NASCAR ends Rookie Stripes for 2025 Season

In 2025, NASCAR will retire the iconic Rookie Stripe from the back of race cars. For years, these yellow stripes, positioned on either side of the rear bumper, have been a symbol marking rookie drivers across NASCAR’s top three series. However, with the new season, the stripes will no longer appear.

NASCAR recently informed Jeff Gluck of The Athletic that the removal of the rookie stripes is due to the belief that they are now “unnecessary.” As the premier level of stock car racing, NASCAR feels the stripes no longer serve a vital purpose. As such, they will be removed from all three series – Trucks, Xfinity, and the Cup Series.

The rookie stripes were not just for drivers vying for the Rookie of the Year title. NASCAR also considered factors like the driver’s prior experience in the car or on specific tracks when determining who should wear them. Additionally, the stripes were sometimes assigned to international drivers, regardless of their previous racing experience. For instance, in 2023, Shane van Gisbergen wore rookie stripes during his Chicago debut, despite being a seasoned driver.

An interesting case of necessary stripes occurred in 2018 when Bill Elliott, a 1988 NASCAR Cup Series Champion and Hall of Fame member, made a one-off appearance in the Xfinity Series at Road Atlanta. Despite his overwhelming experience behind the wheel of a stock car, NASCAR deemed the stripes necessary because he lacked experience specific to the Xfinity Series.

Had rookie stripes remained for the 2025 season, they would have been seen on Shane van Gisbergen of Trackhouse Racing and Riley Herbst from 23XI Racing, as both were eligible for the designation.