Daytona Speedweeks have finally arrived. After a long offseason (and The Clash), NASCAR’s 2025 will kick off. For the Cup Series, this entry list is the largest since 2015. In addition to the 36 chartered teams, 9 open teams have made the trek down to Daytona Beach to attempt to qualify for the Great American Race. This year, qualifying and the Duels will be must watch to see which 4 drivers earn their way into the main event. Additionally, the Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series will kick off their seasons as well. An offseason of plenty of movement, the two lower series seem set to offer plenty of drama. In a week full of storylines, it is difficult to pick the Critical Path Security 6 Drivers to Watch for Daytona Speedweeks.
Back for the second year, the Drivers to Watch series will be a weekly one covering the key drivers to monitor throughout a race weekend. 38 straight weeks of this series will be featured on the website. However, there has been an adjustment to what is covered. Instead of only focusing on the Cup Series, each of NASCAR’s top 3 series will be featured (if they are racing). That is why the number of drivers was bumped from 5 to 6. When each series is racing, there will be 2 drivers per series featured. If it is only 2 or 1 series, there will be still 6 drivers covered. Also, Critical Path Security is back to sponsor this series as well. A huge thank you to them for their support!
Daytona 500
Todd Gilliland
The new front man for Front Row Motorsports is certainly someone to keep an eye on. Entering his 4th season, Todd Gilliland transfers to the 34 number along with picking up the sponsorship from Love’s. Front Row has been a rising team, but the departure of Michael McDowell and Travis Peterson could unravel some of that progress. Plus, the lawsuit looming in the background of this season might provide some distractions. With that said, having faith in Gilliland looks to be well founded. Each season he has improved, plus he got the 34 into the main event of The Clash. So far, so good.
As for Daytona, superspeedways have been where Todd Gilliland and Front Row have shined. Not only during the race, but qualifying as well. This is truly where the eyes will focus on Gilliland. Michael McDowell qualified on pole for every superspeedway race except the Daytona 500, where he was second. Gilliland proved to be no slouch either, as he averaged a 4.3 qualifying spot on this type of track. Wednesday night will give great insight to any differences between last year and this one. If Gilliland puts the 34 near the front, then the initial signals are fine. However, the 34 struggling to put down a quick lap might give uneasy feelings.
AJ Allmendinger
There are only 3 drivers who enter the Daytona 500 with a streak of 2 Top-10s in the race. One of those 3 is AJ Allmendinger. Surprisingly, Allmendinger has been extremely solid at Daytona during the Gen7 era. Although Kaulig Racing has struggled in their young Cup career, Allmendinger usually has been the exception. In his limited starts last year, he managed to pick up 5 Top-10s. Even in the disappointing 2023 season, Allmendinger won the ROVAL and averaged a Top-20.
For the Daytona 500, look for Allmendinger to be aggressive in the third lane when everyone is saving fuel. Usually, Allmendinger leads or pushes the lead driver in that outside lane. This helps gain Allmendinger critical track position as the laps wind down, despite mediocre qualifying efforts. Although a win would be unlikely, Allmendinger is a great choice for a fantasy pick. Keep an eye on the 16 car this week, especially in the closing laps of the Daytona 500.
United Rentals 300
Austin Hill
Will Austin Hill allow someone else in the Xfinity Series to claim the Daytona opener win? Since joining the Xfinity Series fulltime, Hill has won the kickoff race each year. It is undeniable the talent that Hill has on the superspeedways. In his 3 Xfinity seasons, he has racked up 7 superspeedway wins. Granted, none of those have come at Talladega nor in the summer Daytona race. For how good Hill has been in the Daytona opener, he has failed to match that in the follow-up (best finish of 14th).
Despite winning 3 times, Hill has not dominated the race. The most laps he has led at Daytona was 39 back in 2023. Last year, Hill only managed to lead 9 laps. The key to Hill’s success has been maintaining good track position. Across his 3 wins, his average running position of 6.3. Barring madness toward the front of the field, it helps Hill avoid trouble and puts him in striking distance every year. 4 in a row would be an impressive feat. The odds are against him, but maybe Hill can pull-off a February streak that a certain Kansas City team could not.
Ryan Sieg
Last year, Ryan Sieg came close to picking up his first career Xfinity Series win. At Texas, Sieg fell to the wrong side of Xfinity Series history, losing by the closest margin ever. Toward the end of the season at Las Vegas, Sieg’s long run car looked to be tracking down AJ Allmendinger until an untimely caution spurned his advantage. With his race team, Sieg has put himself at the top of Xfinity’s second tier. Continuing an alliance with Haas Factroy Team, 2025 should be no different.
With how close Ryan Sieg was to winning last year, it feels plausible to see him doing it this year. Why not at Daytona? Since 2022, Sieg has 4 Top-10s in 6 starts at the World Center of Racing. Last year’s opener saw the 39 lead 12 laps as well, second most of any driver that night. RSS Racing has proven to be able to run with the big boys, both on and off superspeedways. There might be stronger contenders to Austin Hill than Ryan Sieg, but he is certainly one to watch for an upset winner.
Fresh from Florida 250
Chandler Smith
Although he had a strong 2024 in the Xfinity Series, Chandler Smith found himself without a ride for 2025 during most of the offseason. Although the talent is undeniable, seemingly sponsorship issues (and maybe his on-track attitude) prevented Smith from remaining in the Xfinity Series. Until January, it seemed that Smith would be away from any of the national series on a fulltime basis. Then in January, Front Row Motorsports announced him in a second fulltime truck entry for the organization.
With how strongly Layne Riggs finished 2024, Chandler Smith in a Front Row truck could be a dangerous proposition. Especially true for the season opener at Daytona, where Zane Smith used to win regularly. Layne Riggs fell to an early crash, but Smith’s experience plus a teammate could prove beneficial. A statement win from Smith would set the tone for the season, where Corey Heim feels to be the overwhelming favorite. Smith will have solid equipment around him, which should boost him to being a contender this week and all season long.
Bayley Currey
Originally, Bayley Currey was not scheduled to run the truck race at Daytona. After running fulltime with Niece Motorsports last year, Currey was slated to split time in the 41 truck alongside Ross Chastain and Matthew Gould. Meanwhile, Christian Rose had been announced as the fulltime driver of the 44 truck. However, things have changed due to sponsorship problems for Rose. Instead of running the full season, Rose will work with Niece Motorsports in some capacity. This boots Rose out for Daytona and inserts Currey into the 44 for Daytona.
In his lone Daytona start, Currey barely missed on a Top-10 with his 11th place result. Outside a Top-5 at Atlanta, that finish marks Currey’s best finish on a superspeedway. Could he improve upon this on Friday night? Maybe; Currey’s time with Niece Motorsports has been a mixed bag so it difficult to get a read on how well this weekend will go. Plus, the last minute switch could also hurt his performance. Out of the Truck Series entrants, Currey is certainly an interesting one to watch this week.
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