Top 15 NASCAR Prospects Entering 2026

By: Kevin Modeszto | Published: February 2nd, 2026

Any NASCAR fan knows that a big wreck at Talladega is a par for the course. But this wreck with 7 laps to go in Stage 2 of the 2025 Xfinity Series playoff race was not par for the course for William Sawalich. Sawalich had been running in the low teens, when he got caught up in somebody else’s mess.  

Sawalich had to be taken to the hospital and was forced to sit out the final 2 races of his rookie Xfinity Series season. This was the cherry on top of a miserable rookie season from the newly 19-year-old Sawalich. After two years of terrorizing the ARCA field in the Joe Gibbs Racing 18, he moved up with the same team and number to the Xfinity series and did not impress.  

Sawalich started the season with two Top-10s in the first three races, but followed that up with a twelve race stretch where he only had 3 Top 20s, and a five-race stretch of no Top 25s. Even a pole at Nashville did not help, as he still finished 34^th. Despite this, he turned it around in the second half of the season. He went from barely finishing Top 15 to having 3 Top 5s and 5 Top 10s in 8 weeks, including back-to-back runner ups.  

Sawalich, seen as a top Toyota prospect since 2023, has fallen down the metaphorical draft board due to an embarrassing first half of the season, sitting 24^th in points halfway through the season and sitting behind rookies, teams with zero manufacturer support, and his own part-time teammate. His impressive second half and climb to 18^th in points despite missing the final 2 races are why I still have him in my Top 15, but another slow start could lower his stock even further.  

There were many changes to the rosters of NASCAR’s lower series over the 2025-2026 off-season. Top prospect Connor Zilisch went to the Cup Series full-time, the Xfinity Series is now the O’Riley Auto Parts Series, and the truck series has a new manufacturer in Ram. This article will rank the Top 15 prospects for future Cup Series drivers. Drivers over the age of 28, such as Austin Hill or Brendan Queen, are not eligible for the rankings, nor are drivers with more than a full season of cup experience, such as Justin Haley or Harrison Burton. 

#15- William Sawalich: As mentioned, Sawalich had a difficult rookie season. He ended the season behind his part-time teammate Aric Almirola in points. Some of this was due to that injury at Talladega, but he had still been having a historically bad season for a JGR O’Riley car. He still survives in the Top 15 due to his speed on the road courses. He earned 2 Top 5s and 5 Top 10s in 6 road course starts and has a strong chance to win his first race on one with Connor Zilisch in the cup series.  

#14- Rajah Caruth: Rajah Caruth will be embarking on his rookie O’Riley season in 2026, splitting time between JR Motorsports (JRM)’ 88 and Jordan Anderson Racing’s 32. He has two wins in three years driving contending trucks; and had a chance at the Championship 4 last season before Kaden Honeycutt wrecked him at Martinsville. In order to prove his place in the Hendrick development pipeline, he needs to win an O’Riley race this season and outrun fellow-Hendrick development driver Corey Day whenever he’s in the 88.  

#13- Sam Mayer: I remember a time in 2021 when Sam Mayer was viewed as a future cup superstar. He had won his first truck race at Bristol and was going toe to toe with Ty Gibbs in ARCA. Then he got to O’Riley and looked just “okay” in JRM equipment. In 2023, Mayer exploded and won 4 races, followed by another 3 in 2024. He moved to Haas’ 41 car for 2025 and will be there again in 2026. He only put up one win last season but became vastly more consistent. Mayer’s biggest issue is maturity. He showed in both Martinsville races last season that he does not have the maturity for a cup ride. Once he matures and is able to be both a consistent driver and a winning driver, Mayer will be in contention for cup rides, but we now have four years of data to show this is not the most likely outcome.  

#12- Nick Sanchez: Nick Sanchez had it made in November, he had come off a season where he won his first O’Riley race and was going to run it back with that same Big Machine Racing team he won with. That is, until they fired him for funded driver Patrick Starapoli. Sanchez has shown that he has the speed and the talent to race in cup, Bob Pockrass even mentioned him as a candidate for a 2027 cup ride; but with no ride this close to Daytona, I struggled to even put him this high.  

#11- Gio Ruggario: Gio Ruggario proved that he belonged in the Craftsman Truck Series, outrunning veteran Tricon teammate Tanner Gray in his 17 machine all season then earning his first career win at Talladega. Ruggario is a young, solid Toyota prospect that could find his way into a JGR O’Riley Series ride next season if he makes the Chase and wins multiple races next season.  

#10- Chandler Smith: Like Sam Mayer, I remember a time Chandler Smith looked like a future cup superstar. Winning in trucks for Kyle Busch Motorsports, winning at a non-superspeedway oval in O’Riley for Kaulig, and then moving back to Toyota in 2024. In 2024, Chandler Smith was the best driver in the O’Riley series, but due to the playoff format and internal conflicts, he missed the Championship 4 and was out of a ride for a majority of that off season. He returns to Front Row Motorsports’ 38 truck for a second year. His speed is unquestioned, but the rumors that he’s difficult to work with behind the scenes could keep him from opportunities.  

#9- Corey Day: Hendrick Motorsports hasn’t run fulltime in the O’Riley Series in decades, but that team believes in dirt-racer Corey Day so much that they decided to run the 17 fulltime for him. Day is a very raw talent, but showed in select races last season that he is picking up asphalt racing. The last time Hendrick hired a dirt racer from California, he developed into a superstar and just won his second championship for the team. With full Hendrick backing and the mentorship of Kyle Larson, Day should be very strong next season and is a favorite to move up this list.  

#8- Carson Kvapil: Staying within Chevrolet, late-model superstar Carson Kvapil goes into his second fulltime O’Riley season with JR Motorsports. He will not be in the 1 car every week like last season, but will run every race for JRM. He showed flashes last season – finishing second to Larson at Bristol, contending with road racing superstar Connor Zilisch at COTA, and making the Championship 4 as a rookie. Carson Kvapil’s sophomore season should feature multiple wins. The goal of following the path of previous JRM late-model Josh Berry to the cup series looks very attainable for 2027 or 2028 if he runs like he’s supposed to this season.  

#7- Christian Eckes: Christian Eckes has had a very turbulent NASCAR career thus far. Fired from KBM’s truck series team for not winning, then winning on a part-time schedule for Thorsport, losing his ride there to Hailie Deegan and taking the previously mid-pack McAnally truck to championship contention. He then got a shot at moving up to O’Riley for Kaulig, where he struggled at first but found his footing, only for Kaulig to shutdown their O’Riley team due to the Ram partnership, and Eckes ending up right back in trucks reuniting with that same McAnally team in the 91. Eckes was a darkhorse contender for Front Row Motorsports’ 38 cup car for 2025 before Zane Smith got it, if he goes back to his championship contending ways in trucks more cup opportunities will open for him.  

#6- Kaden Honeycutt: Kaden Honeycutt had a turbulent yet successful 2025 truck series season. He got fired from Niece Motorsports mid-season, which almost cost him a playoff spot before Halmar Friesen Racing tapped him to drive the 52 in place of an injured Stewart Friesen. Now he finds himself in the Tricon 11 truck that’s been the truck to beat since 2023. Honeycutt has the talent, the 11 has the speed, this should be a championship-contending team in 2026. If it is, Honeycutt could find himself at the top of Toyota’s development pipeline. 

#5- Taylor Gray: Taylor Gray finally won his first O’Riley race at the fall Martinsville race. After getting moved out of the win in two-consecutive Martinsville races, 2024 fall in trucks by Christian Eckes and 2025 spring O’Riley when Sammy Smith ran out of talent, Gray finally earned his grandfather clock. Taylor Gray has the talent to explode in 2026, he should take his 54 car to multiple race wins and championship contention. If he does, that combined with financial backing from his grandfather makes him a favorite to move up to cup in either 2027 or 2028.  

#4- Layne Riggs: Layne Riggs was the only driver in Corey Heim’s zipcode in 2025, winning 3 races and consistently being second best all season. With Heim gone, Riggs should be the early championship favorite. He still has developing to do, but another season in the Front Row 34 truck is the perfect opportunity to do it. If Layne Riggs wins or contends for the championship, he could easily land in a cup car for the team in 2027 if one of their drivers underperforms or leaves in what’s supposed to be a chaotic silly season. 

#3- Brent Crews: Brent Crews is very similar to 2024 Connor Zilisch. Both are extremely talented young road racers slowly learning the ovals. Crews did not earn a win like Zilsich did in 2024, all though he was in contention at the Charlotte Roval and Phoenix truck races, but did earn a fulltime (will miss 4 races due to age) ride in a championship contending (JGR 19) O’Riley car like Zilisch did. If Crews continues on Zilisch’s trajectory, he will volt to number one and be in cup for 2027. But for now, he sits at third due to having zero truck wins and still being raw on ovals.  

#2- Jesse Love: Jesse Love struggles for wins, but is a very solid and consistent driver. He finally won his first non-superspeedway race in a dominant performance in the 2025 season finale at Phoenix, earning him the 2025 series championship. Love was linked to a cup opportunity at Legacy Motor Club for this season, which fell through and kept him with the same Richard Childress Racing 2 team he just won a title with. Love’s 2025 was very similar to Tyler Reddick’s 2018 championship season; if that trend continues and Love wins the 2026 championship, then he is a shoe-in for a cup ride in 2027.  

#1- Corey Heim: 2025 was finally “Heim Time”, with Corey Heim finally winning the Craftsman Truck Series championship after 3 years of dominating the series. Heim arguably should have been in cup fulltime this season or even as early as last season. Heim will run part time for 23XI Racing in the cup series this season, and it is presumed he will drive for them fulltime in 2027. Corey Heim won at short tracks, intermediates, road courses, and superspeedways in his time in the truck series, and showed in his all-time great 2025 season why he is the top NASCAR prospect.