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The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season has been amazing for several teams, while for some it has been abysmal. In the ongoing NASCAR offseason, teams are already shifting their focus to the 2025 season, which promises to bring a fresh set of opportunities for those teams who failed to deliver this past season.
For a few teams, 2025 is more than just another year—it’s a proving ground. With two months left to kick off the 2025 season, few teams will be under the microscope as they attempt to meet high expectations or rebound from lackluster performances this season.
On that note, let’s take a look at three teams that must show out in the upcoming Cup Series season.
3 NASCAR teams under pressure heading to 2025
#1 Richard Childress Racing (RCR)
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RCR has faced declining performance in recent seasons. Despite having NASCAR veteran Kyle Busch, the organization failed to live up to the expectations in the last two seasons. After a disappointing 2024 season, Busch and Austin Dillon have a lot to prove in 2025. Busch’s performance was a step down from his 2023 mid-season, as he lost a 19-year streak of winning at least a race in each season.
RCR as a whole hasn’t been able to consistently match powerhouse teams like Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske, and Joe Gibbs Racing. The #8 and #3 teams of RCR had finished the season in 20th and 33rd in the team owners’ standings. After investing in Busch’s, RCR can’t afford another underwhelming season. They need to improve their consistency across all tracks and find a way to bridge the gap to top-tier teams.
#2 Legacy Motor Club (LMC)
LMC, the team co-owned by NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson, also had a disappointing season. The team that fielded two full-time entries—Erik Jones (#43) and John Hunter Nemechek (#42)—and a third part-time entry for their co-owner Johnson (#84) finished the 2024 season outside the top 25 in the team owners’ standings.
Over the years the LMC has gone through a lot of changes. They struggled this season to deliver consistent results, and the arrival of a new manufacturer in Toyota hasn’t yet yielded the competitive leap many expected. Having Toyota’s backing and Johnson’s involvement, LMC has high expectations to elevate its performance and contend for more than just mid-pack finishes.
#3 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (RFK Racing)
RFK Racing has faced declining performance in many ways this season as compared to 2023. Even though this season, Keselowski returned to victory lane for the first time since becoming a driver-owner and reached the playoffs, his teammate Chris Buescher had a disappointing campaign.
Buescher went from three wins to winless entirely in 2024. So, there have been consistency issues in RFK Racing. They need to keep pace with top-tier teams while showing they can dominate on more than just superspeedways and short tracks.
