Ultimate guide to picking your favorite NASCAR driver
2025-02-13
Category: sports

So maybe you don’t watch that much NASCAR — yet. But your friends or family will have the Daytona 500 on the television on Sunday afternoon. And let's say you want someone to root for but just don’t know who to root for, as there are so many drivers to choose from. We are here to help you.&nbsp; But who you cheer for all depends on what makes you want to root for a driver. So we’ve divided drivers into different categories and have given you the best bet but also some alternatives. Note: We are only using drivers who are running the full season. THE POPULAR Root For: Chase Elliott If you want to root for the most popular driver, there’s really only one to root for and it’s Elliott. The 29-year-old Hendrick driver is the 2020 Cup champion and has been named Most Popular Driver the last seven years. His father, Bill, won the award 16 times. Other options: Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney were second and third in the Most Popular Driver voting in 2024. THE RACER Root For: Kyle Larson Larson, who has won three major sprint-car and midget races since the 2024 season ended, will compete in the Indianapolis 500 for his second consecutive year. If you want to root for the driver who can just go fast — a guy who won’t be able to work on the car but will be able to explain what it needs for speed — Larson is your guy. Other options: Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch. Bell is the closest thing to Larson when it comes to sprint cars, while Busch is known to race late models and other stock-car events. THE KID Root For: Ty Gibbs While Gibbs doesn’t have a win yet, he’s just 22 years old. The grandson of team owner and Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, the 2022 Xfinity Series champion will likely be racing for decades.&nbsp; Other options: Todd Gilliland (age 24), Zane Smith (25) and Noah Gragson (26). All three drivers in the Front Row Motorsports stable are young and they will be fun to watch. They all carry a little bit of an attitude — except for maybe Gilliland, who is the veteran at Front Row. THE VETERAN Root For: Joey Logano You get the best of both worlds here as Logano has three championships and enters his 17th season. And yet he’s only 34 years old and conceivably could remain in the Cup Series for another 10 years. Other options: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who enters his 13th year of Cup racing.  THE VILLIAN Root For: Denny Hamlin Hamlin is the most polarizing driver in the series, as he loves being brash. After a win in 2023, he declared, "I beat your favorite driver," as boos rained down on him. And despite all that, people want to hear from him. He has a popular podcast, aptly named,"Actions Detrimental." Other options: Kyle Busch used to have that polarizing vibe, too, but a 57-race winless streak and a move to Richard Childress Racing seems to have softened the crowds’ venom when they see him. THE THINKER Root For: Brad Keselowski The team co-owner of RFK Racing doesn’t seem to take the easy route. He will overanalyze things. He is brash, but he carries himself with a certain confidence, knowing that he's got more knowledge than the next guy. Other options: Michael McDowell. Few drivers have the respect of the entire Cup garage, and McDowell is one of them. THE QUIRK Root For: Alex Bowman OK, so you march to the beat of your own drum a little. Maybe you like dogs more than people and you use that little bit of social aversion to your advantage. Bowman is that guy. Other options: Chase Briscoe. Any guy who says he’s never eaten a hot dog is not totally normal, right? His move to Joe Gibbs Racing will be one of those to watch this year.  THE TRAILBLAZERS Root For: Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suarez Wallace is the only Black driver in the series and the only Black driver to have won a Cup race since 1963. He drives for a team co-owned by Hamlin and sports icon Michael Jordan. Suarez is the only Mexican driver to win a Cup race and he drives for a team co-owned by Pitbull. Other options: Shane van Gisbergen. The three-time Supercars champion is the first driver to come from the Australian stock-car series to try to make a career in NASCAR. THE MAN Root For: Kyle Busch He nicknamed himself "Rowdy" after the "Days of Thunder" character. He has two Cup titles. His 63 Cup wins without a Daytona 500 victory are the most of any driver in history. And if you like him, he has a son that he is grooming to follow in his footsteps. THE UNDERDOG Root For: Austin Dillon The grandson of Richard Childress and driver of the iconic No. 3 car has had a rough go of it in recent years. He has five Cup victories in 11 years and just two in the last four years. Other options: Josh Berry. At 33, he was a rookie in the Cup last year at Stewart-Haas Racing and moves to Wood Brothers Racing this year. Many thought his age would work against him, but he is now driving for the most historic team in NASCAR. THE LOCAL Root For: William Byron There aren’t many North Carolinians driving and even fewer who grew up in Charlotte. Byron did. And he’s winning as he drives for a Hendrick team that used to employ his favorite driver, Jimmie Johnson.  THE COOL Root For: Ryan Blaney Blaney hung out with Sydney Sweeney for New Year’s. He’s a big fan of Sturgill Simpson. His tattoo collection includes the No. 10 (driven by his grandfather and father) and some epic "Star Wars" artwork. THE LOOK Root For: Tyler Reddick He gets the Jordan brand paint schemes often, and if not, he’s in the neon-green-and-black Monster colors. His cars always seem to grab the eye. And his rides are often at or near the front, as Reddick won the 2024 regular-season title. Other options: Justin Haley. Haley’s black-and-yellow scheme always stands out on track. THE AGITATOR Root For: Ross Chastain His driving style will make you want to root for him or against him, but every time you watch him, you know he’s giving it his all. Other options: Carson Hocevar and John Hunter Nemechek. Hocevar, at age 22, is still learning the line of what's overaggressive and what's not the smartest move as he enters his second year of Cup racing. But he’s damn fast. Nemechek, who enters his third year in Cup, hasn’t had as fast a Cup car to be able to push the limits. THE COUNTRY BOY Root For: Chris Buescher The Texas driver loves to race. If you want to talk other sports, find someone else. But if you need someone to help you on your reach, he’s your guy. THE STUDENT Root For: Austin Cindric The son of former Team Penske President Tim Cindric, Austin Cindric loves to talk racing and spends his time 24/7 thinking about how to go fast. THE LAST CHANCE Root For: Ryan Preece We’re ending this list with drivers who need to win or at least challenge if they want to remain in the Cup Series. No one is more desperate than Preece, who has had chances at a few different teams and joins RFK Racing this year. Other options: Erik Jones and Cole Custer. Jones drives for Legacy Motor Club and while he has the talent that will probably keep him in the series, if Legacy continues to struggle, it could make it difficult for Jones to get another opportunity. Custer is back in Cup after two years in the Xfinity Series (he won the Xfinity title in 2023) as he tries to carry the banner for Haas Factory Team. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and IndyCar for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.