden
How Many Different Winners: 6
First Time Winner: Sting Ray Robb
Gregory Latham
NASCAR Cup Series
Champion: Chase Briscoe
Remaining Championship Four: Ross Chastain, Noah Gragson, & Kyle Larson
Driver to Make Playoffs Who Missed in 2024: Noah Gragson
Driver to Miss Playoffs Who Made it in 2024: Austin Cindric
Rookie of the Year: Shane van Gisbergen
Daytona 500 Winner: Justin Haley
Coca-Cola 600 Winner: Ty Gibbs
Driver with Most Wins: Kyle Larson
How Many Different Winners: 17
How Many First Time Winners: 6
First to Win 1st Cup Race: Carson Hocevar
Silly Season Prediction: Austin Cindric will be removed from the 2 car for 2026
Bold Prediction: All 3 Spire Motorsports drivers will win a race
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Champion: Sheldon Creed
Remaining Championship Four: Jesse Love, Justin Allgaier, & Austin Hill
Rookie of the Year: William Sawalich
Unexpected Winner: Parker Retzlaff
Driver with Most Wins: Austin Hill
How Many Different Winners: 14
Bold Prediction: Sheldon Creed will win the championship
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Champion: Corey Heim
Remaining Championship Four: Layne Riggs, Ty Majeski, & Ben Rhodes
Rookie of the Year: Toni Breidinger
Unexpected Playoff Driver: Toni Breidinger
Driver with Most Wins: Corey Heim
How Many Different Winners: 9
Bold Prediction: Toni Breidinger will win a race
IndyCar
Champion: Alex Palou
Rookie of the Year: Robert Shwartzman
Driver with Most Wins: Pato O’Ward
How Many Different Winners: 8
First Time Winner: Conor Daly
Mark Matthews
NASCAR Cup Series
Champion: Chase Elliott
Remaining Championship Four: Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, & Alex Bowman
Driver to Make Playoffs Who Missed in 2024: Chris Buescher
Driver to Miss Playoffs Who Made it in 2024: Daniel Suarez
Rookie of the Year: Shane van Gisbergen
Daytona 500 Winner: Noah Gragson
Coca-Cola 600 Winner: William Byron
Driver with Most Wins: Denny Hamlin
How Many Different Winners: 17
How Many First Time Winners: 2
First to Win 1st Cup Race: Noah Gragson
Silly Season Prediction: Austin Hill moves to the Cup Series fulltime in a third RCR entry
Bold Prediction: All 3 RFK Racing drivers make the playoffs
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Champion: Connor Zilisch
Remaining Championship Four: Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, & Taylor Gray
Rookie of the Year: Connor Zilisch
Unexpected Winner: Parker Retzlaff
Driver with Most Wins: Connor Zilisch
How Many Different Winners: 15
Bold Prediction: Every superspeedway race will be won by a non-top tier team
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Champion: Corey Heim
Remaining Championship Four: Daniel Hemric, Layne Riggs, & Kaden Honeycutt
Rookie of the Year: Kaden Honeycutt
Unexpected Playoff Driver: Kaden Honeycutt
Driver with Most Wins: Corey Heim
How Many Different Winners: 10
Bold Prediction: Matt Crafton will win at least 1 race this season
IndyCar
Champion: Alex Palou
Rookie of the Year: Robert Shwartzman
Driver with Most Wins: Pato O’Ward
How Many Different Winners: 7
First Time Winner: Marcus Armstrong
Daniel Smith
NASCAR Cup Series
Champion: Ryan Blaney
Remaining Championship Four: Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, & William Byron
Driver to Make Playoffs Who Missed in 2024: Chris Buescher
Driver to Miss Playoffs Who Made it in 2024: Joey Logano
Rookie of the Year: Shane van Gisbergen
Daytona 500 Winner: Chase Elliott
Coca-Cola 600 Winner: Kyle Larson
Driver with Most Wins: Kyle Larson
How Many Different Winners: 15
How Many First Time Winners: 2
First to Win 1st Cup Race: Ty Gibbs
Silly Season Prediction: Trackhouse releases Daniel Suarez for the 2026 season
Bold Prediction: Tyler Reddick is eliminated from the playoff before the Round of 8
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Champion: William Sawalich
Remaining Championship Four: Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, & Connor Zilisch
Rookie of the Year: William Sawalich
Unexpected Winner: Brandon Jones
Driver with Most Wins: William Sawalich
How Many Different Winners: 11
Bold Prediction: Sheldon Creed misses the playoffs
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Champion: Corey Heim
Remaining Championship Four: Tyler Ankrum, Ty Majeski, & Chandler Smith
Rookie of the Year: Kaden Honeycutt
Unexpected Playoff Driver: Kaden Honeycutt
Driver with Most Wins: Corey Heim
How Many Different Winners: 9
Bold Prediction: Matt Crafton retires by the end of the season
IndyCar
Champion: Pato O’Ward
Rookie of the Year: Louis Foster
Driver with Most Wins: Alex Palou
How Many Different Winners: 7
First Time Winner: Marcus Armstrong
Jane Waldrop
NASCAR Cup Series
Champion: Christopher Bell
Remaining Championship Four: Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, & Chase Briscoe
Driver to Make Playoffs Who Missed in 2024: Kyle Busch
Driver to Miss Playoffs Who Made it in 2024: Brad Keselowski
Rookie of the Year: Shane van Gisbergen
Daytona 500 Winner: Ty Gibbs
Coca-Cola 600 Winner: Denny Hamlin
Driver with Most Wins: Kyle Larson
How Many Different Winners: 17
How Many First Time Winners: 3
First to Win 1st Cup Race: Ty Gibbs
Silly Season Prediction: NASCAR wins the 23XI/FRM lawsuit midseason and their teams turn into open cars
Bold Prediction: Chase Briscoe will finish runner-up in the standings
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Champion: Sammy Smith
Remaining Championship Four: Justin Allgaier, Christian Eckes, & Harrison Burton
Rookie of the Year: Nick Sanchez
Unexpected Winner: Carson Kvapil
Driver with Most Wins: Sammy Smith
How Many Different Winners: 12
Bold Prediction: Grant Enfinger will fill in twice this season for 2 different drivers
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Champion: Grant Enfinger
Remaining Championship Four: Corey Heim, Tyler Ankrum, & Rajah Caruth
Rookie of the Year: Andres Perez
Unexpected Playoff Driver: Ty Majeski
Driver with Most Wins: Grant Enfinger
How Many Different Winners: 8
Bold Prediction: Toni Breidinger will win a race
IndyCar
Champion: Josef Newgarden
Rookie of the Year: Jacob Abel
Driver with Most Wins: Josef Newgarden
How Many Different Winners: 5
First Time Winner: Sting Ray Robb
Marvin Wingfield
NASCAR Cup Series
Champion: Kyle Larson
Remaining Championship Four: Christopher Bell, William Byron, & Tyler Reddick
Driver to Make Playoffs Who Missed in 2024: Bubba Wallace
Driver to Miss Playoffs Who Made it in 2024: Daniel Suarez
Rookie of the Year: Riley Herbst
Daytona 500 Winner: Kyle Larson
Coca-Cola 600 Winner: Kyle Larson
Driver with Most Wins: Kyle Larson
How Many Different Winners: 18
How Many First Time Winners: 2
First to Win 1st Cup Race: Ty Gibbs
Silly Season Prediction: Alex Bowman will lose his ride at Hendrick Motorsports
Bold Prediction: Tyler Reddick will win the second most races
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Champion: Justin Allgaier
Remaining Championship Four: Sheldon Creed, Brandon Jones, & Austin Hill
Rookie of the Year: Christian Eckes
Unexpected Winner: Connor Zilisch
Driver with Most Wins: Justin Allgaier
How Many Different Winners: 9
Bold Prediction: Harrison Burton will impress with AM Racing, winning a race
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Champion: Corey Heim
Remaining Championship Four: Layne Riggs, Kaden Honeycutt, & Stewart Friesen
Rookie of the Year: Kaden Honeycutt
Unexpected Playoff Driver: Kaden Honeycutt
Driver with Most Wins: Corey Heim
How Many Different Winners: 9
Bold Prediction: Kaden Honeycutt will advance to the Championship Four
IndyCar
Champion: Josef Newgarden
Rookie of the Year: Jacob Abel
Driver with Most Wins: Josef Newgarden
How Many Different Winners: 7
First Time Winner: Callum Ilott
