In all sports, people are always looking for the next big thing, and that rings true in NASCAR as well. Teams, media and fans alike are often wondering which young driver in the lower levels will rise up to one day be a NASCAR Cup Series champion.
The staff of Frontstretch was wondering that as well, so 21 writers on staff voted on who the top-10 prospects are right now. The only criteria was a driver couldn’t currently be full time in Cup. A first-place vote garnered 10 points for a driver. A second-place vote garnered nine points, all the way down to a 10th-place vote that netted one point.
Below is where we landed. Check back tomorrow (June 27) for position Nos. 5-1.
Honorable mentions: Sam Mayer (28 points), Christian Eckes (25), Parker Retzlaff (21), Connor Hall (16) and Brent Crews (15).
10. Rajah Caruth
Points: 30
Since joining Spire Motorsports’ NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program at the start of 2024, Rajah Caruth has picked up two wins: one from the pole at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last year and the other at Nashville Superspeedway a month ago.
His win at Nashville came in impressive fashion, as he led the most laps and kept Corey Heim and Layne Riggs at bay in a thrilling battle across the final 10 laps. The win locked Caruth into the Truck playoffs for a second consecutive season, and he has the chance to improve on the Round of 8 appearance he made a season ago.
Spire maintains a close alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, so there are plenty of avenues for Caruth to move upward if he gets the nod. In fact, he even made a NASCAR Xfinity Series start in Hendrick’s No. 17 car at Phoenix Raceway in 2023, finishing 14th.
That said, Caruth isn’t quite ready for a promotion. Two consecutive winning seasons is a great start, but he hasn’t taken that leap to elite performance in a way that Heim and Christian Eckes, to name a few, have. But the win at Nashville turned Caruth’s 2025 season around, and as Spire continues to adjust to running four full-time trucks for the first time ever, the opportunity is there for him to make that jump this summer and fall. -Stephen Stumpf
9. Kaden Honeycutt
Points: 31
With Josh Berry becoming the first zMAX CARS Tour graduate to win a Cup race earlier this year at Las Vegas, the CARS Tour has become a legitimate feeder for young talent to enter the national spotlight of NASCAR.
One of those late model aces who is now making a name for himself at the national series level is Kaden Honeycutt, who is currently in position to qualify for the Truck Series playoffs.
It is criminal that Honeycutt doesn’t have a Truck win to this point, but don’t be surprised to see that quest reach its conclusion soon. Externally, Honeycutt has established himself as one of elite short track drivers in the country, enriching his stock with a win at the 2024 Snowball Derby.
The 21-year-old has won the 2024 CARS Pro Late Model Tour championship and has three CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour wins to his name as well as a pair of ARCA Menards Series West victories. His extensive resume on the grassroots scene has garnished his ability to manage tires as well as improve his race craft.
In Trucks, Honeycutt has impressed in his young career with Niece Motorsports, recording 14 top 10s in 27 starts between 2024-25. He nearly won at Martinsville Speedway earlier this season before getting tangled up for the lead with 14 laps to go.
It’s only a matter of time before Honeycutt becomes a NASCAR national series winner, and the sky is the limit from there. -Luken Glover
8. Chandler Smith
Points: 38
If talent was the only thing that mattered when it came to getting a ride in NASCAR, then Chandler Smith might already be in the Cup Series. At the very least, he would be in the Xfinity Series for a third year after winning three races in his first two.
A lack of funding, however, relegated Smith back down to Trucks this season after wondering if he would have any ride in a NASCAR national series this year and be forced to retire. It’s a good thing he didn’t, because the Georgia native has racked up two wins for Front Row Motorsports this season and sits second in the point standings. In all, Smith has seven career Truck wins and made the Championship 4 in the series in 2022.
Just because Smith had to take a step back does not mean his chances to be a Cup star are squashed. He turns 23 years old on Thursday, June 26, so he still has a lot of years ahead of him despite already having a wealth of NASCAR national series experience (including three Cup starts and two Daytona 500 Duel races).
The talent and experience are both there, so all Smith needs is more sponsorship and/or for the right Cup ride to open up, but both of those things are tough to make happen. FRM has a Cup team, but it also already has three young, promising drivers, so it’s hard to imagine one of them getting axed and Smith getting his shot there. -Michael Massie
7. Austin Hill
Points: 65
Austin Hill has been overdue a jump to the Cup Series.
If it weren’t for only the two charters Richard Childress Racing owns being occupied by two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch and Richard Childress’ grandson Austin Dillon, Hill would be there already. Additionally, he would be the first in line if the team were to ever acquire a third charter in the future.
Unless Dillon retires next year or Busch doesn’t return for 2027, Hill looks to be holding steady in the No. 21 Chevrolet for the foreseeable future. He’s competed well in the Xfinity Series for the past four seasons, racking up 13 wins, with nine of those coming on superspeedways. Hill made the Championship 4 last year and is currently second in points. He also has eight Truck wins to his name.
Hill has been waiting patiently, but at 31 years old, that patience could soon be wearing thin.
He’s continued to get reps in the Next Gen car during his time with RCR, but now Jesse Love, teammate in the No. 2 Chevy, has seemingly overtaken him on those opportunities much like Jackson Storm did to Lightning McQueen in Cars 3.
Hill has proven himself in the two lower national series in NASCAR, but time is running out for him to get an opportunity in the top level. -Wyatt Watson
6. Brenden “Butterbean” Queen
Points: 75
Brenden Queen has followed the Josh Berry path of fighting and clawing
his way through the late model ranks for a shot. Just like Carson Kvapil, Queen made the most of his opportunity, with a stellar performance in his Truck debut at North Wilkesboro in 2024.
The man known as Butterbean brings the mullet, Waffle House celebrations and all of “Bean Nation” along with him wherever he goes. After a narrow runner-up to Kvapil in 2023, Queen capped his 2024 season off with a CARS Tour LMSC championship. Wins in the South Carolina 400 and Hampton Heat 200 complete the resume that landed behind the wheel of the Pinnacle Racing Group No. 28 in the ARCA Menards Series this season.
Through eight races in the main ARCA tour, Queen has three wins, including a season opening win at Daytona International Speedway, and leads the ARCA standings thus far. Many wondered how the short track ace would
do on the big tracks, but wins at Daytona, Kansas Speedway and Michigan International Speedway have put those concerns to bed.
Now, should Queen be in the Truck Series right now? Yeah, probably so. But he’s
making the most of the opportunity given to him, and the Waffle House celebrations aren’t going to slow down any time soon. -Chase Folsom
Click the link below to see the top five prospects.
Michael Massie joined Frontstretch in 2017 and has served as the Content Director since 2020.
Massie, a Richmond, Va., native, has covered NASCAR, IndyCar, SRX and the CARS Tour. Outside of motorsports, the Virginia Tech grad and Green Bay Packers minority owner can be seen cheering on his beloved Hokies and Packers.
Stephen Stumpf is the NASCAR Content Director for Frontstretch and is a three-year veteran of the site. His weekly column is “Stat Sheet,” and he formerly wrote "4 Burning Questions" for three years. He also writes commentaries, contributes to podcasts, edits articles and is frequently at the track for on-site coverage.
Find Stephen on Twitter @stephen_stumpf
Entering his fifth year with Frontstretch, Luken Glover is the author of The Underdog House, shedding light on the motivation and performance of NASCAR's dark horse teams as they strive to fight to the top. Additionally, Glover reports for the site at various events, and he contributes in the video editing department.
A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a middle school math and PE teacher, as well as a basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.
Wyatt Watson has followed motorsports closely since 2007. He joined Frontstretch as a journalist in February 2023 after serving in the United States Navy for five years as an Electronic Technician Navigation working on submarines. Wyatt is one of Frontstretch's primary IndyCar correspondents, providing exclusive video content on site. He hosts Frontstretch's Through the Gears podcast and occasionally The Pit Straight.You can find Wyatt's written work in columns such as Friday Faceoff and 2-Headed Monsteras well as exclusive IndyCar features. Wyatt also contributes to Frontstretch's social media team, posting unique and engaging content for Frontstretch.
Wyatt Watson can be found on X @WyattWRacing
Chase began working with Frontstretch in the spring of 2023 as a news writer, while also helping fill in for other columns as needed. Chase is now the main writer and reporter for Frontstretch.com's CARS Tour coverage, a role which began late in 2023. Aside from racing, some of Chase's other hobbies include time in the outdoors hunting and fishing, and keeping up with all things Philadelphia sports related.