The 2015 Sprint Cup Series was the 67th season of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The season began with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 22 and ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 22.
After breaking his leg in a crash in the season-opening Xfinity Series race at Daytona and missing the first 11 races of the season, Kyle Busch came back to win his first Cup championship in his 11th full-time season. He had 5 wins, 12 Top 5s, 16 Top 10s and 1 pole. It was the fourth Cup championship for Joe Gibbs Racing and the first for Crew Chief Adam Stevens. It was the first championship for a driver driving a Toyota.
The season was notable for being the final full-time season for Jeff Gordon, who went on to join the FOX booth for the 2016 season, and the return of NBC during the second half of the season. It was also the final season before a new Charter system was implemented in order to provide full-time teams with an improved business model.
Teams and drivers[]
Full-time teams[]
Part-time teams[]
| Team | Car | No. | Driver(s) | Crew Chief | Round(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood Brothers Racing | 
|
21 | Ryan Blaney | Jeremy Bullins | 16 |
| Hendrick Motorsports | 
|
25 | Chase Elliott | Kenny Francis | 5 |
| The Motorsports Group |
|
30 | Ron Hornaday, Jr. | Pat Tryson | 1 |
| Jeff Green | Dave Fuge | 1 | |||
| Team XTREME Racing |
|
44 | Reed Sorenson | Peter Sospenzo | 1 |
| Premium Motorsports |
|
62 | Brendan Gaughan | Zach McGowen 4 Scott Eggleston 6 Wayne Carroll 6 |
8 |
| Reed Sorenson | 1 | ||||
|
|
Timmy Hill | 7 | |||
|
66 | Mike Wallace | Scott Eggleston | 1 | |
|
|
98 | Timmy Hill | Gene Nead 19 Jay Robinson 1 Scott Eggleston 4 Zach McGowan 10 Bobby Kennedy 1 |
5 | |
| Reed Sorenson | 6 | ||||
| T.J. Bell | 1 | ||||
| Ryan Preece | 5 | ||||
| Michael Waltrip | 1 | ||||
| Josh Wise | 7 | ||||
| Phil Parsons Racing |
|
11 | |||
| Leavine Family Racing |
|
95 | Michael McDowell | Wally Rogers 11 Kevin Walter 5 |
16 |
Schedule[]
The 2015 schedule was released in August 2014. The schedule contains 36 races from February to November
Results[]
| No. | Race | Pole sitter | Winner | Make | Cautions | Caution laps | Average speed | Number of lead changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | 2015 Sprint Unlimited | Paul Menard | Matt Kenseth |
|
4 | 17 | 135.569 | 14 |
| E | 2015 Budweiser Duel Race #1 | Jeff Gordon | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. |
|
3 | 13 | 144.462 | 9 |
| E | 2015 Budweiser Duel Race #2 | Jimmie Johnson | Jimmie Johnson |
|
3 | 12 | 144.724 | 7 |
| 1 | 2015 Daytona 500 | Jeff Gordon | Joey Logano |
|
7 | 26 | 161.939 | 27 |
| 2 | 2015 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 | Joey Logano | Jimmie Johnson |
|
10 | 54 | 131.078 | 28 |
| 3 | 2015 Kobalt 400 | Jeff Gordon | Kevin Harvick |
|
6 | 28 | 143.677 | 18 |
| 4 | 2015 CampingWorld.com 500 | Kevin Harvick | Kevin Harvick |
|
10 | 53 | 105.753 | 8 |
| 5 | 2015 Auto Club 400 | Kurt Busch | Brad Keselowski |
|
7 | 31 | 140.662 | 19 |
| 6 | 2015 STP 500 | Joey Logano | Denny Hamlin |
|
16 | 112 | 68.843 | 31 |
| 7 | 2015 Duck Commander 500 | Kurt Busch | Jimmie Johnson |
|
8 | 40 | 140.500 | 29 |
| 8 | 2015 Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes | Matt Kenseth | Matt Kenseth |
|
11 | 117 | 74.997 | 21 |
| 9 | 2015 Toyota Owners 400 | Joey Logano | Kurt Busch |
|
8 | 53 | 97.157 | 12 |
| 10 | 2015 GEICO 500 | Jeff Gordon | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. |
|
6 | 23 | 159.487 | 27 |
| 11 | 2015 SpongeBob SquarePants 400 | Joey Logano | Jimmie Johnson |
|
9 | 49 | 125.265 | 16 |
| E | 2015 Sprint All-Star Race | Denny Hamlin | Denny Hamlin |
|
4 | 0 | 106.452 | 7 |
| 12 | 2015 Coca-Cola 600 | Matt Kenseth | Carl Edwards |
|
8 | 39 | 147.803 | 22 |
| 13 | 2015 FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks | Denny Hamlin | Jimmie Johnson |
|
7 | 40 | 119.547 | 15 |
| 14 | 2015 Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 | Kurt Busch | Martin Truex, Jr. |
|
8 | 31 | 134.266 | 12 |
| 15 | 2015 Quicken Loans 400 | Kasey Kahne | Kurt Busch |
|
5 | 38 | 116.688 | 17 |
| 16 | 2015 Toyota / Save Mart 350 | A.J. Allmendinger | Kyle Busch |
|
5 | 21 | 74.774 | 9 |
| 17 | 2015 Coke Zero 400 | N/A | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. |
|
9 | 43 | 134.941 | 22 |
| 18 | 2015 Quaker State 400 | N/A | Kyle Busch |
|
11 | 49 | 129.402 | 13 |
| 19 | 2015 5-Hour Energy 301 | Carl Edwards | Kyle Busch |
|
7 | 34 | 108.504 | 10 |
| 20 | 2015 Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400 | Carl Edwards | Kyle Busch |
|
9 | 36 | 131.656 | 16 |
| 21 | 2015 Windows 10 400 | Kyle Busch | Matt Kenseth |
|
8 | 32 | 132.159 | 18 |
| 22 | 2015 Cheez-It 355 at the Glen | A.J. Allmendinger | Joey Logano |
|
5 | 16 | 91.420 | 8 |
| 23 | 2015 Pure Michigan 400 | Matt Kenseth | Matt Kenseth |
|
8 | 31 | 143.455 | 16 |
| 24 | 2015 Irwin Tools Night Race | Denny Hamlin | Joey Logano |
|
8 | 52 | 96.891 | 14 |
| 25 | 2015 Bojangles' Southern 500 | Brad Keselowski | Carl Edwards |
|
18 | 89 | 111.993 | 24 |
| 26 | 2015 Federated Auto Parts 400 | Joey Logano | Matt Kenseth |
|
6 | 47 | 100.353 | 13 |
| 27 | 2015 MyAFibRisk.com 400 | N/A | Denny Hamlin |
|
6 | 28 | 140.117 | 17 |
| 28 | 2015 Sylvania 300 | Carl Edwards | Matt Kenseth |
|
9 | 41 | 106.480 | 16 |
| 29 | 2015 AAA 400 | N/A | Kevin Harvick |
|
8 | 43 | 119.870 | 14 |
| 30 | 2015 Bank of America 500 | Matt Kenseth | Joey Logano |
|
9 | 44 | 139.760 | 14 |
| 31 | 2015 Hollywood Casino 400 | Brad Keselowski | Joey Logano |
|
7 | 39 | 135.732 | 21 |
| 32 | 2015 CampingWorld.com 500 | Jeff Gordon | Joey Logano |
|
3 | 18 | 167.311 | 30 |
| 33 | 2015 Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 | Joey Logano | Jeff Gordon |
|
18 | 109 | 69.643 | 21 |
| 34 | 2015 AAA Texas 500 | Brad Keselowski | Jimmie Johnson |
|
9 | 47 | 137.490 | 15 |
| 35 | 2015 Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 | Jimmie Johnson | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. |
|
2 | 29 | 106.512 | 8 |
| 36 | 2015 Ford EcoBoost 400 | Denny Hamlin | Kyle Busch |
|
7 | 30 | 131.755 | 18 |
Championship Points Standings[]
Drivers' Championship[]
| Pos | Driver | Races | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Poles | Points | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Busch | 25 | 5 | 12 | 16 | 1 | 5043 | |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | 36 | 3 | 23 | 28 | 1 | 5042 | -1 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | 36 | 1 | 5 | 21 | 4 | 5038 | -5 |
| 4 | Martin Truex, Jr. | 36 | 1 | 8 | 22 | 0 | 5032 | -11 |
| 5 | Carl Edwards | 36 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 3 | 2368 | -2,675 |
| 6 | Joey Logano | 36 | 6 | 22 | 28 | 6 | 2360 | -2,683 |
| 7 | Brad Keselowski | 36 | 1 | 9 | 25 | 3 | 2347 | -2,696 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | 33 | 2 | 10 | 21 | 3 | 2333 | -2,710 |
| 9 | Denny Hamlin | 36 | 2 | 14 | 20 | 3 | 2327 | -2,716 |
| 10 | Jimmie Johnson | 36 | 5 | 14 | 22 | 1 | 2315 | -2,728 |
| 11 | Ryan Newman | 36 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 0 | 2314 | -2,729 |
| 12 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 36 | 3 | 16 | 22 | 0 | 2310 | -2,733 |
| 13 | Jamie McMurray | 36 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 2295 | -2,748 |
| 14 | Paul Menard | 36 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2262 | -2,781 |
| 15 | Matt Kenseth | 34 | 5 | 12 | 20 | 4 | 2234 | -2,809 |
| 16 | Clint Bowyer | 36 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 2175 | -2,868 |
| Chase for the Sprint Cup cut-off | ||||||||
| 17 | Aric Almirola | 36 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 940 | -4,103 |
| 18 | Kasey Kahne | 36 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 939 | -4,104 |
| 19 | Kyle Larson | 35 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 872 | -4,171 |
| 20 | Greg Biffle | 36 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 869 | -4,174 |
| 21 | Austin Dillon | 36 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 832 | -4,211 |
| 22 | A.J. Allmendinger | 36 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 758 | -4,285 |
| 23 | Casey Mears | 36 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 754 | -4,289 |
| 24 | Danica Patrick | 36 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 716 | -4,327 |
| 25 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | 36 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 712 | -4,331 |
| 26 | Sam Hornish, Jr. | 36 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 709 | -4,334 |
| 27 | David Ragan | 36 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 701 | -4,342 |
| 28 | Tony Stewart | 36 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 695 | -4,348 |
| 29 | Trevor Bayne | 36 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 655 | -4,388 |
| 30 | Justin Allgaier | 36 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 588 | -4,455 |
| 31 | Cole Whitt | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 553 | -4,490 |
| 32 | David Gilliland | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 533 | -4,510 |
| 33 | Alex Bowman | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 437 | -4,606 |
| 34 | Brett Moffitt | 31 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 422 | -4,621 |
| 35 | Matt DiBenedetto | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 399 | -4,644 |
| 36 | Michael Annett | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 398 | -4,645 |
| 37 | Josh Wise | 24 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 254 | -4,789 |
| 38 | Jeb Burton | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 216 | -4,827 |
| 39 | Michael McDowell | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 213 | -4,830 |
| 40 | Alex Kennedy | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 120 | -4,923 |
| 41 | Reed Sorenson | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 74 | -4,969 |
| 42 | Bobby Labonte | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60 | -4,983 |
| 43 | Michael Waltrip | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | -4,985 |
| 44 | Ryan Preece | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | -5,008 |
| 45 | Brian Vickers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | -5,011 |
| 46 | Will Kimmel | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | -5,032 |
| 47 | Mike Wallace | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -5,035 |
| 48 | T.J. Bell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | -5,036 |
| 48 | Eddie MacDonald | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | -5,036 |
| 50 | Kyle Fowler | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -5,040 |
| 51 | Ron Hornaday, Jr. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -5,041 |
Manufacturer's Championship[]
Chevrolet won the 2015 Manufacturer's Championship for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.[1]
| Pos | Manufactuer | Wins | Points | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet | 15 | 1,584 | Leader |
| 2 | Toyota | 14 | 1,516 | -68 |
| 3 | Ford | 7 | 1,498 | -86 |
Contingency Awards[]
Rookie of the Year[]
Brett Moffitt won the 2015 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in the Sprint Cup Series.[1]
| Pos | Driver | Wins | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brett Moffitt | 0 | 348 |
| 2 | Matt DiBenedetto | 0 | 343 |
| 2 | Jeb Burton | 0 | 343 |
| 4 | Alex Kennedy | 0 | 255 |
Other Season Awards[]
- 3M Lap Leader: Kevin Harvick (16)
- American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award: Kevin Harvick & Joey Logano (6)
- Coors Light Pole Award: Joey Logano (6)
- Duralast Brakes "Brake In The Race" Award: Kevin Harvick (10)
- Freescale "Wide Open" Award: Kevin Harvick (94)
- Ingersoll Rand Power Move: Kurt Busch (47)
- Mahle Clevite Engine Builder: Hendrick Motorsports (#4 Stewart-Haas Racing Team)
- Mobil 1 Driver of the Race: Kevin Harvick (14)
- Moog Steering and Suspension Problem Solver of the Race: Greg Ives, Crew Chief of the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Team (5)
- Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap Award: Matt Kenseth (7)[1]
References[]
| NASCAR Cup Series seasons |
|---|
| 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 |
| 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 |
| 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |