Ranking NASCAR’s Rising Stars to Watch in 2026

The next Cup Series star in the making is already waiting in the wings, and in stock car racing, the final two stops before Sunday’s big show are the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS) and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS).

Last year we named Connor Zilisch as our No. 1 prospect, and it should surprise no one that he dominated the season as a driver in the Xfinity Series (now O’Reilly Auto Parts). He now heads to the Cup Series as the full-time driver of the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet.

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But who will be the next driver to join the sports stars on the Cup grid? Considering only drivers under the age of 25, we looked at their stats and outlook for the 2026 season to select our top prospects for the year ahead.

You can also find our list focused on IndyCar’s rising stars HERE.

1. Corey Heim (23) – ???

Corey Heim, TRICON Garage Toyota

At the top of our list is a driver in a very confusing situation. He doesn’t have a full-time commute. We expect to see him in Cup again on a part-time basis with 23XI Racing (he even finished sixth in last year’s Bristol Night Race), but it’s shocking that the reigning Truck Series champion and one of the sport’s brightest young talents isn’t competing for a title in 2026. It’s absurd, and yet here we are. How good was Heim in 2025? Well, we did a big story on all the different Truck Series records he broke, several of which stood since the 1990s. He surely won’t be on the sidelines for long as he’s clearly a generational talent, and 23XI obviously has a keen interest in him, but for now, his future remains uncertain.

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2. Brent Crews (17) – #19 Joe Gibbs Racing (NOAPS)

Brent Crews, Toyota

Crews will compete in 29 of Joe Gibbs Racing’s 33 races in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series this year. The only reason he won’t do the other four is simply because he’s not old enough. The 17-year-old Toyota development driver won six of the 17 ARCA races he entered and nearly became a Truck Series winner last year. He made ten starts at NCTS with Tricon, scoring two top fives and three top tens. But at the Charlotte Roval, he led 53 of 70 laps before finishing second. He will also be eligible for the NOAPS title in 2026, as he will be able to request a playoff waiver for those missed races because it was due to an age restriction.

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3. Kaden Honeycutt (22) – #11 Tricon Garage (NCTS)

Kaden Honeycutt, Halmar-Friesen Racing Toyota

Honeycutt has already impressed throughout 2025 and should have visited Victory Lane at least once. The 22-year-old started the year with Niece Motorsports and finished it with Halmar-Friesen Racing, but that didn’t stop him from driving all the way to Championship 4 and finishing the season third in points. But 2026 could be his year as he will inherit Heim’s championship-winning No. 11. While those are huge shoes to fill, it’s also an incredible opportunity because he’ll have the fastest truck in the field at his disposal.

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4. Jesse Love (20) – #2 Richard Childress Racing (NOAPS)

Jesse Love, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

By the start of 2025, Love was already an ARCA champion, winning ten of twenty races when he took the 2023 crown in dominant fashion. But just a few months ago, he came out of nowhere to win the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series title, snatching it from Zilisch in the season finale. He must have scraped and clawed at every turn, but shocked us all when he emerged victorious. The Richard Childress Racing driver then traveled to Australia to compete in the Super 2 Final at the Adelaide Street Circuit, and will now compete in the Chili Bowl Nationals. His surprise title definitely propelled him into this list. However, Love may now feel he has something more to prove as some voices online are questioning his “champion” status due to the format used. So he’ll surely be determined to silence those voices in 2026. He’s also closer to the Cup than most on this list, having run five Cup races with RCR last year.

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5. Layne Riggs (23) – #34 Front Row Motorsports (NCTS)

Layne Riggs, Ford motorsport front row

Riggs was the only driver to successfully battle Heim during the 2025 NCTS season, winning three races. However, he narrowly missed out on Championship 4 and missed out on a chance at the crown, finishing the year fifth in points. But if you take Heim out of the equation, Riggs led all other drivers in race wins, laps led, top five finishes, poles and average. He’ll get another chance with FRM this year, and without Heim, he’s the clear early favorite for the title.

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6. Carson Kvapil (22) – JR Motorsports (NOAPS)

Carson Kvapil, JR Motorsports, Clarience Technologies Chevrolet Camaro

You may have noticed that we haven’t included a car number for Kvapil, and that’s because he will be driving more than one car number for JRM in 2026. His duties will be split between cars and he will work with different crew chiefs in a unique dynamic with how they pieced together his full-time schedule. Kvapil is a rider we expected more from in 2025, but that should be taken as a compliment as he still reached Championship 4 with JRM. Despite a good performance in the playoffs, he still did not win and was the only full-time JRM driver not to visit Victory Lane. But we still know that the talent is there and that a second year at JR Motorsports could be an exceptional season for the young driver.

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7. Rajah Caruth (23) – #88 JR Motorsports / #32 Jordan Anderson Racing (NOAPS)

Rajah Caruth, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Like Kvapil, Caruth will have a unique way to compete in all 33 NOAPS races this year. He will compete in 23 races with JRM and the other ten with Jordan Anderson. There is a big equipment gap between these two organizations, and it will be fascinating to watch Caruth navigate it as he attempts to move JAR up the peloton while still meeting the expectations of any JRM rider. Caruth has spent the last three years full-time in trucks, earning two wins and placing sixth in the championship standings. During this period, he made several starts in the secondary division, so he has some experience with these cars. He will continue to have the support of Hendrickcars.com, and Rick Hendrick is a great ally for any rising star. But it will be a big test for Caruth as he takes the next step in his NASCAR journey, leaving the Truck Series behind.

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8. Corey Day (20) – #17 Hendrick Motorsports (NOAPS)

Corey Day, Chevrolet

A sidekick to Kyle Larson and often compared to him due to their similar backgrounds, Day will have the chance to compete full-time in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2026. He will drive for Hendrick Motorsports, so he will have all the best resources at his fingertips as he embarks on a full-season campaign. Day has shown flashes of speed so far in his young NASCAR career, but there have also been plenty of unforced errors. In eleven starts last year with HMS, he finished fourth at Las Vegas, but he was very hot and cold, averaging 15.9 for the year. He also ran nine truck races with Spire, placing as high as second at IRP, so again, the speed is there. In 2026, it will be about putting it all together for Day, and with Hendrick’s full support, it will be about whether he can rise to the occasion.

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9. Chandler Smith (23) – #38 Front Row Motorsports (NCTS)

Chandler Smith, Ford motorsport front row

Smith’s career has taken him on an uncertain path, but he continues to win races, and that’s what’s really important. The 23-year-old has three wins at the high school level of NASCAR and finished fifth in the standings in 2024. Despite some uncertainty about where he will end up in 2025, he has found a spot with FRM in the Truck Series. While it may seem like a step in the wrong direction, he made the most of it with two wins, bringing his career NCTS win total to seven. If he can step up and match the level of performance we’ve seen from teammate Riggs in 2026, then Smith could still have a long future in the sport.

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10. Taylor Gray (20) – #54 Joe Gibbs Racing (NOAPS)

Taylor Gray, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Younger brother Gray really loves Martinsville Speedway. In 2024, he nearly won a critical NCTS playoff race there, which would have propelled him to Championship 4. Instead, he wrecked and finished the season sixth in points. The Toyota driver then joined the Xfinity Series for 2025, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. He lost the lead again at Martinsville, but later in the season he found some redemption and became a winner at the high school level of NASCAR there. He finished the season seventh in points thanks to a respectable rookie performance. However, as a JGR driver, he better reach that next level of performance in 2026. The potential is there, but time will tell if it leads anywhere for the 20-year-old driver.

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Honorable Mention – Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen

Brenden Queen, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

He’s a bit older than everyone else on this list, so he doesn’t meet the “under 25” requirement, but he’s still a driver worth mentioning. Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen has won the hearts of fans, and many trophies too, lately. The 28-year-old model star dominated the 2025 ARCA Menards Series championship, winning eight races and taking the crown. In 2024, he finished fourth in his Truck Series debut at North Wilkesboro, which also turned heads. He has since found a home with Kaulig Racing, a team that signed him as part of its newly formed Truck Series program with Ram. In 2026, he will compete for the NCTS title with Kaulig and the Stellantis brand. Kaulig has a history of being loyal to his drivers, and if he excelled in the coming year, he would have a possible path to the Cup if Kaulig was interested in taking him to the next level.

Read also:

Ranking IndyCar’s Rising Stars to Watch in 2026

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