Top 10 drivers who could win ‘Rowdy Challenge’

Editor's note: This piece has been updated now that Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson have officially entered the fray.

Kyle Busch won his first NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series event of the season at Las Vegas in the first of five scheduled series starts in 2020. While some of his haters chimed in on social media, fellow driver Kevin Harvick offered a bounty of sorts -- a $50,000 check to a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver who entered a Gander Trucks race and beat Busch. Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis said he'd match the $50K, making the total a cool $100,000. Who is most likely to top Busch and collect the prize? Here are our top eight candidates.

10. John Hunter Nemechek

Nemechek may not have the panache of other drivers we ranked ahead of him, but he's developed into a very good driver in the Gander Trucks Series. Plus, the $100,000 likely means more to him than others on the list.

9. Kevin Harvick

Like many others on this list, Harvick hasn't raced a truck in years – since 2015 to be exact. But he has 123 career starts in the series and, like Busch is now, is a former team owner. His 10-race 2011 season produced four wins and nine top-five finishes. Paradoxical question: If Harvick accomplished this challenge, would he cut himself a check?

8. Christopher Bell

A former Gander Trucks champion, Bell rose to prominence driving for Kyle Busch early in his career. His five-win 2017 ended with a series championship, and three of those victories came with Busch in the field.

7. Brad Keselowski

Forget that Keselowski has just one career Gander Trucks win – he and Busch have a well-documented history on the track. This would certainly add to their story in NASCAR if Keselowski found a ride and topped his longtime rival.

6. William Byron

Byron had a season for the ages in 2016, winning seven of 23 races and firmly establishing himself as one of NASCAR's brightest young stars. All he needs is to find a ride and he'll push Busch like few others can.

5. Denny Hamlin

Hamlin only has two career Gander Trucks wins, both at Martinsville in Kyle Busch Motorsports equipment. But as he gleefully noted on Twitter, he bested Busch in their last tussle in a late model race. Plus, he's Denny Hamlin.

4. Ryan Blaney

Blaney's last season in a truck was a five-race stint in 2015. He raced against Kyle Busch twice and they finished 1-2 twice, with Busch besting Blaney at Michigan and Blaney returning the favor the next race at Bristol.

3. Chase Elliott

Elliott has two victories and eight top-five finishes in 12 career Gander Trucks starts. He's an absolute threat. He's entered into the Atlanta race, and capturing the money at his home track would make it all the sweeter.

2. Kyle Larson

We know Larson can -- and will -- drive anything. His natural talent rivals that of "Rowdy," and Larson is taking a shot at one of his personal favorite tracks on the circuit: Homestead-Miami Speedway.

1. Austin Dillon

A former Gander Trucks champion, Dillon gets the nod here for two reasons. He's the last full-time Cup Series driver to finish better than Busch (Atlanta, 2018) and he's the last full-time Cup Series driver to win a race in which Busch was in the field (New Hampshire, 2015). We get the Atlanta win came after Busch had pit crew issues during a late stop, but that Dillon accomplished both feats listed above makes him our top pick.