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Reuters
17 hours ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Stubbs: Best tracks for 5 marquee drivers to claim first wins of '25
June 20 - With 16 races of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season complete going into Sunday's 400-miler at Pocono Raceway, several stars remain winless as the circuit nears the halfway mark. Here are five big-name drivers who have yet to win this season -- and the track where they're most likely to break through. --Chase Elliott Elliott has been consistent this year, as he sits fourth in points and has yet to finish outside the top-20. But that consistency hasn't translated to race-winning speed very often, as Elliott has only led 95 laps. This is a rare situation where numbers do lie -- statistically, the driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has looked the part of a championship contender, but he's failing the eye test. Pocono history: 15 starts, one win (2022), four top-fives, 10 top-10s Track where's most likely to break through: Watkins Glen (Aug. 10) Elliott has won twice before at Watkins Glen, and while his last victory at the New York road course came in 2019, it remains one of his best tracks. Eliott has not won on a road course in the Next-Gen car, but he's finished top-five in both road course races this season. --Tyler Reddick Big things were expected of Reddick after a Championship 4 appearance in 2024, but those expectations are yet to be realized. The No. 45 team has shot itself in the foot several times in recent weeks, and while Reddick is all set to coast into the playoffs on points, it's slightly worrying that he's been unable to get back to victory lane in the 23XI Racing Toyota. Pocono history: Seven starts, zero wins, two top-fives, four top-10s Track where he's most likely to break through: Chicago Street Course (July 6) Reddick was the runner-up in Chicago a year ago and has turned into a fantastic road racer in recent years. Chicago is as big of a wild card as any race on the schedule, but that may be exactly what Reddick needs in order to see the checkered flag. --Chase Briscoe Briscoe's first year at Joe Gibbs Racing has seen its share of highs and lows and his playoff positioning is in jeopardy, but a win would solve that problem. A lack of overall pace hasn't been the issue, seeing as Briscoe won three consecutive poles at Charlotte, Nashville and Michigan, but being unable to put an entire race together has cost the No. 19 Toyota team. Pocono history: Five starts, zero wins, zero top-fives, zero top-10s Track where he's most likely to break through: Dover (July 20) Dover hasn't been great for Briscoe, who doesn't have a top-10 at the track in four starts. But the No. 19 team with Martin Truex Jr. knew how to get around the "Monster Mile," as Truex won at the one-mile oval in 2023 and finished third in 2024. If crew chief James Small can use those notes, Briscoe could snag his first win with JGR. --Ryan Preece Preece and the brand new No. 60 team have put together a solid season so far for RFK Racing. He is only 19 points out of the playoffs going into Pocono, and has shown winning speed in several races this season. With a cut line that will be constantly moving over the next 10 weeks, a win is his best bet -- and his only sure one -- to make the playoffs. Pocono history: Eight starts, zero wins, zero top-fives, one top-10 Track where he's most likely to break through: Richmond (Aug. 16) Short tracks are clearly Preece's best track type, and while Richmond doesn't appear to be a great track for him on the stat sheet, it's probably his best shot to win at a non-superspeedway. --Kyle Busch For the second straight year, Busch is in danger of missing the playoffs. With his winless streak officially eclipsing two full seasons, a win for Busch in one of the last 10 races would be one of the biggest of his career. Pocono history: 37 starts, four wins (2017-19, 2021), 11 top-fives, 18 top-10s Track where he's most likely to break through: Daytona (Aug. 23) It's hard to trust that Busch and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevy will have winning pace at any track other than the drafting ovals of Atlanta and Daytona. Daytona in particular seems to be a better track for Busch, who had a runner-up finish at the 2.5-mile tri-oval in August 2024. --Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Turning Point: Is Chase Elliott the sleeping giant of 2025?
Here's what's happening in NASCAR with the Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in the rearview and The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by at Pocono Raceway up next. RELATED: How to watch Sunday's race on Prime Video | See Pocono entry list 1. Is Chase Elliott the sleeping giant of 2025? Mired in a glaring winless stretch, Chase Elliott is still quietly riding a wave of steady momentum under the surface. With unmatched consistency and a playoff spot all but secured, No. 9 heads to Pocono needing just one spark to light the wick. If it comes, a beast may awaken. Advertisement Chase Elliott hasn't won a race in more than a year, and he hasn't come particularly close to doing it in 2025. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion just isn't finding the front of the field, leading in just a handful of races this year for a total of 95 laps and leaving the headline-grabbing trips to Victory Lane to names like Christopher Bell, William Byron, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson. But make no mistake: He's lurking. Quietly. Relentlessly. And if he turns up the wick before the playoffs hit, the rest of the field might not know what hit them. Elliott is doing something almost no one else in the Cup Series can claim: finishing races no matter what, no matter how. He's the only driver to place inside the top 20 in all 16 events this season, a feat of consistency he also managed last year and then some. He's completed all but one lap. He hasn't had a single meltdown, misstep, or mechanical disaster take him out of contention. His average finish — 11.19 — is third best in the series and on pace to be a career high. Advertisement Elliott and his longtime crew chief Alan Gustafson are just so in sync at this point that catastrophic days simply don't exist for the No. 9 team anymore. But here's where it gets complicated: The wins, along with the misses, have vanished. He's riding a 43-race winless streak dating back to April 2024, and we're not seeing him routinely battling for wins and settling for top fives like earlier in his career; he has just four such finishes this year, with Mexico (third) being his first in two months. For all the precision and polish, Elliott's recent results lack that killer edge we saw in the last generation of cars. He's remarkably and consistently good in the Next Gen — but he hasn't been great. Still, he's essentially a playoff lock. Sitting 146 points above the elimination line, his spot is nearly untouchable, though anything can happen over 10 races. But making the playoffs isn't enough — not for a 2020 champion; not for a guy who made his home in the Championship 4 for three straight years, not that long ago. Elliott's bar is higher, and the closer we get to the postseason, the more it feels like he's building toward something. And now? Pocono. A place where Elliott quietly actually does dominate in the Next Gen car — top 10 in every race since the debut, and more points earned there in it than anyone. Advertisement Even if it doesn't happen Sunday, Elliott has three road courses and his home track, EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway), left before the playoffs. If he capitalizes on even one, the narrative around the No. 9 flips from 'steady but non-threatening' to 'surging and dangerous.' Just like nobody wanted to see Joey Logano sneak back into the Round of 8 last year after a penalty to the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet slotted him in, none of Elliott's peers want to see him and the No. 9 group clicking off wins again, because everybody knows they're capable of doing so in bunches. Everything points to it happening, however. The Dawsonville, Georgia native has been progressively climbing the mountain while others flame out or feast on spurts of short-term momentum from wins before fading. He doesn't beat himself on the race track, and it feels like he's one moment away from reminding everyone of the dominance that takes place when this team is at full strength. Advertisement If the switch flips soon, it won't be subtle. It'll be a wake-up call (siren?) for the whole garage — loud, sudden … and felt all the way to Phoenix. jeff gordon talks with chase elliott at pocono 2. Will anyone escape playoff no-man's land at Pocono? The playoff bubble is bursting with pressure, and Pocono might be the release point. For winless drivers like Tyler Reddick, Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace, this weekend isn't about survival or points racing — it's about breaking through before the window slams shut. In a NASCAR season that has felt, at times, a bit top-heavy with the superstars of the sport commanding dominion over Victory Lane, the real playoff chaos — as we saw in Mexico City — is going to come from the crowded underbelly of the standings. Advertisement With 10 races left before the field gets sliced to 16, the bubble isn't just bubbling — it's boiling. Three somewhat surprising names (Sunday's Mexico winner Shane van Gisbergen, Austin Cindric and Josh Berry) have already locked in with thrilling wins. The window to claim one's spot is shrinking, the pressure is rising and the next big shakeup may come from a winless driver, one of whom many expected to be locked up by now — or at least be in the running to defend his Regular Season Championship. The no-man's land of the 2025 NASCAR Playoffs picture is elbow-to-elbow, and the trick to getting out of the muck and the mire might come this weekend at Pocono. Start with Tyler Reddick, who has been much maligned for erratic finishes … but is also having the quietest elite season no one seems to be noticing. On the surface, his five top 10s in 16 races are not flashy, but he's second only to championship favorite William Byron in average running position, arguably a much better indicator than average race finish. He's clearly overdue, and he's a potential sniper for the Pocono win with four straight top 10s and two runner-ups in the last three. His average finish there since 2022? Best in the field, at a pristine 3.3. If the march to re-enter the RSC conversation is going to happen, it will start at Pocono. Advertisement Chris Buescher is in a similar boat, expected in pre-season chatter to be a more viable title contender this year than he's looked so far, but the gears are turning there. He'll certainly be in the mix at the remaining road courses as well, but in terms of this weekend, the former 'Tricky Triangle' winner is the only driver to finish top 10 at Pocono in each of the last two years, and he's still out-pacing his typical stats this season, with his eight 2025 top 10s being the most he's had through 16 races to date. He's clinging to the final playoff spot by just 19 points, but there's obviously something special about Pocono for him. It could all come together here. Reddick's teammate Bubba Wallace has looked like the better of the two at times this year, but — as he's shown over the years — brings a boom-or-bust profile. He's currently booming, however, following up three straight finishes of 33rd or worse with three straight of 12th or better and could stretch that into Pocono, where his three top 10s have all come in the past four races. If things go sideways late — and they often do — Wallace's top-ranked pit crew per NASCAR Insights could be the difference-maker. We just saw Alex Bowman, a former Pocono winner, snap a miserable run of bad luck at Mexico City in quite impressive fashion, and he has four top 10s in his last six Pocono starts. He's above the elimination line, but in absolutely no way is his position safe yet. Especially if someone like Erik Jones, with the speed Toyota is likely to have, sneaks up and shocks everybody. Outside the top 20 in points but still within striking distance of the postseason — again, no-man's land stretches far and wide — Jones has eight top 10s and five top fives in 13 starts at Pocono. And lately, he's trending up, with four top 15s in the last six races. If someone shocks the playoff picture this week, Jones has the resume to do it, but don't be surprised if any of these guys whittle out their playoff spot in Pennsylvania, because they're at a premium. cars race on track in mexico city 3. Why Stenhouse 'had every right' to be mad at Hocevar Steve Letarte and the crew discuss Carson Hocevar's incident with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and why the No. 77 sophomore driver still has much to learn at the Cup Series level. 4. Joe Gibbs Racing the clear team to beat at Pocono No organization has a better handle on the 'Tricky Triangle' than JGR's fleet of Toyotas, and they could be in position to strike once again Sunday. The championship organization leads in all the categories below since the start of 2017. (Credit: Racing Insights) Starts 52 Poles 5 Wins 7 Runner-ups 5 Top fives 23 Top 10s 35 Laps led 864 5. Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage Paint Scheme Preview: 2025 Pocono Raceway weekend Advertisement Mexico City triumph turns SVG's season around, shakes up playoff order Power Rankings: Blaney aiming to double-up at the 'Tricky Triangle' NASCAR Insights: Ty Gibbs' stats shine in Mexico City rundown Inside the Race: Letarte on Gibbs: 'Liked almost what I didn't hear' Inside the Race: Analyzing Shane van Gisbergen's 'book' on road courses In-Season Challenge: Seeding update after Mexico City Inside the Race: Why Stenhouse 'had every right' to be mad at Hocevar Stenhouse confronts Hocevar on pit road after Mexico City race @nascarcasm: Fake texts to Mexico City winner SVG
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR points leaders today: Cup Series points standings after Mexico City
Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series reace in Mexico City delivered quite a bit of rain early, leading to some early movement in the field that shook up Stage 1. In a day that delivered plenty of surprises, there's plenty of movement among the NASCAR points leaders today. Below you can find the full NASCAR Cup Series points leaders after Sunday's Viva Mexico 250. In our table, (P) indicates the driver would make the playoffs if the playoffs started next week. In addition, an * indicates the driver clinched an automatic playoff spot with a win this season. Advertisement Related: NASCAR results from Mexico, NASCAR stage results today NASCAR points leaders after Sunday: Cup Series Rank Driver Points Behind 1 William Byron* (P) 604 — 2 Kyle Larson* (P) 537 -67 3 Christopher Bell* (P) 524 -80 4 Chase Elliott (P) 500 -104 5 Denny Hamlin* (P) 494 -110 6 Tyler Reddick (P) 477 -127 7 Ryan Blaney* (P) 466 -138 8 Ross Chastain* (P) 443 -161 9 Joey Logano* (P) 411 -193 10 Bubba Wallace (P) 411 -193 11 Chase Briscoe (P) 393 -211 12 Alex Bowman (P) 376 -228 13 Chris Buescher (P) 373 -231 14 Ryan Preece 354 -250 15 Austin Cindric* (P) 337 -267 16 Michael mcDowell 330 -274 17 AJ Allmendinger 328 -276 18 Kyle Busch 323 -281 19 Josh Berry* (P) 320 -284 20 Carson Hocevar 313 -291 21 Ricky Stenhouse Jr 312 -292 22 Erik Jones 311 -293 23 John Hunter Nemechek 301 -303 24 Ty Gibbs 296 -308 25 Zane Smith 287 -317 26 Todd Gilliland 286 -318 27 Austin Dillon 284 -320 28 Daniel Suárez 274 -330 29 Justin Haley 247 -357 30 Shane Van Gisbergen* (P) 242 -362 31 Ty Dillon 236 -368 32 Brad Keselowski 233 -371 33 Noah Gragson 231 -373 34 Cole Custer 204 -400 35 Riley Herbst 196 -408 36 Cody Ware 101 -503 Related Headlines
Fox News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox News
NASCAR Power Rankings: Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott move up after strong Mexico runs
Print Close Published June 17, 2025 The drivers who finished second and third at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez moved up in these power rankings. The winner? Well, that was Shane van Gisbergen but he will need to put a few solid finishes together before he cracks this list. Christopher Bell (second) and Chase Elliott (third) should feel good about their performances heading into this weekend at Pocono. Here are the power rankings following the Cup debut in Mexico City: Dropped out: Tyler Reddick (Last Week: 9) On the verge: Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs, Joey Logano, Ryan Preece, Tyler Reddick 10. Chase Briscoe (LW: Not Ranked) Briscoe didn't win a fourth consecutive pole. But he'll take the finish from Sunday, as he placed seventh in Mexico City. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was involved in an early incident and rallying for that result was a good sign that his team remains resilient. 9. Ross Chastain (LW: 6) Chastain took the stage points in the first stage by finishing third. However, he ended up with a 16th-place finish on a day when his Trackhouse Racing teammate van Gisbergen won. 8. Bubba Wallace (LW: 8) Wallace has consistently improved on road courses. The 23XI Racing driver didn't qualify well (25th) but he brought home a respectable 12th-place finish. 7. Chris Buescher (LW: 7) Buescher is one of the more underrated road-course drivers in the series. He finished seventh in the second stage and after losing the track position to pit, drove his RFK Racing car to 12th at the finish. 6. Chase Elliott (LW: 10) Quite a solid day for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, as he finished third in Mexico City. He started 12th, got the car better during the weekend and survived some of the beating and banging on the restarts. 5. Denny Hamlin (LW: 2) Hamlin didn't race at Mexico City after the birth of his son earlier in the week. He is expected to return at Pocono. 4. Ryan Blaney (LW: 4) Blaney didn't have a winning car so he took the stage points. He finished second in the opening stage and fourth in the second stage. That — combined with a 14th-place finish — gave the Penske driver the fifth-highest point total on the day. 3. Kyle Larson (LW: 3) Larson was an innocent bystander in getting collected in a wreck on Lap 7. He ended up 36th, making the trip to Mexico a frustrating one for the championship contender. 2. Christopher Bell (LW: 5) Bell finished second in the second stage behind van Gisbergen, and that's also where they ended up at the finish of the race. The JGR driver will carry momentum into Pocono. 1. William Byron (LW: 1) Byron's ninth-place finish wasn't great, but it was better than many of the other top drivers on this list. The Hendrick driver should be a threat for the win at Pocono. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. Print Close URL
Fox Sports
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
NASCAR Power Rankings: Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott move up after strong Mexico runs
The drivers who finished second and third at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez moved up in these power rankings. The winner? Well, that was Shane van Gisbergen but he will need to put a few solid finishes together before he cracks this list. Christopher Bell (second) and Chase Elliott (third) should feel good about their performances heading into this weekend at Pocono. Here are the power rankings following the Cup debut in Mexico City: Dropped out: Tyler Reddick (Last Week: 9) On the verge: Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs, Joey Logano, Ryan Preece, Tyler Reddick 10. Chase Briscoe (LW: Not Ranked) Briscoe didn't win a fourth consecutive pole. But he'll take the finish from Sunday, as he placed seventh in Mexico City. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was involved in an early incident and rallying for that result was a good sign that his team remains resilient. 9. Ross Chastain (LW: 6) Chastain took the stage points in the first stage by finishing third. However, he ended up with a 16th-place finish on a day when his Trackhouse Racing teammate van Gisbergen won. 8. Bubba Wallace (LW: 8) Wallace has consistently improved on road courses. The 23XI Racing driver didn't qualify well (25th) but he brought home a respectable 12th-place finish. 7. Chris Buescher (LW: 7) Buescher is one of the more underrated road-course drivers in the series. He finished seventh in the second stage and after losing the track position to pit, drove his RFK Racing car to 12th at the finish. 6. Chase Elliott (LW: 10) Quite a solid day for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, as he finished third in Mexico City. He started 12th, got the car better during the weekend and survived some of the beating and banging on the restarts. 5. Denny Hamlin (LW: 2) Hamlin didn't race at Mexico City after the birth of his son earlier in the week. He is expected to return at Pocono. 4. Ryan Blaney (LW: 4) Blaney didn't have a winning car so he took the stage points. He finished second in the opening stage and fourth in the second stage. That — combined with a 14th-place finish — gave the Penske driver the fifth-highest point total on the day. 3. Kyle Larson (LW: 3) Larson was an innocent bystander in getting collected in a wreck on Lap 7. He ended up 36th, making the trip to Mexico a frustrating one for the championship contender. 2. Christopher Bell (LW: 5) Bell finished second in the second stage behind van Gisbergen, and that's also where they ended up at the finish of the race. The JGR driver will carry momentum into Pocono. 1. William Byron (LW: 1) Byron's ninth-place finish wasn't great, but it was better than many of the other top drivers on this list. The Hendrick driver should be a threat for the win at Pocono. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. recommended Get more from NASCAR Cup Series Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
