5 NASCAR Cup Series drivers who completely fell apart this season

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series rounded out in Phoenix in a dramatic finish. While Kyle Larson was crowned the champion, the others' year remained surrounded by dark clouds.

With racing not being a generous ground for every driver, a few of them suffered a torrid 2025 NASCAR Cup Series campaign. So, without further ado, let's look at the five drivers who fell apart this year:

5 NASCAR Cup Series drivers who dropped the ball this year

#5 Cody Ware

Statistically, Cody Ware had the worst season among all the NASCAR Cup Series drivers. His average finishing position was a dismal 30.444, completing only 90.22 percent of the total laps raced this year.

This showcases the extent of his pace deficit to the front half of the field, as he only managed to crack inside the top-20 twice this year. His race in Phoenix was another subpar race weekend as he finished 30th in a chaotic event.

#4 Ty Dillon

Ty Dillon raced for Kaulig Racing this year, but had a sub-optimal average running position of 25.47 throughout the year. While better than Ware, he only claimed a solitary top-10 finish, which came at Atlanta, and since then, he remained out of the fringes of the elated positions.

Moreover, Phoenix was another such weekend as he finished 35th, portraying the extent of pace deficit that the 33-year-old had to the front-runners.

#3 Brad Keselowski

Coming on to the heavyweights, Brad Keselowski is the first one in line. Though the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion does not have machinery underneath him that could often race for higher spots, this does not explain the substantial deficit in the results section among his teammates.

Despite being the most experienced of the RFK trio, Chris Buescher had the upper hand over his teammates, as Keselowski was the best RFK driver only on 10 occasions. This showcases the contrast in the results between him and what was possibly on the table.

#2 Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch is another NASCAR Cup Series champion in this table. His presence on such lists has seemingly been inevitable since he arrived at Richard Childress Racing in 2023.

His three race wins in the first half of 2023 have been his sole victories with the squad, and he has been in a stalemate since then. This trend continued into the 2025 season, where he was unable to clinch a race win and was only able to salvage three top-five finishes during the 36-race calendar.

#1 Daniel Suarez

Lastly, Daniel Suarez seemingly had one of the most underwhelming campaigns among the Cup Series field this year. He was the only full-time Trackhouse Racing driver not to win a race this year, which seemingly played a role in his departure from the squad.

He only completed 88.94 percent of the total laps raced this year and mustered two top-fives while doing so. Ultimately, making his 2025 campaign one of the toughest ones in his time in the series.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

Edited by Geetansh Pasricha