The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is here. Cars will take to the track this weekend for the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Feb. 2, and the 67th running of the Daytona 500 is less than three weeks away.

With a wide array of driver and team changes from the offseason alongside more minor personnel tweaks -- or even a few lineups that stayed exactly the same -- there's a lot to discuss as the Cup Series moves into the fourth season of the Next Gen era.

For 2025, 19 members of Frontstretch staff voted on a top 30 ranking, taking into account each driver's 2024 season as well as their outlook for 2025. A first-place vote garnered 30 points for a driver. A second-place vote garnered 29 points, all the way down to a 30th-place vote that netted one point.

Below is where we landed. Check out Nos. 30-21 and Nos. 20-11 using the links below.

Score: 380

Alex Bowman isn't a lot of things. He's not the phenom. He's not the perpetual popularity contest winner, nor is he the make-no-waves milquetoast type. What Bowman is, is a working-class driver who's going to bring his team a win or two and a playoff berth. Also, wronging him will probably land you on a t-shirt.

Amid rumors of losing the No. 48 ride after a winless 2023 hampered by a back injury, Bowman put together his most consistent Cup season to date in 2024, with a career-high 17 top 10s. His eight top fives also tied his season high, and he won on the streets of Chicago to end a two-year winless drought and secure a playoff spot.

Bowman's playoffs were a bit of a roller coaster. He survived the first round but found himself teetering in the edge of elimination in the final race of the Round of 12 on the Charlotte ROVAL. Bowman charged through the field, flying over curbs and through turns, to squeeze into the last spot. Unfortunately for Bowman, the No 48 was too light after the race, and though there was speculation that a violent curb-hop dislodged a weight, the team did not appeal their disqualification.

Despite the setback, Bowman finished the season strong, with two top 10s in the last four races; that gives Bowman some solid momentum entering 2025. He had a runner-up finish in the Daytona 500 last year, and a strong finish would certainly be a great way to kick off the year.

His best tracks have been Circuit of the Americas -- where he has an average finish of 4.3 -- as well as the Charlotte ROVAL, Daytona and Kansas, so look for him to capitalize in those races. But don't rule out strong runs at any type of track, though, as he has struggled at Indianapolis and New Hampshire in particular and will be looking to break out of his funk at those tracks. He isn't his teammates, and nobody should expect him to be, but you should expect another solid year from Bowman. -Amy Henderson

Score: 390

Prosper, Texas, native Chris Buescher enters his sixth season at RFK Racing riding a streak of three consecutive winning seasons despite missing the playoffs in 2024.

The six-time Cup Series winner was able to capture a win last season in the first round of the playoffs, passing Shane van Gisbergen on the final lap at Watkins Glen for his first road course win in the Cup Series. On top of his win at the Glen, Buescher tallied six top fives and 15 top 10s on the year.

Last year, Buescher came up short in two races that denied him a playoff berth: Losing to Kyle Larson at Kansas in May by one one-thousandth of a second, and the Goodyear 400 at Darlington after contact with Reddick with 10 laps to go cut a tire on the No. 17 car.

Based off his pace throughout last season, Buescher looks to have the speed to battle for wins throughout the season on just about any track. Ford continues to be formidable at superspeedways, and Buescher won at Daytona in 2023. On short tracks, he's won at Richmond and Bristol. On road courses, he's one of the most consistent drivers with 12 top 10s in his last 14 road course starts.

And with an average of 13.2 in the last two seasons, Buescher's one of the best drivers in the series in maximizing his day and bringing his car home to solid, consistent finishes.

All this considered, Buescher seems poised and ready to lead RFK Racing's No. 17 Ford into the playoffs again.

To say 2024 was a roller coaster for Joey Logano might be the understatement of the year. As the man who finished on the mountain top, Logano had his fair share of bad breaks last year on the track, and as such, he's eighth on our list.

One may look at this list and wonder how last year's Cup Series champion could be outside of the top three, much less the top five, so buckle in.

Logano (and the rest of the Penske crew for that matter) have made a habit of getting hot at the right time, and that's quite a good habit to have. But last year, Logano took getting hot at the right time to a whole new level.

The now three-time Cup Series champion led the fewest laps of any of his three championship seasons with 414 led in 2024. To put that into context, Logano led 939 laps in 2018 and 784 in 2022. In those years, there were flashes of dominance throughout the season, and that wasn't always the case in 2024. For instance, Logano had more finishes outside the top 30 (eight) than he had finishes inside the top five (seven).

However, the Cup Series champion is now an undeniable face of the sport and cannot be ignored. He and his team are as rock solid as it comes when talking about postseason presence, and that's why he's pretty close to a mortal lock to make it back to the playoffs this year. The only question now is how far he will ultimately go. -Tanner Marlar

Score: 460

Denny Hamlin won three of the first 12 races last season, only to fizzle out and go winless in the final 24 after looking like a serious championship contender in May.

He still made it to the Round of 8, only to get eliminated in the penultimate race at Martinsville Speedway for the third consecutive year. Still searching for his first Cup championship, 2025 will mark Hamlin's 20th full-time Cup season. And with Martin Truex Jr.'s retirement, Hamlin -- at the age 44 -- is now the oldest full-time driver in the series.

The good news for Hamlin is that Father Time hasn't caught up to him -- at least not yet. He led the third-most laps of all drivers last season (943), and his three wins was tied for third-most in the series.

This season, however, Hamlin will arguably face the biggest challenge of his entire career. Chris Gabehart, his crew chief since 2019, was promoted to JGR's competition director in a move that took Hamlin by surprise. Long-time sponsor FedEx left JGR at the conclusion of the 2024 season, and there hasn't been a lot of news about potential replacements. On top of all that, Front Row Motorsports' and 23XI Racing's lawsuit against NASCAR has yet to be resolved.

For a driver that has enjoyed stability throughout his entire career, Hamlin's 2025 will be anything but.

Can he rise above all the changes, win multiple races, and reestablish himself as a championship contender, all in his mid-forties? Or will he regress and be in store for an early playoff exit? We'll have the answer in nine months. -Stephen Stumpf

Score: 462

Chase Elliott will embark on his 10th full-time season in the Cup Series. It will give NASCAR's most popular driver a chance to build on 2024, which was somewhat of a bounce back year for him and the No. 9 team. Although his only win was at Texas Motor Speedway in April, Elliott had great consistency with the best average finish in the series (11.7).

He didn't record a finish outside the top 20 until July, and his steadiness kept him in contention for the regular season title. Yet other than Texas, Elliott was never able to turn his good performances into wins, a shortcoming that proved costly in the playoffs.

Elliott's legions of fans have good reasons to be optimistic. The No. 9 team can run well on any type of track. Elliott is a past champion and seasoned veteran, and he's only 29. In the eight seasons that Elliott has qualified for the playoffs, he has advanced to the Round of 8 (or further) seven times. He and his team know what it takes to be successful in the chaotic world of NASCAR.

That said, Elliott's wins and laps led totals were still lower in 2024 compared to 2020-2022. He will likely compete for the championship this season, but it is not clear if he will be one of the biggest title threats, or even the biggest title threat from Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick has put at least one driver in the championship race each season since 2020, when Elliott hoisted the Cup. Turning more of those top fives and top 10s into wins would go a long way to getting him back to the final round of the postseason. -Bryan Gable

Score: 503

If there was one word to describe William Byron's 2024 season, it would be weird. Byron flew out of the gate with a Daytona 500 win, then backed it up with two other wins at Circuit of the Americas and Martinsville Speedway (on Hendrick Motorsports' 40th anniversary celebration, no less). All those wins came within the first eight races of the season, but April would mark the last time he visited victory lane in 2024.

His performance took a dip over the summer due to major inconsistency in finishes; if he wasn't finishing in the top 15, he was crashing out or otherwise finishing outside the top 25 most of the time. Once the playoffs came around, however, Byron and the No. 24 team began finishing like they did at the beginning of the season. He only finished outside of the top 10 twice in the 10-race chase for the cup, and after a little bit of controversy at Martinsville, he snagged the last spot in the Championship 4, where he ended the year with his second consecutive third-place finish in points.

After starting the season as the championship favorite, then regressing into the summer as a potential first-round exit from the playoffs, finishing third seems like a win for the No. 24 team.

After ending the season with seven straight top 10s, that should give Byron some momentum heading into 2025. The 2023 season was a breakout year for the Charlotte, N.C., native, and 2024 was to be a big building year -- and it started out that way, too. Byron and co. have the pieces necessary to put together a championship run, and 2025 needs to be a year where all those pieces come together. Otherwise there needs to be some internal conversations at Hendrick about what needs to change. -Anthony Damcott

Score: 515

Team Penske has put the "Team" in its name during the first three years of the Next Gen car, with three consecutive Cup Series titles. Ryan Blaney has been a big part of that, bringing home the trophy in 2023. Last season, he finished right behind his teammate Logano in the championship race at Phoenix Raceway.

In fact, last year was basically a mirror of '23 for Blaney, with the same number of wins (three) and top 10s (18). His number of top fives increased from eight in 2023 to 12 in 2024.

The No. 12's first win didn't come until almost halfway through the season at Iowa Speedway in June, but it was a statement win for Blaney. He dominated the race at the 0.875-mile track, leading 201 of the 350 laps. He then went on to win Pocono Raceway a month later, but he basically become boom or bust over the rest of the year.

Blaney's turning point appeared to be the final three races of the playoffs, as he finished second at Homestead-Miami Speedway, won Martinsville Speedway and again was second at Phoenix.

If the last few years are any indication of what might happen in 2025, it seems that Team Penske will earn a few wins and be in contention when it matters most.

Unfortunately, the playoffs may be a bit iffy for Blaney this year, as he finished in the mid-20s at both World Wide Technology Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway (though he was leading late at WWT before running out of fuel). If he's able to win or record solid finishes in those rounds, he'll no doubt be another key player for the Cup title.

During the regular season, his obvious strengths will be the pack racing tracks, specifically Talladega and Atlanta. Blaney should also do well at some of the shorter tracks like Martinsville and Dover Motor Speedway. He struggled quite a bit at the road courses, but there's a new track in Mexico City that should even out the playing field a bit. -Joy Tomlinson

A right-place, right-time win at Talladega Superspeedway locked him into the playoffs, and after a second win at Michigan and several Jordan Brand schemes later, Reddick's first 26 races ended with a stomach virus-afflicted, regular season championship-clinching effort in the Southern 500. The drama didn't stop there, either: Reddick flipped at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the playoffs and, one week later, pulled off one of the most clutch wins you'll ever see with one of the most clutch final-corner passes you'll ever see. How the hell can he top that in 2025?

Reddick's confidence heading into 2025 is likely at an all-time high, as his Championship 4 berth was a result of his resilience throughout the season. The 23XI Racing driver toiled at Richard Childress Racing for his first couple years in the Cup Series, winning a few races but clearly not up to the performance standard with which he'd won back-to-back titles in the Xfinity Series.

The move to 23XI moved Reddick into another echelon statistically, with a 10.2 average start, 13.2 average finish, 21 top 10s and nearly 600 laps led in 2024. Reddick could've won a few more races had a few more things gone his way -- had he gotten a better run off the final corner at Nashville Superspeedway, had New Hampshire ended early from rain with the No. 45 out front, we'd be talking about five or more victories.

Reddick might be taking on a mentorship role at 23XI Racing, as both arguably the team's now-flagship driver and with Riley Herbst joining the team in a third car. Few drivers in the field are better equipped to repeat an excellent 2024 performance like Reddick, and it wouldn't be a shock to see him holding the playoff trophy at season's end. -Adam Cheek

Score: 541

One turn, one officiating call, and a network of manufacturer orders separated Christopher Bell from advancing to his third consecutive Championship 4 in his best season to date. Bell's controversial "wall ride" in the final turn of the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway was deemed illegal by NASCAR officials, which allowed Byron to claim the fourth and final Championship 4 spot.

Coming painfully close to earning a title shot, only for it to be taken away, could have indelible effects on some drivers. With Bell, however, it makes him an even scarier threat for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series title, especially considering that he adamantly felt cheated by the Martinsville ruling.

Bell set personal bests in top fives, top 10s, and average finish last year, but it was the front-running stats that stand out. He led 1,145 laps in 2024, second most among Cup drivers and nearly double his previous career high (599). He also secured 11 stage wins, second only to Kyle Larson, who scored 12. Statement wins at Phoenix Raceway and New Hampshire, as well as his first crown jewel victory in the Coca-Cola 600, made Bell one of the title favorites last season, and it should be no different entering his sixth full-time year in Cup.

Even with the trio of wins and time spent out front, there is more for Bell to claim this season. The 30-year-old led over 100 laps in five races last season, but he only won one of those rases. That included an agonizing, runner-up finish in the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that would have immediately sent him to the Championship 4. It was a tough luck end to the season for JGR, as Bell's New Hampshire win in June served as its most recent triumph in the Cup Series -- uncharacteristic for the powerhouse organization.

If Bell can close the deal on dominant performances, and sneak through in other races like we've seen before, there is no reason why he can't reel off five or six wins at least. And if that execution comes to fruition, this could be the year he hoists his first Bill France Cup. -Luken Glover

Score: 556

In 2024, Larson won six NASCAR Cup Series races, which was by far the most out of the Cup Series field.

And yet, that's still only the second-most dominant year he has had in his Cup career.

Heading into 2025, the motorsports phenom has a lot to look forward to and plenty of momentum. On top of his recent Chili Bowl Nationals victory -- the third of his career -- Larson is coming off of an Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year performance and another attempt at the event coming this May.

His entry into the Greatest Spectacle in Racing caught the attention of many in motorsports as well; both international and domestic. So much so, in fact, that the 32-year-old has been globally debated on if he is perhaps the best in the world. Just ask some of the IMSA drivers I talked to at the Rolex 24.

When was the last time a NASCAR driver was in that conversation?

Larson will likely take on the new season and garner multiple wins, just as he's done every year since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021. In fact, it's expected that he does.

That might add pressure to most drivers, and while Larson almost certainly deals with the weight of a fan base and motorsport that expects him to thrive on a daily basis, he has not shown any signs of slowing down in the last few years of dealing with it.

The 2025 season will probably be no different, and it should not be shocking to see the No. 5 in the Championship 4 at the very least by the end of the year. -Dalton Hopkins