NASCAR schedule and playoff bracket 2025

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to be one of the most transformative yet. Dive into our guide on the latest changes, the complete race schedule, and how to follow the journey to the championship with your own playoff bracket.

About NASCAR Cup Series 2025

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series marks the 77th season of professional stock car racing sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States and the 54th season of the modern-era Cup Series. The season commenced with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2, followed by The Duel and the iconic Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, the latter being the first points race of the year. The entire season is scheduled to conclude with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 2, 2025.

We post this article in September, when Denny Hamlin leads the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series standings with 2120 points, maintaining a slight edge over Chase Briscoe who has 2115 points. Kyle Larson is in third place with 2103 points, followed by Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney in fourth and fifth positions, respectively. The standings reflect a competitive season with multiple drivers consistently earning top finishes and stage points. Hamlin has secured 5 wins and 2 poles, demonstrating strong performance throughout the season. The playoff battles are intense, with the top drivers closely matched in points, keeping the championship chase highly contested.

Changes to know for the 2025 season

Changes to know for the 2025 NASCAR season are extensive and designed to enhance competition, expand the sport’s reach, and improve the fan experience.

One of the most prominent new features is the introduction of a major In-Season Tournament, which includes 32 participants seeded based on three qualifying races at Michigan, Mexico City, and Pocono. This tournament adds an exciting mid-season competition element that brings more intensity to the summer racing schedule. Additionally, a new Open Exemption Provisional rule allows for a 41st starting spot in select races for accomplished drivers who are not currently in NASCAR, although these drivers won’t earn points or prize money. This rule helps increase the field size and adds an element of surprise without impacting championship standings.

A significant update to the Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP) allows damaged cars that exceed the pit road repair time limit to be towed to the garage for unlimited repairs and potentially return to the race, replacing the previous rule that would automatically eliminate them. This change comes after notable incidents in prior seasons where potentially repairable cars were forced out prematurely. Playoff rules have also been tweaked: drivers receiving a waiver for missing races due to suspension or voluntary absence will forfeit any regular-season playoff points they earned, with exceptions made for medical or family emergencies. In the Xfinity Series, a bonus point will now be awarded for the fastest lap in each race, incentivizing aggressive racing throughout.

Broadcasting sees major changes with new partners including Prime Video, TNT, and The CW joining Fox and NBC, with Prime Video offering the first exclusive streaming broadcasts. The 2025 season also features the rebranding of Chevrolet’s Camaro-bodied stock cars as the ZL1, reflecting the discontinuation of the Camaro model. New talent enters the scene with drivers like Riley Herbst starting their first full-time Cup Series season, making 2025 a year of both fresh faces and significant structural changes aimed at modernizing and broadening NASCAR’s appeal.

NASCAR Cup Series 2025 schedule

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule showcases a dynamic blend of iconic traditions and modern, market-reaching events. It is carefully crafted to test drivers’ versatility across a diverse array of tracks, from high-banked superspeedways and brutal short tracks to challenging road courses.

The extensive NASCAR schedule is available on the official website. Mark the most important broadcastings on your calendars!

NASCAR 2025 playoff bracket

As the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular season concludes, all eyes will turn to the playoff grid — the official lineup of 16 drivers who have earned their shot at the championship. To help you track every twist and turn of the postseason, we are providing a free fillable PDF playoff bracket template, created with ONLYOFFICE.

This template allows you to lock in the initial 16-driver field and then update the playoff grid after each round, as four drivers are eliminated following the Round of 16, Round of 12, and Round of 8. Simply fill in the contenders as they battle through each stage, all the way to the Championship 4, and crown your predicted winner for the season finale.

Download the free 2025 NASCAR playoff grid to track the essential events.

DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE

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