The NASCAR Awards ceremony came and went quickly this year.
But here are some awards not given out at the ceremony earlier this month.
These additional accolades, if you will, were born from some of my random thoughts based on what I saw at the racetrack throughout the season:
Win of the Year: Bubba Wallace
Wallace winning at Indianapolis was a major moment for his career, as he won what is arguably one of the majors in the sport.
Repeat Winner of the Year: William Byron
Byron’s back-to-back victories in the Daytona 500 made him one of only five drivers to win the sport’s biggest race in consecutive years.
William Byron started off the year strong with a huge win at Daytona.
Specialty Driver of the Year: Shane van Gisbergen
SVG wants to prove himself on ovals, but he obviously doesn’t need to show anything more on road courses. At every road course NASCAR goes to, he’ll be the driver to beat. He won five of the six this season.
Awesome Moment of the Year: Daniel Suarez
Suarez winning the Xfinity Series race in Mexico City was one of those moments where the excitement of the crowd just engulfs the venue. Most of us could only wish to have that type of experience.
Heartbreak of the Year: Denny Hamlin
Twenty years of trying … and still coming up just a little bit short. After leading 208 of the first 312 laps, Hamlin couldn’t rally in overtime following a four-tire stop and didn’t win that Cup title that has remained so elusive throughout this career.
There was more disappointment for Denny after he failed to win the Cup title.
Roller Coaster of the Year: Kyle Larson
Larson won three races and had one of the worst days of his professional career when he crashed in both the Indy 500 and the Coke 600. And then he completed the season with a 24-race winless streak — all while winning his second Cup title.
Surprise of the Year: Chase Briscoe
Did anyone really think that Briscoe would be one of the four championship finalists? And for those who did, did they really think he would lead the series in number of poles with seven? Briscoe had an awesome first year at Joe Gibbs Racing.
Burnout of the Year: Chase Elliott
Elliott opened the season by winning the preseason Clash and then had a great burnout riding along the fence to celebrate NASCAR’s return to Bowman Gray Stadium.
Odd Man Out of the Year: Joey Logano
Maybe we’re starting to believe this even-year-is-the-year thing for Joey Logano, who won his Cup titles in 2018, 2022 and 2024. In 2025, he was eliminated after the opening round in a season where he ended up seventh in the standings.
Logano has owned the even years. Is 2026 his for the taking?
Unnoticed Win of the Year: Ryan Blaney
Do you even remember that Blaney won at Phoenix in the season finale? With all the talk about Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson, Blaney made a stout move at the end to win the race.
Feud of the Year: Stenhouse–Hocevar
They never came to blow,s but they nearly did, as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carson Hocevar tangled at Nashville and Mexico City.
Family Feud of the Year: Hamlin-Gibbs
When Denny Hamlin’s car shoved Ty Gibbs resulting in him hitting the wall, it was more than just a veteran sending a message to a young driver because they both drive for Joe Gibbs Racing. It doesn’t sound like that will happen again.
Disappointment of the Year: Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch
The two proud former Cup championships both went winless and didn’t make the playoffs. Keselowski finished 20th in the standings while Busch was 21st. Neither could leave the season all that happy although Keselowski at least has the feel of seeing improvement during the season.
Will Kyle Busch’s fate take a turn for the better next season?
Comeback of the Year: Zane Smith
After getting fired from his ride at Trackhouse, Smith finished a respectable 28th in the standings driving for Front Row Motorsports. And even at 28th, he seemed to be running better later in the year.
Streak of the Year: Connor Zilisch
Zilisch went 18 consecutive races with a top-five finish in the Xfinity Series. In that run, he had nine firsts (albeit one where Parker Kligerman finished the race), five seconds, two fourths and two fifths.
Race of the Year: Bell–Busch at COTA
The battle between Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch in the final laps at Circuit of the Americas was one to watch as they diced — cleanly — with Bell emerging as the winner.
Pitchman of the Year: Ross Chastain
Chastain had one watermelon smash in Cup and then also was part of a national ad campaign for Busch, with the ad appearing during the Super Bowl.
Watermelon Ross got to smash it one time during the 2025 NASCAR season.
Flip of the Year: Ryan Preece (again)
Preece flipped at Daytona for the second consecutive year. This one wasn’t as bad as far as any bloodshot eyes, but it was still one of those hold-your-breath moments.
Mullet of the Year: Tyler Reddick and Noah Gragson
It wouldn’t be fair to choose one of the two drivers who sported signature mullets throughout the season.
Organization of the Year: Joe Gibbs Racing
With three drivers (Hamlin, Briscoe and Bell) in the top-five of the final standings as well as 13 victories combined, Joe Gibbs Racing gets the nod for organization of the year.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
