2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Teams and drivers

Complete schedule

Limited schedule

Changes

Teams

• Joe Gibbs Racing expanded to a four-car team with the addition of Carl Edwards in the No. 19, previously with Roush Fenway Racing in the No. 99 in 2014.
• HScott Motorsports expanded to a two-car team with the addition of Michael Annett in the No. 46, previously with Tommy Baldwin Racing in the No. 7 in 2014.
• Front Row Motorsports expanded to a three-car full-time team with the addition of Cole Whitt in the No. 35, previously with BK Racing in the No. 26 in 2014.
• Longtime NASCAR team owner and former Identity Ventures Racing partner Jay Robinson started Premium Motorsports. The team fielded the No. 62 Chevrolet for Brendan Gaughan while points and cars for the No. 62 came from the closed No. 36 team of Tommy Baldwin Racing after 2014. Gaughan left the team after Daytona in July with the season being finished with various drivers and various manufacturers. The team also fielded the No. 66 Toyota for Mike Wallace with owner points and cars for the No. 66 coming from the closed No. 66 Identity Ventures Racing team after 2014. However, Robinson shut the No. 66 team down due to lack of sponsorship and qualifying performance after 4 races, with Tanner Berryhill in a Chevrolet for the 4th race.
• After Talladega in May, Phil Parsons sold Phil Parsons Racing to Premium Motorsports due to sponsorship issues. Josh Wise left the team after Kentucky in July, with the season being finished with various drivers and various manufacturers.
• The Motorsports Group, a long-time Xfinity Series team, announces they would field a full-time Cup team, the No. 30 Chevrolet with Ron Hornaday Jr. as the primary driver. However, the team only ran part-time with Hornaday only attempting 4 races. 3 other drivers also attempted races in 2015.

  Drivers

• Sam Hornish Jr. replaced Marcos Ambrose in the No. 9 car, when he left Richard Petty Motorsports to return to racing in V8 Supercars in Australia, a series in which he won in 2003 and 2004.
• Trevor Bayne began racing full-time in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing car as the team discontinued the No. 99 formerly driven by Carl Edwards. Although 2015 is the first season that Bayne declared his eligibility for the Sprint Cup series, NASCAR ruled that he is ineligible to run for Rookie of the Year consideration due to "too many accumulated starts". Bayne ran part-time for Wood Brothers Racing in the No. 21 from 2011 to 2014.
• Alex Bowman replaced Michael Annett in the Tommy Baldwin Racing No. 7. He drove the No. 23 for BK Racing in 2014.
• Matt DiBenedetto moved up to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the No. 83 for BK Racing after running for The Motorsports Group in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2014. However Johnny Sauter ran the Daytona 500.
• J. J. Yeley replaced Alex Bowman in the BK Racing No. 23 after running part-time for various teams in 2014. After Bristol in August, BK Racing would swap drivers and Jeb Burton would switch to the No. 23 while Yeley moved to the No. 26
• Jeb Burton would run full-time in the No. 26 car for BK Racing after running in the Truck Series in 2014, replacing Cole Whitt. After Bristol in August, BK Racing would swap drivers and J. J. Yeley would switch to the No. 26 while Burton moved to the No. 23
• Bobby Labonte replaced his older brother Terry Labonte for Go FAS Racing's No. 32 in the four restrictor plate races.
• Ryan Blaney ran part-time for Wood Brothers Racing in the No. 21, replacing Trevor Bayne.
• Chase Elliott ran a limited 5 race schedule for Hendrick Motorsports, piloting the No. 25 NAPA Auto Parts sponsored Chevrolet.
• Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 for Joe Gibbs Racing, suffered a broken leg during the Xfinity Series race held the day before the Daytona 500 and missed the first 11 races of the season. Matt Crafton was named his replacement for the 500, and David Ragan was tapped to serve as the team's interim driver from Atlanta until Talladega. Erik Jones was his replacement in the No. 18 at Kansas.
• Brian Vickers missed the first two races of the season due to health issues. Michael Waltrip drove the car in the Daytona 500 and Brett Moffitt did in Atlanta. Vickers' return to NASCAR didn't last very long and he was sidelined again after competing in two races. He would be out the rest of the season. Moffitt took over the No. 55 and declared his candidacy for Rookie of the Year. Waltrip again drove the No. 55 at Talladega and David Ragan filled in for the rest of the season starting at Kansas, after he was no longer needed in the No. 18 with Kyle Busch returning from injury.
• After David Ragan was loaned to Joe Gibbs Racing and later Michael Waltrip Racing, Front Row Motorsports' No. 34 car was filled by Joe Nemechek, Brett Moffitt, Chris Buescher, and Reed Sorenson. Moffitt was named the team's primary driver starting at Charlotte, with Justin Marks driving the car at Sonoma and Chris Buescher driving it at Watkins Glen.
• Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 for Stewart-Haas Racing, was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR for his role in a domestic incident involving his former girlfriend. Regan Smith replaced him for the Daytona 500 and the races held in Atlanta and Las Vegas. Busch was reinstated and returned to the car in the Phoenix race.
• Kyle Larson missed the March Martinsville race after fainting in an autograph session the day before the race, requiring a stay in the hospital that night. Regan Smith replaced him in the No. 42.
• Matt Kenseth was suspended after he intentionally wrecked Joey Logano in the Chase race at Martinsville. Erik Jones ran in the No. 20 at Texas and Phoenix. Kenseth would return to the No. 20 at Homestead.

  Crew chiefs

• Adam Stevens took over crew chief duties on the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with Kyle Busch, replacing Dave Rogers. Stevens was the crew chief for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 NASCAR Nationwide Series car in 2014.
• Darian Grubb took over crew chief duties on the new No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with Carl Edwards. Grubb was the crew chief for Denny Hamlin in 2014.
• Dave Rogers took over crew chief duties on the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with Denny Hamlin, replacing Darian Grubb. Rogers was the crew chief for Kyle Busch in 2014.
• Greg Ives took over crew chief duties on the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with Dale Earnhardt Jr., replacing Steve Letarte, who retired. Ives was the crew chief for the JR Motorsports No. 9 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion Chase Elliott in 2014.
• Keith Rodden took over crew chief duties on the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with Kasey Kahne, replacing Kenny Francis. Rodden was the crew chief for Jamie McMurray in 2014.
• Matt McCall took over crew chief duties on the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with Jamie McMurray, replacing Keith Rodden. McCall was the team engineer on the No. 31, driven by Ryan Newman in 2014.
• Cole Pearn took over crew chief duties on the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet with Martin Truex Jr., replacing Todd Berrier. Pearn was the team's lead race engineer in 2014.
• Nick Sandler took over crew chief duties on the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., replacing Mike Kelley. Sandler was the No. 99 team head engineer in 2014.
• Bob Osborne took over crew chief duties on the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford with Trevor Bayne, replacing Jimmy Fennig in the No. 99.
• Jay Guy was the crew chief of the new No. 46 HScott Motorsports Chevrolet with Michael Annett. Guy was the crew chief on the Front Row Motorsports No. 34 and No. 38 in 2014.
• Randy Cox was the crew chief of the new No. 35 Front Row Motorsports Ford with Cole Whitt. Cox was the crew chief for Whitt on the BK Racing No. 26 in 2014.
• Donnie Wingo took over the crew chief of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford with David Gilliland, replacing Jay Guy. Wingo was the crew chief for Trevor Bayne in the part-time Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 in 2014.
• BK Racing Director of Research and Development, Doug Richert, was temporarily the crew chief of the No. 83 BK Racing Toyota with Matt DiBenedetto, replacing Joe Williams. Gene Nead would later take over after leaving Premium Motorsports/Phil Parsons Racing midway through the 2015 season.
• Joe Williams took over the crew chief of the No. 23 BK Racing Toyota with J.J. Yeley, replacing Dave Winston. Williams was the No. 83 crew chief in 2014.
• Patrick Donahue took over the crew chief of the No. 26 BK Racing Toyota with Jeb Burton, replacing Randy Cox.
• The No. 33 Circle Sport Chevrolet had various crew chiefs throughout 2015.
• The No. 62 and 98 Premium Motorsports cars had various crew chiefs throughout 2015.
• Jeremy Bullins took over the crew chief of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with Ryan Blaney, replacing Donnie Wingo. Bullins was the crew chief of the Team Penske No. 22 NASCAR Nationwide Series car in 2014.
• Kenny Francis was the crew chief of part-time Hendrick Motorsports Cheverolet with Chase Elliott. Francis was Kasey Kahne's crew chief in 2014.
• Kevin Manion took over crew chief duties on the No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford with Sam Hornish Jr. after Talladega in May, replacing Drew Blickensderfer. Manion was the crew chief on the No. 7 up until that point in the season.
• Tommy Baldwin Jr. took over crew chief duties on the No. 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet with Alex Bowman after Talladagea in May, replacing Kevin Manion after he left to take over the No. 9.
• After Pocono in June, Michael Waltrip Racing swapped its two crew chiefs, with Billy Scott moving from the No. 55 to the No. 15 and Brian Pattie moving from the No. 15 to the No. 55
• Slugger Labbe took over crew chief duties on the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with Austin Dillon after Michigan in June, replacing Gil Martin.
• Kevin Walter took over crew chief duties of the part-time No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Ford with Michael McDowell after Darlington in September, replacing Wally Rogers.

  Rule changes

Pre-season

• Private testing is banned starting at the conclusion of the 2014 season. Testing will only be permitted during NASCAR and Goodyear sanctioned tests. Further, there was not a pre-season test at Daytona in 2015. A violation of this rule will be a P6 penalty.
• Only drivers licensed and approved for Sprint Cup competition will be permitted to participate in tire testing.
• At road courses, it is now permissible to run qualifying and race sessions under wet-weather conditions. Goodyear will supply wet-weather tires for use in Sprint Cup competition and teams will be required to bring cars with windshield wipers, defoggers, and wet-weather racing capabilities.
• Tapered spacers will be installed in the engines to reduce horsepower from 850 to 725.
• Flat valve lifters will be replaced with roller valve lifters.
• Lower differential gear ratios will also be mandated targeting a reduction from a 9,500 rpm max to a 9,000 rpm max.
• Rear spoiler height will be reduced from 8 inches to 6 inches.
• Teams will have the option of installing a driver adjustable track bar.
• The radiator pan will be decreased from 43 inches to 38 inches.
• The minimum weight of the car has been reduced by 50 lb to 3,250 lb.
• NASCAR has approved a new brake caliper system for 2015 and issued a new parts approval process.
• Teams are not allowed to alter the side skirts of their cars during the race. At tracks where aerodynamics were important in 2014, many teams would pull the side bodywork of the car during early pit stops. The practice, officially known as vertical rocker panel extensions, was used to limit airflow underneath the vehicle.
• An automated electronic pit road officiating system will be implemented after extensive testing during the 2014 Chase, eliminating the need for human officials to stand in the pit lane.
• If a vehicle has to pit outside its assigned pit box and the crew starts removing tire, the team can reinstall the tire before moving the car back into its assigned pit stall to avoid penalties.
• Additional crew member assisting from an adjacent pit box may be counted towards the limit of seven over the wall.
• Crew member interference with other teams' pit stops may lead to a penalty.
• Rules with refueling have been clarified. Refueling can begin once the car comes to a complete stop and can continue when it starts leaving provided equipment and/or the fueler does not leave the pit box. Further, no equipment may be tossed or thrown over the wall at any time.
• Weight ballasts must be in block form with a five-pound minimum for each block.
• NASCAR no longer will penalize or monitor missing lug nuts during pit stops, leaving the teams to self-police lug nuts.
• Qualifying session length times will be shortened. At short tracks and intermediates, the three sessions will be 15 minutes, 10 minutes, and 5 minutes in length. Road courses will consist of a 25-minute and a 10-minute session. Restrictor plate qualifying will consist of three 5-minute sessions as was used at the fall 2014 Talladega race.
• NASCAR will use an electronic data log and capture system to increase efficiency of pre-race inspections.

  In-season changes

• Following disastrous crashes at Daytona 500 qualifying, NASCAR implemented a single-car two round qualifying system for restrictor plate races. In round 1, each car goes out one at a time for one warm-up, one timed, and one cool down lap. NASCAR will release the next car to begin their lap while the current car is finishing their timed lap with the goal to have the next car start their timed lap no more than 20 seconds after the previous car finishes. The top 12 cars from round 1 will make a second run in the same format to determine the starting lineup for positions 1–12, with positions 13–43 determined by round 1 result.
• In an effort to increase competition, NASCAR made rule changes specific to the races at Kentucky, Darlington, Indianapolis, and the August Michigan race.
• * Kentucky and Darlington ran a lower downforce package, featuring a shorter spoiler, a shorter splitter, and a shorter radiator pan.
• * Indianapolis and the August Michigan race ran a high drag package, featuring a taller spoiler, a 43 in radiator pan, and a 2 in spoiler extension. After complaints of overheating at the Indianapolis event, NASCAR mandated additional cooling holes in the right side window for the Michigan event. Due to concerns about drafting at these events, NASCAR also implemented the single-car qualifying system used at restrictor plate events for these two events.
• * Goodyear was unable to change their tire compounds in time for Kentucky, Indianapolis, and Michigan, but was able to bring a softer tire to complement the package to the Darlington event. After the Darlington event, NASCAR and its teams suggested a similar package to that used at Darlington would be used for the majority of 2016 races.
• Starting at Watkins Glen, teams have the option of using a digital dashboard. The dashboards will be heavily regulated by NASCAR as to what can and cannot be displayed. The first team to use the digital dashboard was Kurt Busch at Darlington. The digital dashboards will be mandated in 2016.
• Starting at the fall Richmond race, NASCAR began to closely review restarts due to drivers jumping the restart.
• On October 20, 2015, NASCAR announced that they will reduce the number of green-white-checkered attempts from 3 attempts to 1 starting at the Chase race at Talladega. This rule will only be used for races at Daytona and Talladega. This led to the addition of the "overtime line" starting in 2016 at all tracks.

  Schedule

• The Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, which traditionally ran on Labor Day Weekend until 2003, returned to its traditional spot in the schedule in 2015.
• The race at Atlanta Motor Speedway moved to the second race of the season, while the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway moved from March to April. This created a three-race "west coast swing" for the third through fifth races of the season, wherein the events at Las Vegas, Phoenix and Auto Club now happened consecutively.
• The Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway moved to Sunday night at the request of NBC for the re-launch of its coverage. This also removed a conflict with an Independence Day fireworks special traditionally aired by the network.
• A third off-week is added in between the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol and the Bojangles' Southern 500 due to the calendar.
• The second off-week has been moved to late-June between the Michigan and Sonoma races instead of the usual late-July break between New Hampshire and Indianapolis. This is to accommodate a Fox scheduling conflict where the U.S. Open and the FIFA Women's World Cup Round of 16 are on the same weekend.
• Charlotte and Kansas swap Chase race dates.
• The mandate of standardized start times was quietly abolished, with some races occurring later in the afternoon than normal.

  Season summary

Race reports

Results and standings

Races

Drivers' Championship

Manufacturers' Championship

Media coverage