NASCAR’s rising stars to watch in 2025

Like any other sport, the champion of tomorrow is always waiting and at the pinnacle of stock car racing, the final two stages before the big show are the NASCAR Truck and NASCAR Xfinity Series.

We looked at the most promising drivers under the age of 25 from these two divisions, choosing the ten most talented drivers based on their history of on-track successes, the support they have received as well as their immediate future as many enter the new race for 2025. Have planned a ride. There are some names you may already know and recognize. The rest – you’ll want to remember.

1. Connor Zylisch (18)

Putting Zillix at the top was one of the easiest decisions when compiling this list. The Trackhouse signee is only 18 years old and yet, he has already achieved more than those who have been racing for decades. It would probably be easy to list what the teen sensation hasn’t won, but his current list of wins includes IMSA, ARCA, Mazda MX-5 Cup, Trans-Am, and even the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Yes, Zillish won in his first Xfinity start at Watkins Glen earlier this yearAnd that wasn’t even his biggest accomplishment of the 2024 season. He also earned LMP2 class wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Sebring 12 Hours for Era Motorsport. He has since been made an official Red Bull athlete, which is always good company to have behind you.

Zylisch is already under contract with Trackhouse Racing and has secured a full-time Xfinity ride for 2025 JR Motorsports –an organization led by dale earnhardt jr and his sister Kelly, and one who has won four drivers’ titles with four different drivers in the last decade. There really is no doubt that this driver will be in Cup one day.

2. Corey Haim (21)

Heim is about to spend his third consecutive year in the NASCAR Truck Series, which is surprising, but not unheard of for a Cup prospect. zane smith And Carson Hocevar Both took a similar path by leaving the Xfinity Series before joining the Cup level. And Heim has taken the lead as the 21-year-old has actually already competed in three Cup races – all with 23XI RacingIn the Truck Series, he has yet to secure a title, but he has won the championship four consecutive years and has 11 wins in only 64 starts. He has also made a few starts in the Xfinity Series, earning a career-best result of third at Iowa earlier this year.

In 2025, he will remain under the Toyota umbrella as he retains his position as a driver for Tricon Garage. However, the path ahead for them is unclear. If Toyota’s ride opens up, could it make the jump to Cup in 2026? Potentially, but right now, there don’t seem to be a lot of good options available. Hopefully Heim doesn’t have to face defeat in the game of musical chairs as he is fully capable of competing at the Cup level. However, Toyota has a history of taking drivers on too fast, so perhaps they’re being more patient in pushing the hem so that when it’s finally ‘hem time’, it’ll be ready to come out of the gate swinging. Will go.

3. Christian Eckes (24)

Eckes really held his own in 2024, dominating several Truck races and placing 4th in the championship with over 1,000 laps (nearly 400 more than his nearest competition). Looking over the entire 23-race season, he scored 15 top fives and 22 top tens! He was fast, but also incredibly consistent. Eckes is also a former winner of the Snowball Derby (2016) – an impressive addition to the resume of a rising star.

In 2025, he will finally get a chance to become a 16th-ranked pilot in the second tier of NASCAR’s three national divisions. Kaulig Racing chevrolet, which AJ Allmendinger Just went to participate in Championship 4. Eckes has no experience in the Xfinity Series, but he does have plenty of experience at the national level with 100+ truck races.

4. Carson Kvapil (21)

Longtime NASCAR fans may recognize this nickname. Yes, Carson is the son of Travis Kvapil, who raced in Cup for more than a decade with nearly 300 starts. Carson has yet to win in nine starts as an Xfinity driver, but his first two starts were enough to attract attention with a fourth-place finish at Martinsville and a runner-up result at Dover. Kvapil is also a two-time CARS Late Model Stock Car Champion, which is no easy feat.

Carson will have a very strong car as he begins his first full-time season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving for JR Motorsports as Zylisch’s teammate.

5.Jesse Love (19)

Like Zilisch, Love is another driver who has climbed the ladder quickly. In 2023, he captured the ARCA title by winning half the races (10 out of 20). In 2024, he essentially quit trucks to run Xfinity full-time Richard Childress Racinghe walked out of the crowd Toyota Racing Development Camp, and managed to win at RCR Talladega, finishing eighth in points and earning Rookie of the Year honors over Shane Van Gisbergen.

RCR will keep Love behind the wheel of the No. 2 Chevrolet as he focuses on his second year as an Xfinity Series driver. Oh, all this, and he’s not even 20 years old.

6. King Caruth (22)

Carruth is a solidly grounded driver who has shown significant improvement in his young career. After a tough 2023 in the Truck Series with stellar performances, he returned strong in 2024, winning from the pole position at Las Vegas for his first Truck win. In doing so, he became the third black driver to win at the sport’s national level, joining Wendell Scott bubba wallaceWallace has been somewhat of a mentor to Carruth, even giving him some very public advice after a disappointing race. And the support doesn’t stop there. Carruth also has the support of Rick Hendrick himself, sponsored by HendrickCars.com. He finished seventh in the championship standings with Spire Motorsports in 2024, nine places higher than the previous year.

Carruth has re-signed with Spire for the 2025 Truck season and there’s no reason to think he won’t continue his upward trend.

7. Nick Sanchez (23)

Sanchez’s young career has not been without setbacks, including some unforced errors and even a concussion. However, the momentum has always been there. The 2022 ARCA champion has been remarkable in qualifying as a NASCAR Truck Series driver with seven poles and 13 front-row starts, but it wasn’t until his second full-time season that Sanchez finally found Victory Lane.

Next year, he’ll move up to the Xfinity Series big machine racingDriving full-time in the No. 48 car vacated by Parker KligermanHe’s already made a few starts in the Xfinity Series, finishing seventh at Martinsville – and that was two years ago. Sanchez has improved significantly since then.

8. William Savalich (18)

Savalich earned back-to-back ARCA East titles in 2023 and 2024, notably defeating Zilisch to take the crown this year. His age limited who he could race on the track, but he was able to make three starts in the Xfinity Series and ten starts in trucks. His results have been nothing spectacular so far, but he did earn the pole position for the Xfinity title-decider at Phoenix.

Well, JGR still sees potential. Savalich will remain full-time joe gibbs racing In the Xfinity Series, driving the No. 18 Toyota in 2025. This is championship-caliber equipment and Solich will be one of an absolutely stacked rookie class.

9. Caden Honeycutt (21)

The driver often ignores, but this should not happen. Honeycutt is the new winner of the Snowball Derby and his niece is an obvious talent behind the wheel of motorsports trucks. The team has a habit of bringing forward talented drivers who do not have the traditional funding/support that others usually have. Ross Chastain And Carson Hocevar is the perfect example of that, and he’s the only driver to win a race for Niece. Honeycutt could potentially be next, as he showcased his raw speed at times while playing part-time this year.

Honeycutt’s performance was more than enough for Niece to bring him up for a full season effort in 2025, where he’ll likely get a chance to win his first race and even compete for a championship.

10. Taylor Gray (19)

Not to be confused with his brother Tanner – Taylor Gray has yet to win a NASCAR Truck Series race in over 50 starts, but he still earned his spot on this list. One reason for this is the progress he showed this year, almost winning his place at Championship 4 in Martinsville. After this, he handled a very emotional moment well, facing his opponent without any fight. He more than doubled his top five and top ten finishes between 2023 and 2024, where he also moved from 15th to sixth in the final standings. He also made his Xfinity debut this year and finished third in his very first race at Richmond, which certainly turned heads.

But the main reason for adding Gray is the potential opportunity in front of him. He has always secured a full-time Xfinity Series ride, driving the fast No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.