Every Cup Series driver rating from NASCAR 25 video game
13 hours ago7 min read0 comments

The virtual garage doors have swung wide open, and iRacing Studios has just dropped the full driver ratings for the hotly anticipated NASCAR 25, giving us the ultimate power ranking for the digital asphalt. Forget the points standings; this is the definitive tier list that will have sim racers and casual fans alike arguing for months.Leading the pack with a god-tier 100 overall rating is cover star William Byron, a fitting honor for the Hendrick Motorsports ace, but the real story is in the devilish details of the category breakdowns. In a move that feels both brilliant and destined to spark controller-throwing rage online, the developers have dissected each driver's skills across six distinct track types: the chaotic draft-fests of superspeedways (SSW), the traditional power plays of speedways (SW), the aero-sensitive intermediates (INT), the bullring-like short intermediates (S.INT), the gritty concrete (C) ovals, and the left-and-right-turn wizardry of road courses (RC). This granular approach reveals the hidden specialists lurking in the field.Three-time champ Joey Logano, for instance, snags a perfect 100 in the superspeedway category, making him the undisputed king of the pack at Daytona and Talladega, where his aggressive, push-to-the-front style is perfectly quantified. Meanwhile, the ever-consistent Denny Hamlin achieves a rare double, hitting the century mark in both speedway and concrete ratings, a testament to his versatility and raw speed at tracks like Phoenix and Dover.It's Christopher Bell who owns the short intermediates with his 100, and in the least surprising reveal since the sun rising, Shane van Gisbergen, the road course ringer from Down Under, is the sole driver to achieve a perfect 100 on the road courses, a digital confirmation of his real-world mastery that he demonstrated with his stunning Chicago street course win. Scrolling down the list from Byron's pinnacle to Burt Myers' all-around 40 rating is a fascinating exercise in gaming meta and real-world performance analysis.Kyle Larson sits ominously in third with a 99, a rating that barely contains his generational talent, while seeing veterans like Martin Truex Jr. relegated to a part-time 63 overall will surely raise eyebrows and fuel debates about how the algorithm weighs recent form.The inclusion of part-timers like the legendary Helio Castroneves and a surprise entry like Connor Zilisch adds depth and intrigue, offering players unique challenges and storylines. This isn't just a list of numbers; it's the foundational code for a million online rivalries, a blueprint for esports strategies, and a bold, data-driven argument about who truly possesses the most complete skill set in the Cup Series garage today. The real race begins now—not on the track, but in the living rooms of gamers who will use these ratings to build their own dynasties, proving whether iRacing's complex metrics can truly capture the unpredictable, heart-pounding essence of NASCAR.