24 Degrees’ Top 24 NASCAR Prospects
Top NASCAR drivers like Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick have all retired from NASCAR in the last decade, leaving the sport to the next generation of drivers. While we have seen young drivers like Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, and Christopher Bell come up through the ranks and make a name for themselves as some of the best of this generation, who will be the best of the next? This is a look into who we think will be the next best thing in NASCAR.
24. Katie Hettinger
Katie Hettinger is the youngest female racer to ever win at the famed Hickory Motor Speedway, doing so at the age of 14, and she has since become the winningest female driver at the track. She competes in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series, the CARS Pro Late Model and Late Model Stock divisions as well as select Pro Late Model events. At the age of 17, Hettinger shows a lot of promise and we could see her start to rise up the ranks of NASCAR very soon.
Katie Hettinger – Photo Credit: Katie Hettinger, Twitter
23. Landen Lewis
Landen Lewis – Photo Credit: Landen Lewis, Twitter
Landen Lewis is a driver who truly flies under the radar and tends to go unnoticed. He comes from the Team Hornady Development system, founded by NASCAR Hall of Famer, Ron Hornady Jr. He has had a lot of success in Legends Cars winning in his second ever start and winning multiple championships across North Carolina, including Charlotte's Summer Shootout in 2022. In 2021, he made his ARCA debut at the Illinois State Fairgrounds for a combined Rette Jones Racing and Rev Racing effort. He went on to finish 7th, but the next week at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, he qualified on pole and led all 104 laps on the way to his first career ARCA victory. Across 22 ARCA starts, he has won 3 races at three different kinds of tracks: the dirt mile in DuQuoin, the high banked asphalt short track of Kevin Harvick’s Kern County Raceway Park, and the road course at Portland International Raceway. Landen has also made two truck starts for Roper Racing. He currently runs part time in the Cars Tour Late Model Stock division, splitting the 62 car for KHI with Layne Riggs and Kevin Harvick.
22. Jake Finch
Jake Finch – Photo Credit: Jake Finch, Twitter
Jake Finch is the son of former team owner, James Finch. He tore up the late model scene for a few years before making his ARCA debut at Five Flags Speedway in 2022. Across 25 ARCA starts, Finch has won 2 races at Talladega Superspeedway and Dover Motor Speedway, accumulated 7 top 5s, and 20 top 10s. We look forward to what this young driver can do as he climbs the ranks of stock car racing.
21. Tyler Reif
Tyler Reif– Photo Credit: Vegas Fast Media, Twitter
Tyler Reif made a splash at the national stage, beating drivers like William Sawalich, Jesse Love, and others to win in his first ARCA National Series start at Phoenix Raceway, holding off Landen Lewis on a late restart. In 21 ARCA starts, Reif has two wins with smaller budget teams. The 17 year old currently leads the ARCA West points by five over reigning champion Sean Hingorani, with five races to go, we look forward to seeing whether or not Tyler can hold onto this championship lead.
20. Jade Avedisian
Jade Avedisian– Photo Credit: Jade Avedisian, Twitter
Jade Avedisian may not be fully accustomed to asphalt racing yet, but she tore up the dirt racing scene. She is the second female driver to ever win a nationally touring midget race with her victory at Jacksonville Speedway in 2022. Since that win, Jade has accumulated 7 Midget wins and went on to win the 2023 Xtreme Outlaw Midget championship. She has also made some road racing starts in the Toyota GR 86 Cup in 2024 to get used to asphalt racing. She has a bright future in front of her and we cannot wait to see her in a stock car.
19. Gio Ruggiero
Gio Ruggiero– Photo Credit: ARCA Menards Series, Twitter
Gio Ruggiero is a surprise not many people saw coming, but the 17 year old has dominated short track racing over the last two years. He is the 2022 Show Me The Money Pro Late Model Series Champion, the 2023 Southern Super Series Champion, the 2023 Champion Racing Association Super Series Champion, and the 2023 Winchester 400 Winner. In 11 ARCA starts over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Ruggiero has accumulated 1 win, 9 top 5s, 9 top 10s, and an average finish of 6.09. Ruggiero has shown a lot of promise so far in 2024, and we cannot wait to see the conclusion of the ARCA East Series championship battle between himself, Connor Zilisch, and William Sawalich.
18. Layne Riggs
Layne Riggs was probably in everyone’s top 10 to start the year, but after a disappointing 2024 to this point, the former NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion has fallen down the list. Layne is a second generation driver and the son of former Cup Series driver, Scott Riggs. Layne was a top level driver in the Cars Tour Late Model Stock division for years, accumulating 7 wins in five full time seasons from 2017 to 2021. He made his Truck Series debut in 2022, finishing an impressive 7th at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; he has since racked up another 5 top tens across 21 starts. He is still searching for that first win and currently sits in a must win situation entering the regular season finale at Richmond Raceway. We hope Layne can end 2024 strong and have an even better 2025.
Layne Riggs– Photo Credit: Front Row Motorsports, Twitter
17. Jake Drew
Jake Drew– Photo Credit: Kickin’ The Tires, Twitter
Jake Drew is another driver that tends to fly under the radar; the 2022 ARCA West champ showcases a lot of talent. He was very close to winning the 2021 ARCA West championship, losing out to Jesse Love on a tie breaker after Love made a last lap pass on Drew’s teammate who thought the race had ended a lap sooner than its full distance. After not being able to find a full time ride for the 2023 season, Drew went back to karting for a short period of time before he was picked up by ThorSport Racing to run the Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, and later Hattori Racing to run 6 of the last 7 races on the schedule. With limited practice and a lack of experience on tracks bigger than a mile, Jake Drew impressed in his 7 truck starts, collecting a best finish of 10th at Kansas. We look forward to what the future holds for Jake Drew.
16. Isabella Robusto
Isabella Robusto– Photo Credit: Venturini Motorsports, Twitter
Isabella Robusto has a ton of raw talent. The young female driver has accumulated two Cars Tour Late Model Stock wins, and was the longest lasting member of Rev Racing’s Drive for Diversity program, being a member from 2016 to 2021. She has since moved into the Toyota Racing Development system and has shown a lot of promise. In her 6 ARCA starts in 2024, she has an average finish of 6.67 with a best finish of 2nd twice at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and Irwindale Speedway. In those 6 races, she has only one finish worse than 6th, which came at the second race at Irwindale, where she finished 17th after blowing a right front tire late in the race. The talent is there and that first ARCA win is coming, we cannot wait to see her climb the ladder of stock car racing.
15. Luke Fenhaus
Luke Fenhaus goes under the radar. He made an outstanding first impression to the motorsports world in 2021 finishing 2nd and leading the most laps in his Superstar Racing Experience debut at Slinger Speedway. Since then, Fenhaus has won the 2022 Cars Tour Pro Late Model championship, finished 2nd in the 2023 ARCA Menards Series East standings with 2 wins, and has finished inside the top 10 in 2 of his first 3 Truck Series starts with ThorSport Racing. In such a small sample size, it is plain to see that Luke Fenhaus is a top talent.
Luke Fenhaus– Photo Credit: ThorSport Racing, Twitter
14. Sammy Smith
Sammy Smith– Photo Credit: Sammy Smith, Twitter
Sammy Smith is a driver that could have been number 1 on this list a few years ago. Sammy showed a lot of promise in the ARCA Menards Series, winning 13 ARCA races in 33 races along with two ARCA East championships. Sammy was a top prospect leaving the ARCA Menards Series for the Xfinity Series. However, he has gotten off to a slow start, with only 1 win in 62 starts. A Round of 8 exit in his rookie season and a large amount of incoming talent at Toyota lead Sammy to leave Joe Gibbs Racing and join JR Motorsports for the 2024 season. The move has proven to be tougher than Sammy expected as he currently sits 3 points outside the playoff cutline. With 6 races remaining until the Xfinity Series Playoffs begin, can Sammy turn his season around and clinch himself a Playoff spot?
13. Kaden Honeycutt
Kaden Honeycutt– Photo Credit: Niece Motorsports, Twitter
Kaden Honeycutt is one of the rawest talents in NASCAR. The 21 year old has found a lot of success in the Cars Tour Late Model Stock division, he has 3 wins and was the 2021 rookie of the year. He has 2 wins in 11 ARCA starts, winning 2 out of his 5 starts in 2023. Kaden is driving part time for Niece Motorsports in 2024 in the Craftsman Truck Series. In his 6 starts, he has 4 top 10s with a best finish of 4th at Kansas, a race in which he could have won. The talent is there for Kaden, only time will tell whether or not he will be able to become what we all know he can be.
12. Rajah Caruth
Rajah Caruth– Photo Credit: Frontstretch
Rajah Caruth is only the third African American driver to win a NASCAR National Series race, joining the likes of Wendell Scott and Bubba Wallace. Despite being winless in his ARCA career, he was a model of consistency, finishing 3rd in points in his only full time season. This was enough to earn a call from GMS to drive the 24 truck in 2023. It was a disappointing rookie campaign for Rajah, only logging 4 top 10s and missing the playoffs, but he has bounced back in 2024. He won his first career race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and scored 8 top 10’s in 15 races with Spire Motorsports. Rajah also has 19 career Xfinity Series starts with a best finish of 12th twice at Martinsville for Alpha Prime Racing. Rajah shows a lot of promise and looks to move up the ladder in 2025.
11. Taylor Gray
Taylor Gray– Photo Credit: Taylor Gray, Twitter
Taylor Gray is an interesting case, as he's probably one of the best drivers to come through ARCA. He was competing with Sam Mayer and Ty Gibbs at the age of 15 and was winning races against them. He was also racing against the likes of Jesse Love and Sammy Smith at the age of 17. While those 4 have all skipped the Truck Series, Taylor Gray is currently developing in the Truck Series. The 19 year old had an impressive ARCA career, in 48 races, he won 8 races and was a constant contender for the ARCA East championship. Since moving up to trucks, Taylor has not yet won a race, but we have a feeling that first win is right around the corner.
10. Nick Sanchez
Nick Sanchez is currently the face of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program. He is the 2022 ARCA Menards Series Champion, with 4 wins across 50 total ARCA starts. Sanchez currently drives full time in the Craftsman Truck Series for Rev Racing, he has two wins in 38 races with 9 top 5’s and 22 top 10’s. He just barely missed the Championship 4 in his rookie season, losing out to Ben Rhodes on a tiebreaker for the final spot. In 2024, he finally won his first career race, winning at Daytona and followed it up with a win at Charlotte. He has also made 8 Xfinity Series starts with a best finish of 7th at Martinsville in 2022. Sanchez has a lot of potential and could be one of the best drivers of the next generation.
Nick Sanchez– Photo Credit: Nick Sanchez, Twitter
9. William Sawalich
William Sawalich is the next driver to go through the Joe Gibbs Racing’s pipeline. Following the likes of Riley Herbst, Ty Gibbs, and Sammy Smith, William has joined Joe Gibbs Racing’s ARCA Menards Series program as a development driver. In his ARCA career, he has 14 wins across 42 ARCA Menards Series starts and a ARCA Menards Series East championship in 2023. He has also made Truck Series starts for Tricon Garage and has a best finish of 6th at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Sawalich is set to make his Xfinity Series debut later this year at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
William Sawalich– Photo Credit: William Sawalich, Twitter
8. Sam Mayer
Sam Mayer– Photo Credit: Sam Mayer, Twitter
A few years ago, Sam Mayer could have been number 1 on this list. He has 14 ARCA wins in 57 total races, a Truck Series win in his 6th start, and going into his first Xfinity Series season in 2021, it looked like he and Ty Gibbs were on an even playing field to be the top prospects in NASCAR. However, Sam had a slow start in Xfinity, collecting 1 top 5 and 6 top 10s in 18 races. He was winless through his first 70 Xfinity series races, until Road America in 2023, where he finally broke through into the win column. In the next 34 races, including Road America, he has accumulated 5 wins and a Championship 4 appearance. Despite a few issues that the 21 year old needs to fix, Sam Mayer finally is starting to look like the driver we all knew he could be.
7. Chandler Smith
Chandler Smith– Photo Credit: Frontstretch
Chandler Smith has always been a top prospect since he made his first ARCA Menards Series start in 2018. A win in his 4th start was the first of many, in total Smith tallied 10 wins in 35 starts. He never ran a full season in ARCA but the success followed him when he moved to the Truck Series, 4 wins in his 61 truck starts may not seem like much, but his 24 top fives in those starts speak volumes to his ability. 3 wins so far in his Xfinity career with Kaulig Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing showcases that he still has room to grow while still being a championship contender each season. We are excited to see the peak of Chandler’s abilities one day.
6. Christian Eckes
Christian Eckes is one of the oldest driver on this list. Eckes was once Toyota’s top prospect, with 6 wins in 46 ARCA Menards Series starts and the 2019 Championship, Eckes looked to fly through the ranks at Toyota. After a slow start to his truck series career with only 1 win in his 68 starts with Toyota backed trucks at Kyle Busch Motorsports and ThorSport Racing, Eckes moved to Chevrolet and McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. Now in 38 races with MHR, Eckes has tallied 7 wins in 38 races and looks to clinch the 2024 Regular Season Championship this weekend in Richmond. Eckes is a prime example of persistence and self belief. The potential we all saw years ago is now finally shining through.
Christian Eckes– Photo Credit: Bill McAnally Racing, Twitter
5. Carson Kvapil
The son of former NASCAR driver Travis Kvapil, Carson has made a name for himself driving for JR Motorsports in the Cars Tour Late Model Stock division. He has won the last two Cars Tour Late Model Stock championships and is trying to make it a three-peat in 2024. Along with his Cars Tour Campaign, Carson has been making starts all across NASCAR and ARCA. He finished 12th in his only Craftsman Truck Series start, has an average finish of 7.17 across all divisions of ARCA, and has 3 top 5’s and 4 top 10’s in six Xfinity Series starts in 2024. Carson is gunning for a JRM Xfinity seat in 2025 and based on his performances, we believe that he deserves one.
Carson Kvapil– Photo Credit: Carson Kvapil, Twitter
4. Brent Crews
Brent Crews– Photo Credit: Brent Crews, Twitter
Brent Crews can win in anything. From Midgets to TA2 and everything in between. Brent Crews is an unbelievable talent. The current Kevin Harvick Inc. driver has 4 Midget wins, 7 TA2 wins and the 2023 TA2 Championship, 1 ARCA Menards Series win in 5 starts, and two Cars Tour Late Model Stock wins. The 16 year old is quickly stacking up the accolades and looks to be a star in the making.
3. Jesse Love
Jesse Love– Photo Credit: Xfinity Racing, Twitter
The reigning ARCA Menards Series Champion and current Richard Childress Racing Xfinity Series driver is an unbelievable talent. He is the youngest ever ARCA Menards Series West winner to go along with his two championships. He has 18 wins across 85 ARCA Menards Series starts, and has already won his first Xfinity Series race during his rookie season at Talladega. Jesse could be the next big thing RCR is looking for.
2. Connor Zilisch
Connor Zilisch– Photo Credit: ARCA Menards Series, Twitter
Connor Zilisch is a teenager who has already won one of the most prestigious events in all of motorsports. At the young age of 18, Zilisch already has an impressive resume. He is a seven-time karting champion, with one of those being a world championship, an eight time Whelen MX-5 Cup winner, the 2022 Whelen MX-5 Cup Rookie of the Year award winner and championship runner-up, a five-time Trans Am TA2 winner, 24 Hours of Daytona winner, and a 12 Hours of Sebring winner. He has won in the Cars Tour Pro Late Model and Late Model Stock division and has won multiple ARCA Menards Series races this year. He won a pole in his Truck Series debut at Circuit of the Americas earlier this year and has just signed a full time deal with JR Motorsports for the 2025 season. The young Trackhouse development driver has a bright future ahead of him.
1. Corey Heim
Corey Heim– Photo Credit: Xfinity Racing, Twitter
Corey Heim is on track to be one of the best Craftsman Truck Series drivers ever. In 56 career Truck Series starts, he has 10 wins, 28 top 5’s, and 41 top 10s, with a 9.66 career average finish. Despite missing a race in the regular season in 2023, he still won the regular season championship and went on a deep playoff run, looking like the championship favorite. Heim has also impressed in his 13 Xfinity Series starts, showcasing a lot of speed. He has also made three NASCAR Cup Series starts this year for Legacy Motor Club and 23XI Racing. Corey looks to finally check off a truck championship this year and perhaps jump up a level or two in the 2025 season.
Other notable drivers who we left off this list due to age or other reasons are: Tyler Ankrum, Toni Breidinger, Sheldon Creed, Corey Day, Hailie Deegan, Jake Garcia, Tanner Gray, Connor Hall, Riley Herbst, Sean Hingorani, Conner Jones, Derek Kraus, Caden Kvapil, Treyten Lapcevich, Connor Mosack, Andres Perez de Lara, Parker Retzlaff, Lavar Scott, and Brendan Queen. We look forward to seeing what the next generation of NASCAR has to offer.
