Kyle Larson made it count when it mattered most, winning the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship after a dramatic late-race restart in the Phoenix Raceway finale. But will the now-two-time champ get your vote for NASCAR Driver of the Year?
The Hendrick Motorsports driver started his 2025 campaign with three wins and five more top-five finishes in the first dozen races, then saw his form dip dramatically, before digging deep to stay in Playoffs contention and finally seal the deal.
Before that final restart, Denny Hamlin looked to be cruising to a seventh win of the season and a first Cup Series championship, but was left to rue another one that got away. Will the outpourings of goodwill and sympathy Denny received convert into votes? It’s your call, readers.
Or how about Shane van Gisbergen, who’s switched from the Australia-based Supercars Championship and took an unprecedented five road-course wins in his first full Cup Series season with Trackhouse Racing? That was impressive stuff – as was William Byron’s second-straight Daytona 500 win, a hard-fought first regular season championship and his third-straight Championship 4 appearance.
Outside of the Cup Series, rising star Connor Zilisch won 10 races in the Xfinity Series, including seven of the final eight regular season rounds, but was pipped to the title by Jesse Love in the Phoenix season-closer. Meanwhile, Corey Heim dominated the Craftsman Truck Series with 12 wins from 25 races, including five wins in the seven-race Playoffs.
Could a season like Heim’s or Zilisch’s put the stars of the Cup Series in the shade? It’s your call and your votes, and we’re looking forward to finding out who you’ve put top.
Voting will remain open for 72 hours, and we’ll be announcing your 2025 NASCAR Driver of the Year on January 15.
Plus, coming soon: vote for your sports car racing marque of the year.