2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Season Preview
Photo by Hunter Thomas of The Fourth Turn
2025 is a year of new opportunities for many drivers in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. There are a lot of faces in new places, a strong rookie class, and a large number of drivers with something to prove. This could be one of the if not the most competitive seasons in Xfinity Series history, and that comes after a super competitive 2024. Here is an insight into some stories that pique our interest for the 2025 season.
Sheldon Creed’s Breakthrough?
Photo from Sheldon Creed’s Facebook
Sheldon Creed has been the biggest bridesmaid in NASCAR Xfinity Series history, racking up 13 career 2nd place finishes without a victory with 6 of those coming in 2024 alone. In what was considered Sheldon’s best opportunity to win a race in the Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing, he fell short. Now in 2025, Sheldon has joined the newly rebranded Haas Factory Team, formerly Stewart-Haas Racing, to drive the #00. That #00 team has made the Final 4 the last two years with driver Cole Custer with a championship in 2023 and a 2nd place finish in 2024. Expectations are even higher for Sheldon in 2025 knowing the success this team has had in the past and it could be his last opportunity at a top tier ride at the Xfinity Series level. Now, while he did not win in 2024, Sheldon was a model of consistency, tied with Cole Custer for the most top 10s on the season with 23 and one behind his teammate Chandler Smith for top 5s with 16. The speed is there for Sheldon, now the question is can a little luck be on his side and finally help him take home the checkered flag that has evaded him for so long?
Stacked Rookie Class
All Photos from the driver and team’s respective Facebooks
The 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie class is full of exciting prospects. The full list of Rookie of the Year candidates is: Daniel Dye, Christian Eckes, Taylor Gray, William Sawalich, Carson Kvapil, Dean Thompson, Nick Sanchez, and Connor Zilisch. Daniel Dye has already made several starts in the Xfinity Series with both Alpha Prime Racing and his current team, Kaulig Racing. Dye was a constant contender in the ARCA Menards Series and had a breakout year in 2024 making the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs for the first time in his career. Daniel Dye looks to help bring Kaulig Racing to the top of the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Along with Daniel Dye, Christian Eckes will join him in the #16. Eckes had one of the, if not the best season by a Craftsman Truck Series driver ever in 2024, leading the series in top 5s and top 10s with a 21-race top 10 streak in a 23-race season with the final total being 22 top 10s. He only had one race outside of the top 10 at Atlanta where he did not finish due to a brake issue. The duo of Eckes and Dye could be what Kaulig is looking for in their quest for their first NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship. 2022 ARCA Menards Series Champion and two-time Craftsman Truck Series winner Nick Sanchez takes over the #48 for Big Machine Racing. The young Floridian looks to build on the success that his predecessor Parker Kligerman had with this team and finally take home their first win.
The duo of Taylor Gray and William Sawalich take over for Sheldon Creed and Chandler Smith at Joe Gibbs Racing. The two young drivers ranked 9th, Williams, and 11th, Taylor, in our Top 24 NASCAR Prospects rankings. A lot of expectations come with driving for Coach Gibbs, the pressure to be championship contenders right out of the gate is immense. Can William and Taylor live up to those expectations? Dean Thompson is another young Toyota talent who got the call to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025. Thompson will drive the #26 for Sam Hunt Racing. The young driver struggled to find his footing in the chaotic midfield in the Craftsman Truck Series and looks to have better luck at the Xfinity level.
Carson Kvapil is one of two rookies at JR Motorsports, with the other being Connor Zilisch who we will talk about later. Kvapil is the son of former NASCAR Driver Travis Kvapil and has won the Cars Tour Late Model Stock championships in 2022 and 2023 driving for JRM’s Late Model program. The 21-year-old scored 2 top 5s in his first two Xfinity Series starts at Martinsville Speedway and Dover Motor Speedway and added another at New Hampshire Motor Speedway over the summer months. 3 top 5s in 9 starts in 2024 were enough for Dale Jr and JR Motorsports to finally pull the trigger on the young driver and give him his shot at the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship. There’s a lot of expectations for Carson in 2025 and we wish him the best of luck in his rookie campaign.
NASCAR’s Future Superstar
Photo from Connor Zilisch’s Facebook
Connor Zilisch is a driver who needs no introduction. At 18 years old, he has conquered some of motorsport’s most prestigious events, winning both the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring before turning 18. A world karting champion, eight-time Whelen MX-5 Cup Winner, and five-time TA2 winner, he won the pole in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Debut, 2024 ARCA Menards Series East runner-up, collecting 6 wins in 12 ARCA Menards Series starts, and a dominant performance in his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen which ended with him in victory lane. The Trackhouse Racing development driver has taken the motorsports world by storm and has quickly captured everyone's attention. At just 18 years old, Connor Zilisch will run his first full NASCAR season in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports, driving the #88 Chevrolet. Zilisch will also be making his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Circuit of the Americas and a few weeks driving the Red Bull #87 for Trackhouse Racing. This is just the beginning of what can be a long and successful racing career for young Connor Zilisch and we cannot wait to follow his journey through the ranks of not just NASCAR, but motorsports itself.
Justin Allgaier’s Defining Moment
Photo from Last Word on Sports
Justin Allgaier finally accomplished what thought he couldn’t, winning the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship. Since joining JR Motorsports in 2016, Allgaier has only missed the Final 4 twice, in 2018 and 2021, and every year before 2024, he had come up short. 3rd, in 2016 & 2017, 4th in 2019, 2nd in 2020, 3rd in 2022, and 2nd in 2023. Allgaier had seen so many opportunities slip through his fingers that many did not believe that he could close out the deal. But all of that changed in 2024, not only did he win the championship, he did it by driving through the field from the back, twice. Allgaier’s race may not have been perfect but he did what was necessary and ended a racing season champion for the first time since his ARCA Championship in 2008. Now in 2025, Justin has a new sense of confidence. As the defending champion and knowing that a lot of his competition graduated or returned to the NASCAR Cup Series, he is one of the favorites to take home the championship in 2025. He would join the likes of Sam Ard, Larry Pearson, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Martin Truex Jr, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, and Tyler Reddick as back-to-back champions of the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Justin has the world at the tip of his fingers, so can he make history in 2025 and become the first JR Motorsports driver to win multiple championships with the team?
Harrison Burton’s Second Chance
Photo from AM Racing’s Facebook
Harrison Burton returns to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025 with AM Racing to drive the #25 Ford Mustang. He returns to the series for the first time since 2021. Burton, who is still a young 24 years old, had his shot at the NASCAR Cup Series with the illustrious Wood Brothers Racing where he ended his time with the team on a high note with a win at Daytona to clinch the team into the Playoffs for the first time since 2020. However, Harrison’s time with the team was very lackluster. 6 top 10s and 2 top 5s in three seasons with the team were very underwhelming and did not match the expectations set by the team, so Harrison was released by the team at the end of 2024. Now, still within the Ford pipeline, Harrison is getting a second chance with AM Racing. Ford has given him an opportunity to prove that there is still more to Harrison Burton than what we have seen so far. Can Harrison give AM their first playoff appearance or will he fall short and show that he may have no future in the NASCAR Cup Series?
The 2025 season is upon us with racing just around the corner. Will we see the same faces continue to dominate at the top of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, or will some new young drivers step up and take control of this series? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
