The 2025 season is now officially underway! The new season has brought personnel and driver changes amongst all three series with various teams. All drivers and teams potentially start with a clean slate, so stay tuned to see who rises to the top as the season progresses.
This past weekend, all three of NASCAR’s top series made their first starts at Daytona. As is often the case, the unpredictability and chaos that typically ensues at superspeedways can provide some surprising runs for some teams.
Trucks (Fresh from Florida 250)
Daniel Hemric (#19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet): Jumping to the trucks to replace Christian Eckes in the #19 Chevrolet, former Cup Series driver Hemric made sure the MHR team did not lose a beat. Qualifying 15th, Hemric drove the blue-and-yellow Silverado to a 7th place finish, and led seven laps.
Frankie Muniz (#33 Reaume Bros. Racing Ford): Finding himself in the middle of the top 10 by race finish, former Hollywood star Muniz drew on his motorsports experience to place Josh Reaume’s #33 Ford in 10th place (after starting 14th). Muniz will be running a full slate of races and contend for rookie top honors in 2025.
Norm Benning (#6 Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet): 73-year old Norm Benning was perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the weekend. A veteran of 20 years, the owner/driver drove his white #6 Chevrolet to a lead-lap 16th place finish. Benning also broke his own record, as the oldest driver to finish on the lead lap during an event.
Xfinity (United Rentals 300)
Harrison Burton (#25 AM Racing Ford): After a struggling 2024 campaign for AM Racing involving a revolving door of drivers, former Cup Series winner Burton returned himself and the team to form at Daytona. Driving the re-badged #25 Ford, Burton finished 6th after starting 32nd. Burton returns to the Xfinity Series this season, and will run full-time for the AM team.
Dean Thompson (#26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota): Also moving to the Xfinity Series as a rookie in 2025, Thompson made his debut with Sam Hunt’s team in Daytona. Qualifying a respectable 19th, Thompson drove his #26 Supra to an eighth place finish. Thompson made two starts with the #26 team in 2024, with a best finish of 20th.
Jeremy Clements (#51 Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet): Longtime owner/driver Jeremy Clements has had an impressive start to his season. After somewhat struggling in 2024, Clements has already scored his first top ten finish of the year. Starting 25th, Clements survived the late race chaos to finish ninth.
Cup Series (Daytona 500)
Justin Allgaier (#40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet): Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s Xfinity Series team finally made its much awaited Cup Series debut in Daytona. Tapping JRM Xfinity Series and veteran Allgaier to pilot the #40 Chevrolet, Allgaier not only qualified for the 500 as open team, but brought his new entry home in 9th. As of now, it is unknown if the team will make other appearances this season.
Riley Herbst (#35 23XI Racing Toyota): One of two Xfinity rookie call-ups for the new season, Herbst had an impressive debut with his new #35 team. Starting 24th, Herbst ran strong in his Toyota and came home 17th. This finish also includes a late race, virtually impossible save to avoid an accident.
Corey LaJoie (#01 Rick Ware Racing Ford): Always a controversial figure, LaJoie made some news for the right reasons this time. LaJoie was a late addition to the 500 field, with Cup team RWR fielding a #01 Ford. The 01 team had a surprisingly strong run, with LaJoie ultimately finishing 22nd after running up front and leading ten laps. As of right now, LaJoie is only scheduled to run a partial schedule in the #01. This truly was making the most of an opportunity for both driver and team.
