Kaulig Racing took to social media to reveal its 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series crew chief lineup that features the return of three familiar names from the previous season.
For the upcoming racing season, Kevin Walter will be working atop the pit box of the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro team that is set to be piloted by incoming Xfinity Series rookie Daniel Dye. Veteran Eddie Pardue will remain as a crew chief for Josh Williams and the No. 11 Chevrolet Camaro team, a position he assumed midway into the 2024 season, while Alex Yontz will return as a crew chief for Kaulig’s No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro team that will be driven by incoming rookie Christian Eckes.
The news comes as Kaulig Racing is coming off its ninth consecutive campaign in the Xfinity Series and fourth in a row fielding three full-time entries. The organization has also fielded a fourth entry for 10 races total that was piloted by Dye, the latter of whom was making his first set of appearances in the Xfinity division while also competing as a full-time competitor for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Throughout the 2024 season, the Kaulig organization notched four victories, three with Shane van Gisbergen and one with AJ Allmendinger as both also made the Playoffs. While van Gisbergen finished 12th in the final driver’s standings, Allmendinger finished third after he made the Championship 4 round by winning the Playoff’s Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October. Meanwhile, Williams, who campaigned in his first Xfinity season at Kaulig, finished 18th in the standings on the strengths of four top-10 results while Dye recorded two top-10 results during his 10-race stint.
In total, Kaulig Racing achieved a combined four victories, three poles, 14 top-five results, 34 top-10 results and 374 laps led in 2024.
Fthe start of the 2025 season at Kaulig’s No. 10 team is set to mark his third different entry working within the organization and since he began as an Xfinity crew chief in 2024. He initially commenced this past season as a crew chief for Williams and the No. 11 team. Following the first 20 scheduled events, Walter replaced the departing Bruce Schlicker to work atop the pit box of Kaulig’s No. 97 Chevrolet that was piloted by van Gisbergen. Through 33 appearances as an Xfinity crew chief, Walter has notched one pole, two top-five results and seven top-10 results while working with two competitors (van Gisbergen and Williams). Both he and driver Daniel Dye enter the 2025 season with pursuits of notching their first victories in the series.
Walter’s midseason change of Kaulig entry teams in 2024 resulted in Eddie Pardue assuming the position of crew chief Williams and the No. 11 Chevrolet team, beginning at Michigan International Speedway in August. It also marked Pardue’s first appearance as a crew chief in the Xfinity circuit since he was at TriStar Motorsports in 2016. Having made his Xfinity crew chief debut at the start of the 1998 season while working with Elton Sawyer, Pardue has called a current total of 351 events while working with 24 competitors as an Xfinity crew chief.
Throughout the span, Paedue achieved three victories, two with Greg Biffle and one with Matt Kenseth, while leading Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 16 Ford team in 2009. Before being elevated as a crew chief for Kaulig, he was the team’s engineering manager, a position he held since December 2022. Having also called 33 events as a Cup Series crew chief and 22 in the Truck Series, Pardue is set to call a full season with Williams, the latter of whom continues his pursuit for his first Xfinity victory.
Meanwhile, Alex Yontz remains as a crew chief for Kaulig’s No. 16 Chevrolet team for a second consecutive season come the start of the 2025 season. With AJ Allmendinger returning for a full campaign at Kaulig, Christian Eckes assumes Allmendinger’s Xfinity seat after spending the previous two seasons in the Truck Series, where he won a total of eight races with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing and made the Championship 4 round this past season.
Yontz, who made his crew chief debut at the start of the 2019 Xfinity season, has achieved a total of nine victories with four competitors through 184 appearances as a crew chief. During the six years, he also made two Championship 4 appearances: the first with Justin Haley in 2020 and his recent with Allmendinger in 2024, both of which resulted in third-place finishes in the final driver’s standings. Eckes will become the 16th competitor overall to work with Yontz, the latter of whom continues his pursuit for his first NASCAR championship as a crew chief.
Ironically, Kaulig’s reveal of its Xfinity crew chief lineup in 2025 comes exactly two weeks after the organization revealed its Cup crew chief lineup that consists of Andrew Dickeson and Trent Owens for Ty Dillon and Allmendinger, respectively.
The 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season will commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 15 at 5 p.m. ET on the CW Network.
Fred Lorenzen, Hall of Fame legend, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 18, at the age of 89 as confirmed by his family. No cause of death was revealed, but he had suffered from dementia and failing health in his later years.
NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France expressed the sport’s sense of loss and Lorenzen’s impact on and off the track.
“Fred Lorenzen was one of NASCAR’s first true superstars. A fan favorite, he helped NASCAR expand from its original roots, France Said. Fred was the picture-perfect NASCAR star, helping to bring the sport to the silver screen — which further grew NASCAR’s popularity during its early years. For many years, NASCAR’s ‘Golden Boy’ was also its gold standard, a fact that eventually led him to the sport’s pinnacle, a rightful place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. On behalf of the France family and all of NASCAR, I want to offer our condolences to the friends and family of Fred Lorenzen.”
Lorenzen was one of NASCAR’s most beloved drivers and and highly regarded by his peers and his fans. This admiration resulted in numerous nicknames, including Fearless Freddy and Golden Boy.
He rose through the ranks after starting his career as a mechanic for Holman Moody in 1960. But, by the end of the year, he became the lead driver for the team. He captured 26 race wins throughout his career in NASCAR’s premier series, including the 1965 Daytona 500. And he accomplished this, despite never running a full season.
In 1963, he achieved another milestone in his career. Lorenzen was the first driver to earn $100,000 in a single season. He did so after competing in only 29 of the 55 races.
He retired in 1972 at the age of 32 to focus on his family and health. At his retirement banquet, Lorenzen said, “I guess every athlete wants to quit when he’s on top. I know I’m slowing down and have been a little more cautious in the last year and a half. Plus I haven’t been feeling too well lately. The ulcer is a small one, but it sure takes a lot out of you. I added up all these things and decided that now was the time to quit.”
And though his career was short, his expertise was undeniable. He left an enduring legacy that will live on through NASCAR and his fans. Lorenzen was named one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers in 1998 and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January 2015.
At his retirement banquet, Lorenzen said, “I guess every athlete wants to quit when he’s on top. I know I’m slowing down and have been a little more cautious in the last year and a half. Plus I haven’t been feeling too well lately. The ulcer is a small one, but it sure takes a lot out of you. I added up all these things and decided that now was the time to quit.”
Though his career was short, his expertise was undeniable and he left an enduring legacy that will live on through NASCAR and his fans.
Parker Retzlaff will be driving the No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro entry on a full-time basis for Alpha Prime Racing for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
The news comes as the 21-year-old Retzlaff from Rhinelander, Wisconsin, is coming off his second consecutive campaign in the Xfinity circuit, where he drove for Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport.
Throughout the 33-race schedule in 2024, Retzlaff notched his first two career poles (Richmond Raceway in March and Martinsville Speedway in November), a season-best third-place result during the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway, two top-five results, four top-10 results, 50 laps led and an average-finishing result of 23.5 before setting in 21st place in the final driver’s standings.
Throughout the 2024 season, Retzlaff also made his first two career starts in the Cup Series division. He finished 35th in his debut while driving for MBM Motorsports at Richmond in August before he notched a strong seventh-place result during his second start two races later at Daytona while driving for Beard Motorsports.
Retzlaff’s move to Alpha Prime Racing solidified his racing plans for next season more than a month after it was announced that he would not be retained by Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport for the 2025 campaign.
“I’m humbled, honestly,” Retzlaff said in a released statement. “Obviously I wouldn’t be here without the support of my partners – who I’m really excited to announce later,” he said with a smile. “[Owners] Tommy [Joe Martins] and Caesar [Bacarella] have put together an awesome team. It’s a big confidence booster for me to go into 2025 with a group that really wants me here.”
“I feel like we still have something to prove,” Retzlaff added. “We all want to win races, be consistent and prove we’re here to compete. Everyone here has told me how much they believe in me and what I can do.”
Retzlaff, a former champion in the Wisconsin Bandolero Series, made his Xfinity Series debut at Phoenix Raceway in March 2022, where he drove the No. 38 RSS Racing Ford entry to a 36th-place result. He then made eight additional starts while competing between RSS and Our Motorsports throughout the season. During the stint, he notched his first top-10 career result by finishing 10th at Richmond in April.
In 2023, Retzlaff replaced Myatt Snider to pilot the No. 31 Chevrolet entry for Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport. Commencing his first full-time Xfinity campaign with a fourth-place result at Daytona, Retzlaff would rack up six additional top-10 results and a total of 23 top-20 results. Despite missing the Playoffs, Retzlaff capped off the season with an average-finishing result of 17.9 and a 16th-place result in the final standings.
Through 75 career starts in the Xfinity Series, Retzlaff has notched two poles, three top-five results, 12 top-10 results, 62 laps led and an average-finishing result of 20.4 as he continues his pursuit for both his first series victory and Playoff berth. He is set to compete alongside Brennan Poole, the latter of whom returns for a second consecutive campaign at Alpha Prime Racing after he notched two top-10 results, an average-finishing result of 20.0 and finished 16th in the driver’s standings.
“I’m just super excited to have [Retzlaff] join us,” Caesar Bacarella said. “He’s a young, really talented racecar driver and he’s going to help elevate the team. There’s been a lot of ups and downs, but [co-owner Tommy Joe Martins] and I agree it’s all about the people. It’s so hard. We’re racing against the best teams in the world. But we’ve got great people and that’s what’s made it work. And now we’ve got two ace drivers in the stable full-time.”
Alpha Prime Racing’s crew chief lineup for its driver roster along with any additional organization and partnership details remain to be determined.
The 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season for Alpha Prime Racing is scheduled to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 15 at 5 p.m. ET on the CW Network.
Jack Wood has been named a full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racer for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing (MHR) for the 2025 season.
The 24-year-old Wood from Loomis, California, will pilot the No. 91 Chevrolet Silverado RST entry that will be sponsored by Adaptive One Calipers and led by crew chief Kevin Bellicourt.
The news comes as Wood is coming off a part-time Truck Series campaign at MHR, where he drove MHR’s No. 91 entry to seven top-20 results and an average-finishing result of 20.8 through 13-scheduled starts. He also competed on a full-time basis for Bill McAnally Racing in the ARCA Menards Series West division, where he notched five top-five results and seven top-10 results before he finished in fourth place in the final driver’s standings.
The 2025 season is set to mark MHR’s second consecutive season fielding four full-time entries in the Truck Series as Wood will compete alongside teammates Tyler Ankrum, Daniel Hemric and Connor Mosack. The upcoming season is also set to mark Wood’s second as a full-time competitor in the Truck Series and first since the 2022 season.
“I’m definitely thankful and excited to be back at MHR next season,” Wood said in a released statement. “We had a lot of bright spots this past season and have a great foundation to build on. I have a lot of trust in Kevin [Bellicourt], [team owner] Bill [McAnally], and everyone at MHR, so that makes me excited for what’s ahead of us next year. It’s great to have Adaptive One Calipers board with us and looking forward to activating with their customers throughout the season.”
Wood made his Truck Series debut at Circuit of the Americas in May 2021, where he drove the No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet entry to a 28th-place result. He proceeded to make 11 additional starts throughout the 2021 season, where he notched his first top-10 result by finishing 10th at World Wide Technology Raceway in August, before he assumed the No. 24 entry on a full-time basis in 2022. During his first full-time Truck campaign, he recorded an average-finishing result of 25.2 and settled in 24th place in the driver’s standings. Prior to joining MHR on a part-time basis in 2024, Wood piloted the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevrolet entry in 13 events in 2023. During the stint, he recorded two top-10 results, a career-best ninth-place run at Texas Motor Speedway in April and an average-finishing result of 21.3.
Through 61 current starts in the Truck Series, Wood has recorded three top-10 results, five laps led and an average-finishing result of 23.6 as he strives to both achieve his first series victory and make his first Playoffs in 2025.
“We’re glad to have Jack return next season and excited to see him build on the groundwork from 2024,” Bill McAnally added. “The No. 91 team did a great job last season with multiple drivers and Jack managed the year well with splitting time between the truck program and the west series. It’s tremendous to have continued support from everyone at Adaptive One Calipers and allowing Jack to focus on the entire truck schedule next year will pay dividends for the whole team.”
With his plans for next season set, Jack Wood’s 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season is scheduled to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
TRICON Garage took to social media to reveal its crew chief lineup for the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
The host of names that will occupy TRICON’s crew chief lineup for next season features the return of four names from the previous season and one new name returning atop the pit box for the first time in two seasons.
Beginning in 2025, Jake Hampton will work as a crew chief for TRICON’s No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro team. The No. 1 entry will be fielded as the team’s “all-star” entry for a third consecutive season and piloted by multiple competitors who haven’t been named. Hampton had previously served as a crew chief for TRICON’s Nos. 15 and 17 entries through 11 of the remaining 12 events on the 2023 schedule.
For the list of familiar names returning in 2025, Derek Smith and Scott Zipadelli will remain as crew chiefs for TRICON’s Nos. 5 and 11 Toyota entries, respectively. Smith, who spent the previous two seasons working with driver Dean Thompson, will be paired with Toni Breidinger, the latter of whom replaces Thompson and is set to make her first full-time campaign in the Truck Series after she competed on a full-time ARCA Menards Series basis for Venturini Motorsports in 2024. Meanwhile, Zipadelli, the 2018 Truck Series championship-winning crew chief who enters his third consecutive season with TRICON, will remain paired with driver Corey Heim. Together, the duo of Zipadelli and Heim have notched nine victories, five poles, 26 top-five results, 37 top-10 results, the 2023 Truck Series Regular Season Championship and two Championship 4 appearances, where they settled in the runner-up spot in the 2024 driver’s standings.
Lastly, crew chiefs Jeff Hensley and Jerame Donley will return to TRICON as both will also switch teams in 2025. Hensley, a veteran crew chief with 22 Truck victories who first joined TRICON and worked atop the No. 17 pit box for driver Taylor Gray a year ago, will transition to TRICON’s No. 15 Toyota team and work with Tanner Gray, Taylor’s older brother. As a result, Donley, who first joined TRICON in 2023 to crew chief the No. 15 entry and Tanner Gray, will assume Hensley’s former position atop the No. 17 pit box for newcomer Gio Ruggiero, the latter of whom is set to make his first full-time campaign in the Truck Series after spending this past season competing in the ARCA Menards Series East division for Venturini Motorsports.
This past season, Donley was replaced by Jason Burdett at the No. 15 team before the seven-race Playoff stretch. However, he did work as the crew chief for the No. 1 entry piloted by William Sawalich for the remaining three scheduled events.
In addition to the crew chief lineup, Matt Puccia, a three-time race-winning crew chief in the Cup Series, will remain as TRICON’s competition director for a third consecutive season.
The 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season is set to mark TRICON Garage’s third season of existence since being rebranded from David Gilliland Racing and changing manufacturers from Ford to Toyota. Since 2023, the organization has notched nine victories, all of which have been recorded by driver Corey Heim, crew chief Scott Zipadelli and the No. 11 team. In addition, the organization has also recorded a combined eight poles, 48 top-five results, 150 top-10 results and 1,467 laps led. This past season, Heim and Taylor Gray represented TRICON in the Playoffs as the organization continues to pursue its first championship in the Truck Series division.
TRICON Garage’s 2025 Truck Series season is scheduled to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
Rajah Caruth will return as the driver of the No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado RST entry for Spire Motorsports for the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
The news come as the 22-year-old Caruth from Washington D.C. is coming off his second consecutive full-time campaign in the Truck circuit, where he achieved his first career victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. In doing so, Caruth joined Wendell Scott and Bubba Wallace as the only African-American competitors to win across NASCAR’s top three premier series. In addition to the Vegas victory, Caruth notched his first two career poles, five top-five results, 12 top-10 results, 56 laps led and an average-finishing result of 11.6. After qualifying for his first Truck Playoffs this past season, he settled in seventh place in the final driver’s standings and was named the 2024 Most Popular Driver in the series.
Caruth’s announcement of his 2025 racing plans also occurred on December 13th, the day he graduated from Winston-Salem State University with a Bachelor of Science in Motorsports Management.
“It is great to have a home and stability heading into next year,” Caruth said in a released statement. “I believe this is the first time in my career I won’t be with a new team or competing in a different series at the start of the season. I really appreciate the opportunity [owners] Jeff [Dickerson] and T.J. [Puchyr] have given me, and I’m excited to continue preparations for 2025. Our organization has really grown over the past year, and we have shown what we are capable of. We have set the bar high for the season and the expectation is to win more races and compete for a championship.”
Caruth, whose racing career started virtually through iRacing in 2018, made his Truck Series debut at World Wide Technology Raceway in June 2022, where he piloted the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet entry to an 11th-place result. After making three additional Truck starts with Spire for the remainder of the 2022 season, he campaigned in his first full-time season in the series with GMS Racing in 2023. During the season, he notched four top-10 results, an average-finishing result of 18.2 and settled in 16th place in the final standings before he returned to Spire on a full-time basis in 2024.
Through 50 current starts in the Truck Series, Caruth has achieved one victory, two poles, five top-five results, 16 top-10 results, 57 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.7. He has also made 19 career starts in the Xfinity Series and 25 in the ARCA Menards Series, the latter of which he notched 14 top-10 results and finished in third place in the final driver’s standings during the 2022 season while competing for Rev Racing.
“I’m thrilled to confirm that Rajah Caruth will be back with us in 2025 driving the No. 71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado,” Jeff Dickerson, co-owner of Spire Motorsports, said. “He took the incredibly high expectations we placed on him to start the year and exceeded them in every way. I’m impressed with how he’s balanced his commitments to his race team, his craft, the media and his growing fanbase while managing a full workload at Winston-Salem State University. Our organization believes in Raj and he has consistently shown the leadership, form and work ethic that every team looks for in a driver. Everyone at Spire Motorsports is really happy to run it back with him next season.”
As part of Caruth’s return to the Truck Series, HendrickCars.com, which sponsored Caruth for the entire schedule in 2024, will also return to sponsor him for the entire 25-race schedule in 2025. Caruth was also sponsored by HendrickCars.com when he competed in the 2023 Xfinity Series finale at Phoenix Raceway for Hendrick Motorsports, where he finished 14th after starting 13th.
“Rajah is a young man of tremendous character and has proven to be a great representative of HendrickCars.com and our nearly 11,000 teammates across the country, Rick Hendrick, chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group and owner of Hendrick Motorsports, said. “In addition to being extremely talented, he has an incredible work ethic. We couldn’t be prouder to make this announcement on the same day Rajah and his family celebrate his college graduation. He has a very bright future in the sport, and we are thrilled to continue supporting his journey in 2025.”
The remainder of Spire Motorsports’ driver and crew chief lineup for the 2025 NASCAR season remains to be determined.
With his plans for next season set, Rajah Caruth’s 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season is scheduled to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
Chris Lawson has been named crew chief for Todd Gilliland and the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports (FRM) Ford Mustang Dark Horse team for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.
The news comes as Lawson, a former racer turned crew chief from Medway, Ohio, spent this past season as a Cup Series crew chief for Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry that was split between Justin Haley and Corey LaJoie. Through the first 29-scheduled events of the 2024 season, Haley recorded two top-10 results. Following a midseason driver swap between Rick Ware Racing and Spire Motorsports, LaJoie replaced Haley and piloted the No. 51 entry for the remaining seven events on the schedule. At the conclusion of the 2024 season, the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing entry settled in 34th place in the final owner’s standings.
Lawson, who made his crew chief debut during the 2018 Craftsman Truck Series season for DGR-Crosley, first joined FRM in 2020 when he was paired with Gilliland and the No. 38 Ford F-150 team. Over the next four seasons, Lawson would notch six victories while working with Gilliland and Zane Smith. During the 2022 season, Lawson achieved his first NASCAR championship as a crew chief when Smith fended off the competition during an overtime shootout to win the finale at Phoenix Raceway. The championship would also mark the first for both Smith and FRM.
Prior to the 2024 season, Lawson made his debut as a Cup Series crew chief for Gilliland and the No. 36 FRM Ford team at Talladega Superspeedway, where Gilliland finished 10th. Through 36 appearances as a Cup Series crew chief, Lawson has recorded three top-10 results and has worked with four different competitors as both he and Gilliland strive to notch their first victory in NASCAR’s premier series in 2025. The duo had previously achieved back-to-back ARCA Menards Series West championships between the 2016 and 2017 seasons while competing for Bill McAnally Racing.
For the 2025 Cup Series season, Lawson and Gilliland replace crew chief Travis Peterson and driver Michael McDowell. The latter duo are set to join Spire Motorsports after spending this past season notching a season-high six poles, seven top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 21.3 with FRM’s No. 34 team.
The remainder of Front Row Motorsports’ driver and crew chief lineup remains to be determined.
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season for crew chief Chris Lawson, driver Todd Gilliland and the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse team is scheduled to commence with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. This event will be followed by the 67th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway that is scheduled to occur on February 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
Jonathan Toney and Jason Trinchere have been named crew chiefs for Haas Factory Team’s NASCAR Xfinity Series two-car program in 2025.
Toney, the 2023 Xfinity championship-winning crew chief from Newton, North Carolina, will remain with the No. 00 Ford Mustang team and be paired with the organization’s newest competitor, Sheldon Creed. Jason Trinchere, a native of Easton, Pennsylvania, will join the team and be paired with driver Sam Mayer, the latter of whom is also new to the Haas organization as he will be piloting the No. 41 Ford Mustang entry.
The news of Haas Factory Team’s crew chief lineup for the 2025 Xfinity season was made on December 10 on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio by Joe Custer, president of the organization that has been restructured from Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). This past season, SHR notched four Xfinity victories, including the 2024 finale at Phoenix Raceway, between its former competitors Cole Custer and Riley Herbst, both of whom have been elevated to the Cup Series for Haas Factory Team and 23XI Racing, respectively, for the 2025 season.
During the crew chief reveal, Custer also announced that the organization has retained a majority of its employees since being restructured and that Adam Gravitt has been elevated from engineering manager to competition director for the Xfinity program. In addition, the Haas Factory Team will maintain a technical alliance with AM Racing and RSS Racing. The retention of the organization’s staff and alliances comes as Custer anticipates extending the on-track momentum from the 2024 season towards the upcoming 2025 season under a new Haas identity.
“[The Haas Factory Team] whole program is looking very similar, and we believe we’ll be starting where we left off [from 2024],” Custer said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “We finished half the deal at Phoenix [Raceway in November] with winning the race and the championship slipped through our fingers, which was disappointing, but we were there. We led a lot of laps, we had a lot of speed. We’re optimistic about next year at Phoenix, putting our two drivers into that final race.”
Toney, who first joined the Haas organization before the 2004 season and was a former Cup Series lead engineer for three-time champion and former Haas co-owner Tony Stewart, made his crew chief debut in 2023 when he was paired with Cole Custer. By then, Custer had returned to the Xfinity division on a full-time basis following a three-year campaign in the Cup division.
In their first season together, Toney and Custer notched three victories, six poles, with 19 top-10 results and transferred to the Championship 4 round, where they won the championship after Custer prevailed in an overtime shootout to also win the finale at Phoenix. The 2023 championship would also be the first ever for the Haas organization in the Xfinity circuit. This past season, Toney and Custer notched two victories and the 2024 Xfinity Series regular-season title. Despite returning to the Championship 4 round, the duo ended up in second place in the final standings.
Through 64 appearances as an Xfinity crew chief, Toney has achieved five victories, nine poles, 27 top-five results and 42 top-10 results, all of which occurred with Custer, as he prepares to embark on his first campaign with Sheldon Creed, the latter of whom has notched 13 runner-up results through 103 Xfinity starts.
Meanwhile, Trinchere’s transition to Haas Factory Team occurs as the Pennsylvania native spent the 2024 season as a Craftsman Truck Series crew chief for Spire Motorsports and Chase Purdy, the latter of whom notched a pole at Kansas Speedway, six top-10 results and a 15th-place result in the final driver’s standings. Previously, Trinchere spent three seasons as an Xfinity crew chief at Kaulig Racing, where he notched five victories and made the Championship 4 round with driver AJ Allmendinger in 2021.
Through 99 appearances as an Xfinity crew chief, Trinchere has recorded five victories, one pole, 27 top-five results and 51 top-10 results while working with seven different competitors. The 2025 season will mark Trinchere’s first with Sam Mayer, the latter of whom has notched seven Xfinity victories and spent the previous four seasons at JR Motorsports.
👀 Haas Factory Team President Joe Custer revealed the organization’s @NASCAR_Xfinity crew chief lineup for 2025 with Jonathan Toney calling the shots for @sheldoncreed and Jason Trinchere doing so for @sam_mayer_.
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) December 10, 2024
In addition to the Xfinity Series, the Haas Factory Team will also field a single full-time entry in the Cup Series for Cole Custer, the latter of whom was announced to be driving the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry on July 20. Nearly a month later, Aaron Kramer, a former lead engineer at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, was revealed as Custer’s Cup crew chief for the 2025 season.
The 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season for the Haas Factory Team is scheduled to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 15 at 5 p.m. ET on the CW Network.
Let’s review the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season and highlight the most memorable moments. This journey will take us through the highs and the lows of the 2024 season, which includes 18 different race winners but only one champion. We will analyze some of the biggest wins, unexpected upsets, the final season for a 19-year career champion, and some heartbreaking losses.
The Championship Chase: A Look Back
The 2018, 2022, and 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Joey Logano, captured four victories in 2024, including three in the Cup Series Playoffs. The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford didn’t capture his first win of the 2024 season until May, when he won the non-points race in the 40th annual running of the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, May 19.
Logano erased his difficult start to the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season by capping off a dominant run with a big victory. He captured the pole, which was determined through a combined session of on-track qualifying and the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge, and he led all but one of 200 scheduled laps in the event.
“Very proud of the whole team,” Logano said. “This qualifying session is the most fun session of the year. It really takes every crew member all the way through. Everybody’s got to do their part to make it happen and that’s why it means a lot to get an All-Star pole. Obviously, a great starting spot. Get a little momentum booster for our team.”
“How about that, Wilkesboro?! That was awesome!” Logano said. “What an incredible Shell/Pennzoil Mustang. It was so fast. Man, we came here and tested. We ran over 800 laps at the tire test. Paul really put me to work, really figured out what it was going to take to win the race. The boys executed a fantastic stop. Fantastic weekend, great execution. It’s been a while since we’ve won a race. I wish this one counted for points, but a million bucks will work as well…Man, it feels good. Feels great.”
With an average-finishing result of 17.9 and eight results outside the top 20 through 18-scheduled events, Logano turned his luck into good fortunes after surviving through a record-setting five overtime attempts while going 110 laps on low fuel to capture a thrilling victory in the fourth annual running of the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, June 30. He started 26 and led the final nine of 331 over-scheduled laps to capture his first Cup Series victory of the 2024 season. This key moment guaranteed him a spot in the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs.
“It’s been a stressful few weeks trying to get into the Playoffs,” Logano said. “Being able to win here is huge for our season. It felt great to get that [win]. Boy, that feels good. I’m out of breath. We had it won off of [Turn] 4 and the caution came out. I was like, ‘Oh my god,’ but you can’t pit, like you kind of got to go for it. Boy, it was close, but we got to give a lot of credit to Roush Yates not only building horsepower, but build a fuel mileage that won today. When I went into [Turn] 3 and saw that [fuel] light [blinking], I was like, ‘Oh no, I’m gonna run out off of [Turn] 4.’ It just stumbled and spit and sputtered across the [finish] line. Trying to make the Playoff’s not easy these days with these Next Gen cars and everyone’s so equally matched. I made a lot of mistakes, even some tonight. It’s nice to be able to overcome. It’s a much-needed win, for sure.”
Logano started the 2024 Playoffs on a high note by winning the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in overtime on Sunday, September 8 for his second win in 2024. He led nine of the 266 over-scheduled laps in an event where he qualified in seventh place and survived a war of attrition amongst his fellow Playoff and non-Playoff contenders.
“[It was an] Incredible execution from the team,” Logano said. “When it’s Playoff time, it’s out time. That’s what I said. We got to always level up when it comes to Playoff time and [the team] gave me a great AutoTrader Mustang. [The car] was fast all day. We got stuck in the back a little bit. It was hard to get track position back.
“We had a good restart and got towards the front. [I] Had my teammate [Ryan] Blaney behind me. It really helped out in that last lap to be able to make sure [a] Penske car won and ultimately, move on to the next round. Good day for all the Penske cars. Pretty good day today. There’s a lot of memories right here on this start/finish line for me racing Legends cars as a kid, so this is a really cool feeling to be out here in a Cup car again.”
Logano became the first Playoff competitor to clinch a Championship 4 berth after utilizing a late strategic pit call to win the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, October 20th. He started 10th and led the final six of the 267-scheduled laps for his 35th career win in the Cup Series and his third win in 2024.
Ironically, the 2024 season marks the fourth season where Logano has won the Playoff’s Round of 8 opener, with his previous three victories all occurring in even years (2018, 2020 & 2022).
This key moment comes after Logano only became eligible for the Round of 8 after the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, driven by Alex Bowman, was disqualified in the Round of 12 elimination race when his car did not meet minimum weight post-race. Logano advanced to the Playoffs as a result of the disqualification. He was previously 4 points short of transferring to the Round of 8.
“What [an] incredible turn of events here the last week,” Logano, who led the final six laps, said on NBC. “What a very fast Pennzoil Mustang. We’re going to the Championship 4 again! I don’t know what the deal’s [winning here at Vegas] with the even-year thing, but maybe it’s real. Thanks to the fans out here. Thanks to Roush Yates Engines for making great fuel mileage. Great calls by [crew chief] Paul [Wolfe], Nick Hensley, our gas man, making sure [the car]’s full, giving me the good info I need to save fuel and keep the lead that we needed to. Boy, we’re going racing again. What an incredible situation. I’m blessed.”
Logano elevated his driver status to another level and in an elite category of three-time champions in NASCAR’s premier series by claiming a dominant victory in the 2024 finale at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 10. He started second and led twice for 107 of 312 scheduled laps.
Despite teammate Ryan Blaney inching up on him through every turn and straightaway while cutting away his advantage, Logano had enough horsepower to fend off Blaney to win the 2024 finale and claim his third Cup Series championship in seven seasons in the process.
“I love the Playoffs,” Logano said. “I love it, man. What a race. What a Team Penske battle there at the end. [I] Had a good restart and was able to get in front of [Blaney]. He had a lot of long-run speed there. That was all I had there to hold him off. Man, three [championships]. That’s really special to get to [three titles]. What a team to fight through today. We threw a little bit of adversity throughout the race. [Crew chief] Paul Wolfe, I mean, what a crew chief do I have. I got the best team. I don’t know if I’m the best driver, but I got the best team. Together, we’re very well-rounded and can show up when it matters the most. We get a mentally tough team that can make things happen when it matters.”
Logano ended the season with four wins (Ally 400 at Nashville, Quaker State 400 at Atlanta, South Point 400 at Las Vegas, NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix), one non-points win (NASCAR All-Star Race), 13 top-10s, seven top-5s, three poles, and led 414 laps.
Blaney, Byron, and Reddick short of the championship
Ryan Blaney made his second consecutive appearance in the Championship 4 but fell just one spot short of becoming the first repeat champion since Jimmie Johnson won five consecutive titles from 2006 through 2010. Blaney capped off the season with three victories, 18 top-10s, 12 top-5s, one pole, and led 567 laps.
“Yeah, [I’m] just worn out,” Blaney said. “[I] Just couldn’t quite get there. I tried really hard to do so. Just [the last] restart didn’t really work out. [Logano] just got too far away from me and it took me a while to pass a couple guys. [I] Just could never get by Joey and just ran out of time, but congrats to him. Congrats to the No. 22 team and Pennzoil and Ford. They put together a great Playoffs and we’re happy.
“If we’re going to race somebody, I’m happy it was [Logano] for the championship and happy to be one, two for [owner] Roger [Penske]. Three in a row for Roger. Super amazing. On my side, I hate it for Menards,…everybody who really puts a lot of effort into our program. Just super fast. Just didn’t quite have enough there at the end. At least, a Penske car won it, but yeah, heck of a battle. [I] Hope the fans enjoyed it and yeah, hopefully, we come back even stronger next year.”
Making his second consecutive Championship 4 appearance, William Byron capped off his seventh full-time Cup Series campaign with three wins, 21 top-10s, 13 top-5s, one pole, led 357 laps, won the 2024 Daytona 500, and finished third in the final standings.
“We just needed a little bit more,” Byron said. “I felt like we gave it all we had and that’s something to be proud of. We just didn’t have enough to go fight with the Penske guys. [Crew chief] Rudy [Fugle] made a great call. I was really proud of that. That was cool to give us a shot at the front row and ultimately, it netted out better. Just not quite enough, but so proud of this team. It’s been a great year. To make the Championship 4 and win the [Daytona] 500 is awesome. I know what we need to work on and we’ll go at it next year.”
Tyler Reddick made his first Championship 4 appearance. He notched three victories, 21 top-10s, 12 top-5s, three poles, led 597 laps, won the 2024 Cup Series Regular Season, and finished fourth place in the final standings.
“I think we definitely got our [Tame the] Beast Camry better throughout the day,” Reddick added. “[Blaney, Byron, and Logano] were able to pull away over time. It was a good year for us and everyone at 23XI [Racing]. To get to the Championship 4 and have a shot at [the title] was nice. We got to get a little bit better here at Phoenix. Obviously, we’re definitely motivated to do that knowing [the] championship’s sited here. Good year for us. Proud of the effort. It’s a lot to do. All the preparation, all the work that goes into this. It takes everybody. We were close. We were just not quite good enough, unfortunately.”
Larson, Elliott, and Bell had a Great Season
Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Christopher Bell were eliminated from the Playoffs at Martinsville Speedway.
Bell and William Byron were battling for the final playoff spot as Bell drove into the final corner, riding against the outside wall. NASCAR officials reviewed the move and determined that Bell had committed a safety violation, which resulted in a penalty.
Despite Bell’s move being similar to the move Ross Chastain made up against the Turns 3 and 4 outside wall to gain spots and make the Championship 4 round in 2022, NASCAR had banned the wall-ride maneuver from competitors before the start of the 2023 season. After a lengthy NASCAR review, Bell was demoted from 18th to 22nd in the final running order, which left him four points out of the Championship 4 field, and Byron advanced.
“I don’t know what to say,” Bell said, “I understand that the rule was made to prevent people from riding the wall, but my move was completely different than what Ross’s [Chastain] was. He explained, adding, “I got loose getting into the corner, and slid right into the fence. I don’t know what else to say.”
But overall, Bell had a great season, with three wins, 23 top-10s, 15 top-5s, three poles, and 1145 laps led.
Larson had a dominating season and captured six wins but came up short in the Playoffs. Larson had 18 top-10s, 15 top-5s, five poles, and led 1700 laps. He won the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, AdventHealth 400, Kansas Speedway, Toyota/Save Mart 350, Sonoma Raceway, Brickyard 400, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Bass Pro Shops Night Race, Bristol Motor Speedway, and the Bank of America Roval 400, Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.
“I’m proud of the effort from this No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy team. This whole Round of Eight has been a fight, really. From the first stage at Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) on, it’s been a fight. I feel like we made the right pit call to give ourselves the best opportunity. I’m proud of my team; the car, the pit crew, everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. We just didn’t have enough.”
Despite having a great season, Elliott also came up short of making the Playoffs with a second-place finish at Martinsville. Elliott finished the season with one win, 19 top-10s, 11 top-5s, and led 431 laps.
Illustrious 19-year career
Martin Truex Jr. finished 17th in his 693rd and final start as a full-time Cup Series driver. The 2017 Cup Series champion’s No. 19 Bass Pro Shops/Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry XSE entry had a special red throwback scheme that mirrored the scheme Truex had when he made his Cup Series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in October 2004. He captured his 25th and final pole position with a lap of 134.741 mph in 26.718 seconds during qualifying at Phoenix.
Truex led 555 laps, only the sixth driver in history to accomplish this feat. He also notched a total of five top-five results and 11 top-10 results with an average finish of 17.4, which was enough for him to settle in 10th place in the final championship standings in 2024.
Truex Jr. was left with mixed reactions in his final event as a full-time competitor in NASCAR’s premier series. Amid the disappointment, Truex, who received a standing ovation during the pre-race drivers meeting before the finale, was praised and greeted on pit road by NBA legend/23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan and four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon.
“It means a lot,” Truex added. “To have the respect of guys like that and what they mean to the sport and absolute legends. It makes me feel good that I’ve earned that respect over the years. It means a lot.”
Truex capped off an illustrious 19-year career in NASCAR’s premier series, where he achieved the 2017 championship, 34 race victories, 25 poles, 147 top-five results, 291 top-10 results, 12,747 laps led, 11 Playoff appearances, and an average-finishing result of 15.3 through 693 starts. Truex made his mark throughout his Cup Series career with organizations such as Dale Earnhardt Inc., Chip Ganassi Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, Furniture Row Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing.
In addition to winning the 2017 Cup Series championship, Truex, a two-time champion in the Xfinity Series, departs from full-time Cup competition with notable accomplishments that include capturing two Coca-Cola 600s, the 2016 Southern 500, and the 2023 Busch Light Clash victory. Named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023, Truex is among 40 drivers to win across NASCAR’s top three national touring series.
Rookie-of-the-Year
Carson Hocevar claimed the 2024 Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year title in his first Cup Series season and finished in 21st place in the Cup Series driver standings while driving the Spire Motorsports No. 77 Chevrolet. He had six top-10s, one top-5, and led 16 laps during the 2024 season.
“So to be the highest finishing Spire car ever for their tenure — I think their highest ever is 26th — that’s what I’m probably most proud of is 21st is really good, I thought. Twentieth was about where I really wanted to be. To be really close there is really important. But Rookie of the Year is obviously the only thing you can’t win (later), and I missed out on it my truck year and obviously didn’t run Xfinity, so ideally it’s the last time I can really do it unless I somehow end up back in Xfinity. But yeah, happy to at least have a Rookie of the Year something in my NASCAR tenure.” Hocevar said.
Most Popular Driver Award
Chase Elliott won the NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award for the seventh year in a row. The National Motorsports Press Association announced the 2024 Most Popular Driver Awards at the NASCAR Awards Banquet at the Charlotte Convention Center, that is based on a fan vote.
“Thank you to the fans,” Elliott said during the awards banquet. “The fans have meant so much to myself, my career, my family and beyond. When I look at that award, regardless whether I won it tonight or not, I’m grateful for the fans across the country and around the world for what they do for me, but I’ve always looked at it as a little bit of just an opportunity to honor and appreciate the legacy that my family has really set up for me. I think at the end of the day, I’ve always just tried to carry myself and represent that as they would want me to and try to make them proud.”
Only Elliott or Earnhardt drivers have received the NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award since 1991.
Finishing Strong, Moves, and New Beginnings
Chris Buescher finished ninth at Phoenix and emerged as the highest non-Playoff contender in the standings, in 17th place. Driving the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford Mustang, he captured his sixth Cup Series win in September at Watkins Glen International. He finished the season with 15 top-10s, six top-5s, and led 208 laps.
Michael McDowell finished 31st in his final event with Front Row Motorsports. In 2025, he will join Spire Motorsports to drive the No. 71 Chevrolet.
Harrison Burton will join AM Racing next season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He will return to the Xfinity series after three seasons in the Cup Series with Wood Brothers Racing. He captured his first premier series victory at Daytona International Speedway and his first playoff berth.
“I’m excited to join AM Racing and help build it into the race-winning race team I believe it can and will be,” said Burton. “I think this will be a great opportunity for me to take the things I’ve learned in the Cup Series, bring those to the Xfinity Series, and be the best driver I can be.
Riley Herbst will join 23XI Racing for his first Cup campaign in 2025. Herbst, a 25-year-old racer from Las Vegas, Nevada, will drive the No. 35 Toyota Camry XSE entry sponsored by longtime partner Monster Energy. He will compete alongside Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 45 Toyota, and Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 23 Toyota.
“It’s an honor to join 23XI and Toyota for the opportunity to race in the Cup Series each week,” Herbst said. “Racing full-time in the Cup Series has been my goal since I started in NASCAR, and I’m excited to start my Cup career with such an accomplished and driven team. What 23XI has accomplished in a short time is impressive, and I look forward to building on their success as the organization grows. It’s also great to continue representing Monster and I’m excited about adding to their legacy in NASCAR.”
Looking Forward to 2025
Kyle Busch concluded a Cup Series season winless for the first time in his Cup Series career. He has captured at least one win per season in the sport’s top level in 19 consecutive seasons, an all-time series record that ended in 2024.
The 2015 and 2019 Cup Series champion finished the 2024 season with ten top-10s, five top-5s, one pole, and led 229 laps in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
“Certainly frustrating,” Busch said during Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway. “Just not at all what we had hoped it to be after some success last year, especially early in the year, and having those three wins, and then struggling a little bit on and off, but then this year, just seemingly not being able to get the monkey off our back.”
NASCAR will return for the 2025 season with an exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. ET.
Jeb Burton and Blaine Perkins will both be driving for Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport (JAR-BA) as full-time competitors for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
Burton, who returns to JAR-BA for a third consecutive season, will retain driving responsibilities of the No. 27 Chevrolet Camaro entry while Perkins, who is new to the organization, will be inheriting the No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro entry as he replaces the departing Parker Retzlaff.
The news comes as JAR-BA is coming off its fourth consecutive season competing in the Xfinity Series and second in a row in fielding two full-time entries (Nos. 27 and 31 entries). Throughout the 33-race Xfinity schedule in 2024, JAR-BA entries tallied a combined two poles, four top-five results, 12 top-10 results and 65 laps led. At the conclusion of the season, Burton finished in 19th place in the final standings while Retzlaff, who recorded the organization’s first two poles and highest-finishing result of the season in third place at Daytona International Speedway in February, finished in 21st place.
In addition, JAR-BA fielded a third entry (No. 32 Chevrolet) for a total of 15 events as team owner Jordan Anderson, Austin Green, Sage Karam and Ryan Vargas took turns piloting the entry. The entry, which recorded two top-five results and five top-10 results in 2024, is scheduled to return in 2025 as an “all-star” entry with its driver lineup to be determined.
“We’re excited to continue building this program with Jeb and Blaine as we lay the groundwork for the future entering our fifth season in the Xfinity Series.” Anderson said in a released statement. “The journey from a single-car operation to where we are now speaks to our team’s perseverance and growth mindset. Having Jeb return as the veteran to our program will continue to add depth and the experience needed to take us to the next level. I’m grateful to Parker Retzlaff’s efforts these last two seasons in the No. 31 and the opportunity to assist in his growth as a driver as he continues to move up the ranks. We have the same vision with Blaine next season, and plan to give him all the tools, and opportunities, to continue developing as a driver on and off the track. This is a fantastic opportunity to keep expanding our program with focused drivers, dedicated team members, and committed partners who believe in our shared vision for the organization.”
“Teamwork truly makes the dream work, and it’s a ‘never give up’ mentality that drives everything we do,” John Bommarito, co-owner of JAR-BA, added. “We’re eager to see what Jeb and Blaine can accomplish together. Both of these drivers embody the integrity and tenacity we aim to bring to the track, and with the entire JAR-BA family behind them, we know we’re set for another season of great achievements.”
Amid the announcement, Burton expressed his excitement in returning to JAR-BA, the organization that the Halifax, Virgnia, native recorded is first NASCAR victory at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2023. Burton’s victory also enabled both him and the organization to make the Xfinity Series Playoffs, where he settled in 12th place in the final driver’s standings. Currently, Burton has made 175 career starts in the Xfinity Series and has tallied two victories (both at Talladega), 14 top-five results, 40 top-10 results, 170 laps led and an average-finishing result of 17.5 as he strives to return to the Playoffs and contend for more victories in 2025.
“Coming back for a third season with Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport means a lot to me,” Burton said. “We’re building something special here, and I’m ready to carry the momentum forward into 2025. It’s a privilege to work with this team, and I’m grateful to Jordan, John, [crew chief] Shane [Whitbeck], and all our great partners involved for their belief in what we’re doing. I’m looking forward to putting this Chevrolet back up-front next season and giving our fans something to cheer for.”
Like his new teammate Burton, Perkins expressed his excitement in joining JAR-BA and striving to be competitive after spending this past season driving for RSS Racing. Perkins, a three-time ARCA Menards Series West race winner from Bakersfield, California, has recorded a single top-10 result and an average-finishing result of 26.8 through 75 current Xfinity starts.
“Joining Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport is an exciting step in my career development,” Perkins said. “To be part of such a dedicated Chevrolet organization with a team that shares a passion for growth and success is a fantastic opportunity. I’m looking forward to representing the team and all our partners with everything I have and making the most of the 2025 season.”
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
The 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season for Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport is scheduled to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 15 at 5 p.m. ET on the CW Network.
