With the NASCAR Cup Series officially at the halfway mark of the 2025 season, there’s more than enough of a sample size to gauge driver performance relative to expectations. Here are three drivers that have been disappointing 18 races into the 2025 campaign. 

Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing 

While Gibbs has turned things around lately with four consecutive top-15 efforts, he still sits 24th in points and will need a win over the next eight races to make the playoffs. He’s still searching for his first career win, and is now the longest-tenured Cup Series driver at JGR without a win in company history. There’s time for the No. 54 team to turn things around, but Gibbs’ junior season has not gone the way anyone expected. 

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing 

No driver in NASCAR came into 2025 with as much pressure on him as Suarez, who signed a one-year contract extension in 2024. In a “prove-it” year, he’s been disappointing, as he sits 29th in the standings. His poor performance came to a head earlier in the week, when it was announced that he will not return to Trackhouse in 2025. Suarez will be a free agent for the first time in five years this offseason, and could find himself back in the Xfinity Series. 

Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford, RFK Racing 

After winning at Darlington and making the playoffs in 2024, Keselowski has fallen flat in 2025. The 2012 champion is 27th in points and is also in a must-win situation in regard to the playoffs. While he did nab a runner-up finish at Atlanta, there’s still a long way to go for the No. 6 team to turn its season around, and it won’t happen overnight.