Layne Riggs hasn’t been shy talking about his hopes for an eventual NASCAR Cup Series ride.
It likely won’t happen full time in 2028, but he hopes that, if he keeps winning truck races, a team will look at him and say he’s ready for Cup. That could very well be his current team, Front Row Motorsports.
But like most young drivers, time is of the essence.
And that’s because a young driver must strike when they’re hot but also make sure they remain positioned for success no matter the level.
“All I can do is impress the right people and from everybody I talk to, all I can do is just keep doing what I’m doing — getting poles and winning races and trying to impress everybody,” Riggs said after winning the pole at North Wilkesboro last month.
“That’s all I’ve got to worry about, in a nutshell. If I just keep doing what I’m doing right here, hopefully the right opportunity will come to me.”
So which drivers will be the ones who have the best chance to make it in Cup and be a regular Chase contender at NASCAR’s top level?
Here is my mid-season prospect list. It is based on performance and it also factors in drivers’ ability to obtain and keep funding.
Some parameters: no driver who has had a season in Cup — or is about to have a full season in Cup — is on this list.
For example, Corey Heim, who earned two Cup victories this season, dropped off of eligibility on my list with his two Cup victories. Also, all drivers must be younger than 28 to be included.
20. Helio Meza
Age: 19
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Meza has six TransAm TA2 victories this year and sits second in the point standings. He was the top rookie in the Mazda MX-5 Cup last year.
19.
Retzlaff sits ninth in the O’Reilly Series standings as he has shown to be consistently top 10 in driving for Viking Motorsports. He is expected to be back there next year and if he continues to run well, it wouldn’t be a surprise for him to get a look from one of the top teams in that series or a Cup team.
18.
Caruth is 14th in the O’Reilly Series points as a rookie, where he has run the majority of races at JR Motorsports. Having online racing as his roots, Caruth looks like he needs a little more time to get comfortable as he moves from series to series. Assuming he gets another season at JRM next year, that is one where he will need to start challenging for wins.
17.
Eckes is fourth in the truck standings and has had the best results from the Chevrolet truck stable. For the most part, he’s doing the most with what he has, but he really could use some wins.
16.
Mayer has had a disappointing season when it comes to results, as he sits 10th in the O’Reilly Series standings. Where he races next year is yet to be announced, although he will most likely remain in the O’Reilly Series. He needs more consistency to get a good look from a Cup team.
15.
Lewis has shown promise in his six truck starts and if he runs the full season next year as expected, that will be pivotal in his quest for a Cup seat in the upcoming years. Lewis also has a CARS Tour late model stock win this year.
14. Jade Avedisian
Age: 19
Previous Ranking: 16
Avedisian has three top 10s in her four ARCA starts this year as she continues the transition from sprint cars. One of the Toyota Racing Development drivers, she will continue to get opportunities as she is showing a lot of promise.
13. Lanie Buice
Age: 19
Previous Ranking: 18
Buice has finished in the top five (including one second-place finish) in all four of her ARCA Series starts this year. She is part of the Chevrolet program and is proving she’s deserving of more opportunities.
12.
Brown has finished in the top three — including one win — in all six of his ARCA starts this year. A Richard Childress Racing development driver, he very well could end up in an O’Reilly Series car for RCR next year. He makes his series debut with Jordan Anderson Racing this weekend at Iowa.
11. Gio Ruggiero
Age: 19
Previous Ranking: 15
Ruggiero has shown steady progression this year, as he sits fifth in the truck standings while also having won four ARCA wins this season.
10. Tristan McKee
Age: 16
Previous ranking: 14
McKee has an ARCA win and a runner-up among his five starts in the series, as well as three ARCA East triumphs this season. He sits second in the standings. A Spire Motorsports driver, he will make select truck starts later this year.
9. Keelan Harvick
Age: 14
Previous Ranking: 12
Harvick has two top fives in three CARS Tour pro late model starts and sits second in the CARS Tour West standings. He won two CARS Tour West pro late model races this year. For such a young driver, his race craft is impressive, which shouldn’t shock anyone considering he has his father (former Cup champion Kevin Harvick) to guide him.
8.
Gray has one victory in the O’Reilly Series but is battling to make the Chase field. He’s already signed to race for JGR in the series again next year, and as long as he shows improvement, he will likely have a ride and an eventual move to Cup is quite possible.
7.
Smith is third in the truck standings with two victories this year. He is expected to make his return to the O’Reilly Series next year at Richard Childress Racing. If he can perform well there, he could have a Cup ride in a few years.
6.
Kvapil, who earned his first O’Reilly win at Indianapolis, sits second in the series standings. His path forward to Cup still seems a little unclear, as JR Motorsports has had to piece together sponsorship for him (and even have him run a handful of races for another team) just to get him a full season.
5.
Honeycutt sits a spot behind Riggs in the truck standings, where he earned his first career victory earlier this year. He will likely get another year of trucks at Tricon. Here’s a question: As long as he wins races, is a year of O’Reilly in his future or will he jump straight to Cup? If he sticks with Toyota, Legacy Motor Club would be the most likely option in 2028.
4.
Day is fifth in the O’Reilly Series standings. He has two wins as he continues the transition from full-time sprint cars to stock cars. He is doing almost everything Hendrick Motorsports could ask of him. A little inconsistency should be expected considering his lack of stock-car experience. He should have eyes on a Cup ride in 2028, but whether that is at Hendrick or another Chevy team (Spire?) is still to be determined.
3.
Layne Riggs has five victories in the trucks this year and has all but clinched the regular-season title. His path to Cup is most likely through Front Row. But as mentioned earlier, it appears that 2028 will be the first full season and not 2027.
2.
Love, the defending O’Reilly Series champion, is third in the series standings. He’s still looking for his first win this year, but he already knows what he’s doing next year; he’ll replace Josh Berry in the Wood Brothers No. 21 Cup car.
1.
Crews is battling for a Chase spot in the O’Reilly Series, despite missing four races this year. He still seeks his first win in the series but has been impressive. He appears to be a candidate for the No. 11 Cup car in 2028, although that will likely be contingent on his performance over the final portion of this season and the start of 2027. Even if he isn’t in the JGR Cup car in 2028, as long as he does perform, there should be a path for him to Cup.
25 Others To Watch: Thomas Annunziata, Luke Baldwin, Austin Beers, Jake Bollman, Gavan Boschele, Cole Denton, Parker Eatmon, Luke Fenhaus, Jake Finch, Jake Garcia, Conner Jones, Isaac Kitzmiller, Caden Kvapil, Treyten Lapcevich, Ben Maier, George Phillips, Max Reaves, Tyler Reif, Taylor Reimer, Isabella Robusto, Nick Sanchez, William Sawalich, Lavar Scott, Sammy Smith and Mason Walters.
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