Denny Hamlin secured the pole position for NASCAR's final race at Phoenix Raceway, aiming to finally win his first championship after multiple near misses, with his performance and personal motivations adding emotional weight to the race.
Shane van Gisbergen won his third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series road course race at Sonoma, tying the season's win record with top drivers like Larson and Hamlin, despite struggling on ovals and being unlikely to make the playoffs. His dominance on road courses highlights his exceptional skill in that discipline, even if his overall season performance remains modest.
Chase Elliott ended a 44-race winless streak by winning a chaotic NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta, securing his spot in the 2025 playoffs with a last-lap pass amid multiple wrecks and intense racing action.
The article humorously imagines fake congratulatory texts to Shane van Gisbergen, the winner of the first 2025 NASCAR Cup Series race at Mexico City's Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Shane van Gisbergen won NASCAR's first Cup Series race outside the U.S. at Mexico City's Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, securing his first Cup victory and a playoff spot, despite being ill and facing challenging weather conditions. The race featured notable incidents, including a feud between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carson Hocevar and a crash by Kyle Busch, with Jeff Gordon giving the start command in both English and Spanish.
Shane van Gisbergen won his second NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico City, securing a spot in the playoffs and disrupting the current standings, especially affecting drivers like Kyle Busch and Ryan Preece. His win, aided by recent rule changes and weather conditions, highlights his strength as a road course racer and impacts the playoff qualification race with only a few races remaining.
Ryan Blaney won his first NASCAR Cup Series race of 2025 at Nashville Superspeedway, leading 139 laps and securing a playoff spot, while Carson Hocevar finished second in a career-best effort. The race featured 18 lead changes and set the stage for the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge, with Byron leading the championship standings.
Ross Chastain won the Coca-Cola 600 from 40th place in a backup car, making history, but faced a fan incident where a fan reached into his car and stole his hat after the race; Chastain managed to retrieve it with security's help.