Who doesn’t love a good underdog story? The competition in the NASCAR Cup Series has always been fierce, but the beauty of the win-and-in format has always been that any driver who performs on a given day can compete for the Bill France Cup. The 2024 season saw plenty of ‘upsets’, with Harrison Burton winning at Daytona International Speedway while Chase Briscoe triumphed at Darlington. With the 2025 season on the horizon, who are the biggest underdogs that could potentially secure some shocking results?

From Shane van Gisbergen, and Ryan Preece to Legacy Motor Club There are plenty of drivers and teams that have a point to prove going into 2025. Will they succeed in making a mark at NASCAR’s highest level? Time will tell. Here’s the list of the biggest underdogs ahead of a brand-new season.

1. Spire Motorsports drivers Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell

Spire Motorsports has a point to prove. Ever since the team was founded in 2018, they have had ambitions to compete against NASCAR’s very best. A $40 million charter purchase was quite a statement of intent, but ultimately results will come down to performances on the racetrack. Carson Hocevar competed in his first full season with Jeff Dickerson’s team in 2024 and secured one top-five and six top-ten results across 36 races along with the Rookie of the Year award. Expectations are not high for the No. 77 Chevy driver going into 2025, but if he can replicate his third-place finish at Watkins Glen more consistently, Hocevar will be a force to be reckoned with.

As for Michael McDowell, the veteran driver is starting a brand new motorsports adventure. Despite being 40 years old, the Arizona native will be competing in Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Chevy in 2025. The racer has been a part of the Cup Series since 2008 but hasn’t finished higher than 15th in the driver standings, cementing his status as an underdog in the NASCAR world. However, his experience combined with the equipment at Jeff Dickerson’s team may prove to be a winning combination, and McDowell could secure some surprising results in the upcoming season.

2. Shane van Gisbergen as a full-time Cup Series driver

Few drivers in NASCAR history have a better underdog story than Shane van Gisbergen. The Kiwi won his debut Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Course in 2023, a shocking result to say the least. Since then, the 35-year-old has been acclimatizing to the rigors of stock car racing in the Xfinity Series and has developed as a racecar driver on oval tracks as well. He will be competing full-time at NASCAR’s highest level for Trackhouse Racing in 2025, and his racing prowess, especially on road courses will make him a force to be reckoned with.

The Kiwi is mighty confident heading into his first full-time Cup season.”This is what I have planned for and I am ready,” said the Auckland, New Zealand native. “I know there is a tough learning curve ahead, but the best way to learn is to go out and do it… I look forward to the Cup Series. Those drivers and teams are the best in the world and it will be an honor to be part of their races.”

Last year, Shane van Gisbergen made 12 Cup Series appearances, narrowly missing out on victory at Watkins Glen, where he finished runner-up. The Kiwi also ended up seventh at the Charlotte Roval, showing that his win in Chicago was not a fluke. While he remains an underdog because of his limited NASCAR experience, SVG is more than capable of securing wins in 2025 even if the odds are not stacked in his favor.

3. RFK Racing’s newest recruit Ryan Preece

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Ryan Preece will be counting his lucky stars. After Stewart-Haas Racing announced that it would cease operations at the end of 2024, drivers Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe, and Josh Berry quickly secured seats in other Cup Series teams. However, Preece was the odd one out, with no offers coming his way even when the season ended. Ultimately, Brad Keselowski’s RFK Racing came to the rescue and hired the 34-year-old for the team’s third seat for the 2025 campaign.

Preece feels he is well suited for RFK Racing’s ambitions.”It’s [an opportunity] that I’m really eager and excited for,” Preece said. “It’s somewhere that these guys had speed last year… So for me, it’s a great opportunity, one that’s filled with pressure. But I think if you’ve looked at my career in those pressure-type situations, I’ve succeeded. I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

The Connecticut native will want to prove his doubters wrong. He secured just one top-five result in 2024, and finished the season 26th in the driver standings, just ahead of former teammate Josh Berry. Preece will want to make the best of the opportunity at his disposal and will look to push the limits in his No. 60 Ford next year to secure some surprising results.

4. Riley Herbst will take on the big boys in 2025

23XI Racing has taken a gamble on Riley Herbst. The 25-year-old was competing in the Xfinity Series for Stewart-Haas Racing, and his future looked uncertain when the team shut shop at the end of 2024. With Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s team embroiled in a legal battle in NASCAR, Herbst’s future was up in the air, until the announcement was made that he would drive the No. 35 Toyota next season. However, the Nevada native has only made 8 Cup Series appearances, and a jump to full-time racing is a big step in his career.

Being the latest member of a fairly new but promising team in NASCAR, Herbst opened up about his excitement. “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.” After seeing Tyler Reddick make the championship 4 last year, 23XI will be hoping Herbst can add to their firepower next season, leading another Toyota to the playoffs.

If the 2024 season is anything to go by, it has proven that Riley Herbst can perform well under pressure. The driver secured two wins in the Xfinity Series, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway, showing that he has what it takes when the stakes are high. His lack of experience means that Herbst will be an underdog going into 2025, but 23XI Racing’s equipment combined with his immense talent could mean that a few surprising results are not beyond the realm of possibility.

5. Legacy Motor Club has a point to prove

Jimmie Johnson isn’t used to struggling on the racetrack. The seven-time Cup Series winner is still coming to terms with how challenging being the owner of a Cup Series team can be but is determined to keep up with his vision. Unlike 23XI, which has a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, Legacy Motor Club is doing it all on its own. While that means the road to success is a lot slower, the hope is that the hard work pays off in the long run.

The team has made several changes ahead of the 2025 season, with Jacob Canter joining in as competition director and Chad Johnston being named Manager of Race Engineering. Travis Mack will be taking over as crew chief for John Hunter Nemechek’s team as Johnson is looking to rebuild LMC’s structure from the ground up. Combine that with its data infrastructure and the team will have a sustainable recipe for success, making them an elite Cup Series side for the foreseeable future.

Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek are expected to keep their seats for 2025. Both drivers failed to make their mark in the Cup Series in the season that has gone by, despite the manufacturer being switched from Chevrolet to Toyota. With the number of changes being made within the team, Jimmie Johnson will hope that the NASCAR ‘underdogs’ can finally turn their situation around and show some real progress next year. Time will tell if the decisions that they have taken will reap some real benefits.