This season’s class of rookies in the NASCAR Xfinity Series is packed with star power.
The series utilizes the catchphrase “Names are made here.”
There is no doubt about that being true with the 2025 rookie class, which includes Connor Zilisch, Carson Kvapil, Taylor Gray, Nick Sanchez, Christian Eckes, Dean Thompson, William Sawalich and Daniel Dye.
Three of those rookies have gone to victory lane one or more times this season.
Zilisch has amassed a jaw-dropping 10 wins. Sanchez shocked the grid by winning at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this season. Gray won for the first time this past weekend at Martinsville Speedway in heroic fashion.
Despite impressively earning their first wins in the series as rookies, Sanchez and Gray will not be joining Zilisch in competing for the championship this coming weekend at Phoenix Raceway, but another rookie will.
If you were asked, prior to seeing the headline of this article, which Xfinity driver had the most lead-lap finishes and the fewest DNFs, who would you guess? For this question, I’m not only talking about rookies either.
Maybe you’d guess Zilisch, with his generational win total. Perhaps it would be Justin Allgaier, the steady veteran who will soon look to defend his championship.
Austin Hill, Sam Mayer or Sheldon Creed would all be good guesses.
But the answer is Kvapil.
When asked about the highlights of his season, Kvapil told Fronstretch it was all about consistency.
“Consistency and trying to be smart on the track and not taking unnecessary risks for minimal gain,” Kvapil said. “Consistency is what got us to the Champ 4 and not having any of those really bad races.”
The 22-year-old has a series-leading 29 lead-lap finishes through 32 races. He has been running at the finish in all but one event, an engine failure in early September at World Wide Technology Raceway.
The modern playoff format gets a lot of criticism for not putting enough value on consistency. In the 2025 Xfinity Series, those claims are unfounded.
While Zilisch has made it with his dominance, Allgaier has been right behind him, leading a phenomenal 973 laps, just 13 fewer than Zilisch. Jesse Love made it with just one win and comes in No. 2 behind only Zilisch in top 10s (21) and average finish (11.4.)
Kvapil, meanwhile, is probably the most surprising participant in Xfinity championship weekend. If we asked at the beginning of the season whether he’d be there, a lot of people would’ve said yes. The way he’s done it is what is surprising.
It’s a lot like what Ryan Newman did in the 2014 Cup Series season.
That year, Newman made it all the way to Homestead and ultimately finished second in the standings despite going winless with just five top fives. Newman led just 41 laps all season, but his recipe was consistency. He was running at the finish in 35 of 36 events and finished on the lead lap in 31 of them.
Kvapil drives for arguably the best team in the series, JR Motorsports. He hasn’t managed to win a race yet this year, but he’s done something rookies rarely do: Finish races at an elite level.
While it hasn’t been flashy (just seven top fives on the year and 104 laps led), he’s been impressive in his ability to bring the cars home in one piece.
Until Wednesday (Oct. 29), it was unknown whether Kvapil would run a full schedule in 2026. But it was announced he will in fact run a full season for JR Motorsports.
Before this news broke, I asked Kvapil how the Championship berth might impact the quest for a full-time ride in 2026. It appears his efforts have paid off.
“The Champ 4 spot solidifies the fact that I deserve to be here just as much as
anyone else in the field and I hope others can see that as well to hopefully provide me with the opportunities to fill out the rest of my season in 2026,” Kvapil responded.
Can you imagine a scenario where Kvapil pulls off the championship this weekend at Phoenix?
If Kvapil pulls it off at Phoenix, there will undoubtedly be plenty of chatter about how he didn’t deserve it. But the season he’s put together has been impressive in its own way. More so than guys like Creed, Mayer and Gray.
We may see this playoff format come to an end next year, and many would say it’s overdue. But Kvapil has proven that taking what you can get and finishing races can still give you a chance to win a title.
Kvapil said his progression throughout the rookie campaign has been significant, so don’t count him out even if he is the dark horse. His gains?
“An understanding for how the Xfinity Series works from the points and overall how the cars handle compared to what I am used to coming from late models,” Kvapil said.
Let’s see if he, unlike Newman in 2014, can rise to the occasion and finish the job.
Steve Leffew joined Frontstretch in 2023 and covers the Xfinity Series. He has served honorably in the United States Air Force and and lives in Wisconsin.