The 2025 NASCAR season begins in earnest this week at Daytona International Speedway, so it is time to highlight the most anticipated races on the schedule.
The three national series will crisscross the nation multiple times this season, covering thousands of miles. Two will head south of the border to a hotbed of racing, while another will head to the northeast to take on a driver-favorite road course.
The schedule is full of intriguing events, but some stand above the rest while truly earning the title of "most anticipated."
Most Anticipated NASCAR Races of 2025
7. Lime Rock Park (Craftsman Truck Series) -- For the first time in history, one of the national NASCAR series will head to Connecticut to take on Lime Rock Park. This road course has hosted countless sports car races and 18 ARCA Menards Series East races, but it has never hosted entries from Trucks, Xfinity, or Cup.
That changes in 2025 as the Truck Series teams head to the Northeast. The third-tier series will compete at a track where such names as Ken Schrader, Mike Stefanik, and Ryan Truex celebrated wins.
Obviously, the historic factor helps Lime Rock Park make the list of most anticipated races. Previous road course races on the Truck Series schedule also play a major role. A prominent example of high-quality competition was Parker Kligerman vs. Zane Smith at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
6. Southern 500 (Cup Series) -- One of NASCAR's crown jewel races, the Southern 500 rarely disappoints while kicking off the playoffs. Darlington Raceway is one of the toughest tracks on the schedule with its egg-shaped oval, and drivers regularly slam into the wall while navigating the turns.
Difficulty aside, Darlington Raceway is home to some of the best racing of the year regardless of generation. Sure, everyone remembers Kyle Larson trying a video game move against Denny Hamlin during the 2021 playoffs, but the Next Gen races have also delivered.
A fitting example took place last season as the Southern 500 became the regular-season finale. Chase Briscoe and Kyle Busch took part in an incredible battle while trying to lock up one of the remaining playoff spots.
What a finish! What a win by @ChaseBriscoe_14! pic.twitter.com/2zKCrb2u8P
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 2, 2024
5. Rockingham Speedway (Xfinity Series) -- The Truck Series and Xfinity Series teams will return to Rockingham Speedway this season as NASCAR continues to highlight historic tracks. Both events are deserving of a spot on the list, but Xfinity gets the nod for multiple reasons.
The biggest is that the second-tier series last competed at Rockingham in 2004. The Truck Series last competed at the track in 2013, so the events are fresher in the mind.
The other reason is the combination of talent in control of the fan-favorite cars. Drivers such as Justin Allgaier, Sheldon Creed, Connor Zilisch, Austin Hill, Brandon Jones, Kasey Kahne, Christian Eckes, and Brennan Poole will try to corral the high-powered stock cars at the repaved historic venue while delivering what is guaranteed to be a memorable event.
"I love the fact that a lot of us have never been to these places in the Xfinity car," Creed told select members of the National Motorsports Press Association. "And it makes that first time back really fun."
4. Daytona 500 (Cup Series) -- The Daytona 500 is the biggest race on the Cup Series schedule, so it automatically deserves a spot on the list of most anticipated races. After all, the winner joins an elite list of racers in NASCAR's record books.
And while the Gen 7 car hasn't delivered the most intriguing superspeedway action, there is still a chance that chaos will unfold at a moment's notice as drivers race inches apart at nearly 200 mph. This is a race where it's difficult to look away because viewers will never know what they will miss.
3. Martinsville Round of 8 elimination (Cup Series) -- Much like Talladega, Martinsville has delivered chaotic moments in recent seasons while hosting Round of 8 elimination races.
Last season, in particular, featured a controversial finish with Christopher Bell receiving a penalty for a safety violation while multiple other drivers committed what NASCAR deemed race manipulation. This finish overshadowed an improved tire compound that delivered the sought-after tire wear.
2. Talladega Round of 8 race (Cup Series) -- Talladega is the home of chaos, and that doesn't just apply to the hijinks on the BLVD. The track's second race, which takes place during the playoffs, is known for massive crashes that directly impact which drivers move on to the next round.
Playoff-altering incidents would automatically make this race a must-watch, but NASCAR made a major change for 2025. Talladega has moved to the Round of 8. This means that a playoff driver can win at the superspeedway and punch his ticket to the Championship 4.
Playoff drivers can also crash and fall into a must-win situation entering the final race of the Round of 8.
1. Mexico City (Cup Series) -- For the first time in NASCAR history, Cup Series teams will compete in Mexico City while joining the Xfinity Series teams for a doubleheader weekend. This alone makes the race worth watching, but it also helps that the fans in Mexico create an electric atmosphere at the biggest motorsports events.
There will be an added appeal considering that new tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule have produced exciting moments. The list of examples includes Shane van Gisbergen winning the inaugural Cup race in Chicago in his first-ever start and Ryan Blaney winning at Iowa in front of dozens of friends and family members.