 | | Erin Crocker made four Busch Series and two Truck Series starts in 2005. Credit: Autostock |
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
December 31, 2005
03:09 PM EST (20:09 GMT)
You've probably never heard of a lot of these guys on this list. If you haven't heard of the girl on this list, crawl back under a rock. There is no guarantee that any of these drivers will make it to Nextel Cup stardom, but most of them already have backing from established teams. 10. David Ragan
• Roush Racing Ragan, like Reed Sorenson, is a graduate of the highly-competitive Bandolero program at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Ragan, 20, is from Unadilla, Ga., which is Dooly County. Dooly is the county often featured on World's Wildest Police Videos. We didn't make that up. The tall, lanky Ragan performed well at Roush Racing's Gong Show and will be driving in the Craftsman Truck Series for Roush in 2006. He made 19 ARCA starts in 2005 with one win and 11 top-10s. 9. Willie Allen
• Chevrolet Willie Allen is a late bloomer who has been toiling on Tennessee short tracks for most of this decade. In 2005, he gained a Chevrolet tryout in May and surprised the manufacturer enough to gain a Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville, where he finished sixth despite having to drive from the rear of the field. 8. Jarit Johnson
• Chevrolet Johnson, younger brother of Nextel Cup start Jimmie Johnson, already has a slew of sponsors and has tested for Hendrick Motorsports and Michael Waltrip Motorsports. Born in 1979, he has been competing in Late Models in North Carolina and in late 2005 made a couple of starts for the Bobby Dotter-owned Green Light Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series. 7. Kraig Kinser
• Morgan-Dollar Motorsports/MB2 Motorsports Kraig Kinser, 21, is another in a long line of young drivers getting the chance to race first-class equipment because of Nextel Cup teams' driver development programs.  |  | ALSO | Mark McFarland, the 2003 Dodge Weekly Racing Series national champion, has been hand-picked by Dale Earnhardt Jr. to be the first Busch Series driver for his Mooresville, N.C.-based company, JR Motorsports. McFarland will pilot the No. 88 NAVY Chevrolet in his quest for the 2006 Busch Series title and Rookie of the Year award.
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Kinser will try to run the full schedule in Morgan Dollar Motorsports' No. 47 Chevrolet. He already has an ARCA win at Talladega and seven wins in the World of Outlaws. No. 6: Mark McFarland
• JR Motorsports Mark McFarland is going to attempt the difficult jump from Hooters ProCup to the Busch Series next season. McFarland has just 10 career Busch starts, but the team, owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., already has a solid infrastructure and healthy sponsorship. McFarland won the 2003 Dodge Weekly Racing Series championship despite racing in the ultra-competitive world of Virginia Late Models. McFarland is 27 years old, and at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, he doesn't look like a typical Busch Series rookie. No. 5: Erin Crocker
• Evernham Motorsports Crocker struggled in her brief Busch Series stints in 2005, but the talent is still there. She will run the full 2006 Craftsman Truck schedule and a combination of Busch and ARCA events, giving her close to 40 events for the season. Team owner Ray Evernham still has Crocker on the fast track to Nextel Cup, but it may be a couple of years before she is given a shot at NASCAR's top division. 4. Regan Smith
• Rensi Motorsports Smith is just 22, but he's already been hanging around the Truck and Busch garages for a couple of seasons. He's never had a solid ride in either of those divisions, but his career should take a sharp upwards turn with his signing with Rensi for the 2006 season. | | ALSO | |
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Smith had five top-five starting spots in the Busch Series in 2005 and will surprise some people if Rensi is able to provide quality equipment. 3. Bobby East
• Wood Brothers/JTG Bobby East, 21, is the latest USAC export to hit NASCAR. With major help from Ford, East is expected to run the full Craftsman Truck Series schedule for Wood Brothers/JTG Racing. East won the 2004 USAC national Midget series title. 2. Ryan Moore
• Dale Earnhardt Inc. Moore has been racing in the Busch North Series since 2003, but he didn't break through with a victory until this year. Moore, a Maine native, was suspended in October after he hit another competitor's car following a race. Moore, 22, got a late start in racing -- he started in go-karts when he was 12 -- but his family lines run deep in the Busch North Series. His father, Kelly, won the title in 1995. DEI signed Moore to a driver development deal in September and plans on installing him into a full-time Busch ride in 2006. |  | | Burney Lamar |
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1. Burney Lamar
• Kevin Harvick Inc. He already has the greatest name in NASCAR, and it's only a matter of time before he wins a Busch race. Then some clever headline writer will use "Weekend at Burney's". After his second win, it'll be "Weekend at Burney's II". Lamar, 25, is a lot like Kevin Harvick. Both are from cities in California not named San Diego, Los Angeles or San Francisco. Both started racing go-karts at age 5. Harvick has quietly built one of the best sub-Nextel Cup teams around, and in 2006, his 70,000 square foot shop will churn out cars that will provide a full-time Busch Series ride for Lamar, who has just a handful of starts. The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer. | 
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