The talent crop in modern-day NASCAR is arguably as deep as it has ever been, with the ARCA, Trucks and Xfinity Series fields stacked with young talent.
Here are the five best young prospects in the sport to keep an eye on across the series:
5. Carson Kvapil, No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro, JR Motorsports (Xfinity Series): The son of 2003 Craftsman Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil, the younger Kvapil has an average finish of third through his first two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts in 2024. After a fourth-place run at Martinsville, Kvapil was barely edged out by Ryan Truex for the win at Dover, finishing runner-up in just his second NASCAR start. Recruited by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, Jr, Kvapil has proven himself on the short tracks thus far and a full-time Xfinity Series ride could be on the horizon in 2025.
4. Connor Zilisch, No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado, Spire Motorsports (Truck Series): Zilisch’s experience in NASCAR-sanctioned races is minimal, but his results thus far show that the 17 year-old may be one of the sport’s future stars. The winner of the ARCA Menards Series race at Dover last weekend, Zilisch also won the pole for his first Truck Series start at COTA, where he finished fourth despite an early setback. Without a lap one mistake, Zilisch may have found himself in victory lane. The speed and talent is there, and with a development deal already signed with Trackhouse Racing, Zilisch has a bright future ahead of him. He’ll run five more Truck Series races in 2024, giving the NASCAR world five more opportunities to see what he brings to the table.
3. Christian Eckes, No. 19 Chevrolet Silverado, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing (Truck Series): After winning four races in the Truck Series in 2023, Eckes already has two wins so far in 2024, including a race at Bristol where he straight up outdrove Kyle Busch for the trophy. At the ripe old age of 23, Eckes is on the older side of current prospects, but he consistently puts himself in a position to win. His upside might not be strong enough for a Cup team to take a risk on him in the next three or four seasons, but if he keeps winning he’ll get a phone call from a Cup team soon enough.
2. Chandler Smith, No. 81 Toyota Supra (Xfinity Series): While Smith did win his first career Xfinity Series race in 2023, he struggled mightily with consistency, notching only 13 top-10’s in 33 races. Through the first 10 races of the 2024 season, Smith has two wins, six top-fives and eight top-10’s, along with an incredible average finish of 7.0. He has also finished all 10 races so far, an invaluable trait in modern-day NASCAR. At 21 years old, Smith is primed to be the next great Toyota driver, and with the possible retirement of Martin Truex Jr. looming he could be next in line to drive the famed No. 19 car.
1. Corey Heim, No. 11 Toyota Tundra, Tricon Garage (Truck Series): Speaking of consistency, Heim had 19 top-10’s in 22 Truck Series races a year ago, and through seven races in 2024 he has finished top-10 in every single one. An increase in wins might be nice, but he’ll find victory lane consistently if he keeps running inside the top-five. His average finish through the first seven events is 3.9, a number that before only seemed possible in a NASCAR video game. The Truck Series seems more like a formality for Heim, as a solid showing in his Cup Series debut at Dover in place of injured Erik Jones proves that he has the chops to be a top-level driver in the premier stock-car racing series in the world.
–Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media