Who's impressed, disappointed a quarter of the way through the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season

Following Kyle Larson's win in Sunday's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is officially a quarter of the way done. With nine of 36 races on the calendar complete, here are drivers who have surprisingly impressed and disappointed so far. 

Impressed: Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota, 23XI Racing

Wallace has arguably never had more speed to start a season in his Cup Series career. Through the first nine races of 2025, Wallace sits eighth in the Cup Series standings, thanks in large part to the 78 stage points he's collected. Finishes of third at Homestead and Martinsville prove that the No. 23 team is capable of winning sooner rather than later. For the first time in his career, Wallace is comfortably above the playoff cut line after a large sample size of races, and the upcoming race at Talladega Superspeedway (April 27) could be the site of his third career win. 

Disappointed: Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford, RFK Racing

Contrary to Wallace, Keselowski is off to arguably the worst start of his Cup Series career. The 2012 champion currently sits 31st in the standings and is yet to collect a top-10 finish so far this season. Talladega could be a beacon of light - Keselowski is a six-time victor at the 2.66-mile superspeedway - but the No. 6 team needs to find speed quickly, or risk being in a must-win situation when the regular season winds down. 

Impressed: Josh Berry, No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers Racing 

Setting expectations for Berry and the No. 21 team going into the year was difficult. Berry was coming off a tumultuous rookie season that saw his former team, Stewart-Haas Racing, shut down at the conclusion of 2024. Aside from Harrison Burton's Daytona win, the No. 21 team hadn't sniffed success with the Next-Gen car. However, a win at Las Vegas - the first of Berry's Cup Series career - and strong runs at Phoenix, Darlington and Bristol are proof that Berry and the Wood Brothers have the potential to make a surprising postseason run. 

Disappointed: Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing 

While his teammate in Ross Chastain sits above the playoff cut line, Suarez and the No. 99 team have struggled out of the gate in 2025, sitting 27th in points through nine races. Suarez's only top-10 finish so far this season was a runner-up finish to Berry at Las Vegas, and only an abysmal start to the season for rookie Shane van Gisbergen has kept Suarez from being worst in class at Trackhouse. With 18-year-old prospect Connor Zilisch waiting in the wings for a potential Cup Series ride, the time is now for Suarez to produce results, or he may be forced into free agency and looking for the fifth ride of his Cup Series career.