Super Bowl Sunday is upon the sports world. After suffering through a matchup nobody wanted, the best medicine will be the kickoff to Daytona. Haulers show up on Tuesday. Practice and qualifying roll out on Wednesday. Then the Duels give fans the first taste of competitive racing. However, the Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series technically start their 2025 season before Cup. With all the Cup Series teams covered now, 3 Days to Daytona will give the Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series preview for 2025.
Xfinity Series
Few (Known) Championship Contenders
A common theme between NASCAR’s two lower series will be the turnover from last year to this season. Outside of Richard Childress Racing, every Xfinity Series team has seen some adjustment to their driver lineup. With this much turnover (and youth), it is difficult to pinpoint who are going to be the championship contenders. Will Haas Factory Team match what Stewart-Haas Racing did in recent years? Can Kaulig Racing and JR Motorsports live up to expectations? Meanwhile, Joe Gibbs Racing has replaced their entire lineup with unproven talent.
When considering who could be championship contenders this season, it whittles down to the reigning champion and Austin Hill. Yes, there will be others who join the conversation. However, the top of the list is heavy with the veterans of the series. Justin Allgaier finally claimed his first championship. Defending his championship will likely come down to the season finale, as Allgaier has made the Championship Four in all but one season since 2016.
Meanwhile, Austin Hill led the Xfinity Series in wins last season. He continued taking steps away from being considered only a superspeedway merchant. While he still dominates in the draft, Hill has become stronger at a wider variety of tracks. Both Allgaier and Hill should be considered favorites to make a Championship Four.
Bring in the Rookies
In the midst of the Xfinity Series turnover, a wave of young drivers have entered top rides. 8 rookies will compete for Rookie of the Year, with each piloting a strong entry in NASCAR’s second series. Joe Gibbs Racing, Kaulig Racing, and JR Motorsports each have 2 rookies running fulltime. The other 2 rookies are driving for satellite teams of the major players. This year’s Rookie of the Year race should be the most compelling since 2018.
Of the 8 rookies, the early favorites seem to be Connor Zilisch, William Sawalich, and Christian Eckes. Each driver impressed last year for a different reason. Eckes dominated the Craftsman Truck Series by only finishing outside the Top-10 once. Meanwile, Zilisch immediately became a sensation after impressive performances at COTA and Watkins Glen. As for Sawalich, he continued to impress in ARCA and CARS Tour. While those drivers are the favorites, you cannot rule out Carson Kvapil, Taylor Gray, and Nick Sanchez. Dean Thompson and Daniel Dye will also be there.
Best Racing to the CW
Although there have been frequent complaints about the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series continues to be praised by the fanbase. NASCAR’s seemingly hands-off approach to the series allows rivalries to flourish and the cars to provide the landscape for compelling racing. There is no reason to believe any of that will change. Despite the litany of young drivers, there are enough veterans to keep the series from collapsing into truck series style anarchy.
Late last season, the coverage for the Xfinity Series shifted to their new home at the CW. 2025 will mark the first full season to air on the channel. Being the exclusive racing series on a growing sports channel, the Xfinity Series should continue to cultivate their die-hard niche. The booth should be a strength as well, utilizing the underrated talents of Adam Alexander and Jamie McMurray. With this momentum, 2025 promises to be another fantastic season of racing action.
Craftsman Truck Series
A Roster Refresh
While the usual Craftsman Truck Series mainstays return for 2025, there are plenty of new faces for this season. Outside of ThorSport, every multi-truck team features at least one new driver. Some of the notable names to join the Truck Series include Daniel Hemric, Chandler Smith, and Andres Perez. Perez, the reigning ARCA Series champion, is part of a 6-driver rookie class that also includes Toni Breidinger, Gio Ruggiero, and Frankie Muniz.
The turnover for the Craftsman Truck Series also brings interesting part-timers into the fold. Hendrick Motorsports will utilize Spire’s truck team to bring along their developmental driver, Corey Day. Parker Kligerman will return to the series after ending his fulltime Xfinity Series career. TRICON’s #1 and Spire’s #07/#7 featured “all-star” lineups, including Justin Haley and Michael McDowell attempting Daytona.
Corey Heim’s Championship to Lose?
Although Ty Majeski is the reigning Craftsman Truck Series champion, the championship feels to be Corey Heim’s to lose. Coming off leading the series wins, Heim’s strongest competition from last year graduated to the Xfinity Series. That is not to discredit the other drivers, as Majeski clearly proved Heim can be upset. However, Heim will likely be a favorite to win every week.
With that said, having a dominant season means little in the current playoff format. Whichever 4 drivers qualify for the Championship Four all have an equal shot at the championship. Over the past 2 seasons, Heim has failed to bring home the trophy despite having the best season. While it may be Heim’s championship to lose, his odds of doing so greatly depend on who is competing at Phoenix. If Majeski or Layne Riggs can make it, then Heim might fail to win for the third straight season.
Longer Season
The Craftsman Truck Series will run 25 races in 2025, the most since 2011. Among the notable tracks to feature will be Rockingham, Lime Rock, New Hampshire, and the ROVAL. The ROVAL certainly should be an enticing affair, especially considering how the other two series have handled it thus far. Seeing the Truck Series expand more and hit tracks that only they are heading to is great. It is reminiscent of the founding years of the series, where a chunk of the schedule was spent away from the Cup and Xfinity Series.
Days to Daytona Countdown
40 Days: Team Penske #22; 39 Days: Team Penske #12; 38 Days: Hendrick #24;
37 Days: 23XI Racing #45; 36 Days: Joe Gibbs Racing #20;
35 Days: Hendrick Motorsports #5; 34 Days: Hendrick Motorsports #9;
33 Days: Joe Gibbs Racing #11, 32 Days: Henrick Motorsports #48;
31 Days: Joe Gibbs Racing #19; 30 Days: Team Penske #2;
29 Days: Trackhouse Racing #99; 28 Days: RFK Racing #6;
27 Days: Trackhouse Racing #88; 26 Days: Joe Gibbs Racing #54;
25 Days: Wood Brothers Racing #21; 24 Days: RFK Racing #17;
23 Days: 23XI Racing #23; 22 Days: Trackhouse Racing #1;
21 Days: Richard Childress Racing #8; 20 Days: Spire Motorsports #77;
19 Days: Front Row Motorsports #38; 18 Days: Front Row Motorsports #34
17 Days: Front Row Motorsports #4; 16 Days: Hyak Motorsports #47;
15 Days: Haas Factory Team #35; 14 Days: 23XI Racing #35; 13 Days: Kaulig Racing #16
12 Days: Legacy Motor Club #43; 11 Days: Kaulig Racing #10;
10 Days: Spire Motorsports #71; 9 Days: Spire Motorsports #7;
8 Days: Richard Childress Racing #3; 7 Days: Rick Ware Racing #51;
6 Days: Legacy Motor Club #42; 5 Days: RFK Racing #60; 4 Days: Open Teams
