Five to Watch: Potential XFINITY drivers for Stewart-Haas Racing

By RJ Kraft

Stewart-Haas Racing is jumping into the NASCAR XFINITY Series and fielding a full-time car starting in 2017. In addition to the XFINITY program, Clint Bowyer will take over the No. 14 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the retiring Tony Stewart, and the organization is switching manufacturers from Chevrolet to Ford. No driver has been announced for the XFINITY entry yet, leading NASCAR.com to ponder who might fill that seat (in alphabetical order):

Alex Bowman

Bowman does not have a full-time ride, but he has looked strong in limited duty for JR Motorsports. The 23-year-old has plenty of experience with two full-time seasons in the Sprint Cup Series. He has shown his talent behind the wheel and needs a full ride to display that on a weekly basis.

Cole Custer

Custer has run in the Camping World Truck Series for the past three seasons with Haas Automation backing and stuck his toe in the XFINITY Series waters this year. The 18-year-old has the talent and became the youngest national series winner ever in 2014 at age 16. Something else to consider -- his father, Joe, is an executive at SHR.

Nick Drake

Drake has made two starts in the Camping World Truck Series with backing from Haas Automation, the machine tool building company owned by SHR co-owner Gene Haas. While he likely needs some more seasoning in that series, the sponsor ties put him on the list.

John Hunter Nemechek

The 19-year-old has plenty of fans in the garage, chief among them Sprint Cup crew chief of the No. 4 team Rodney Childers via praise on Twitter. Nemechek has shown he can wheel it in the Camping World Truck Series, and the bloodlines as the son of Joe Nemechek don't hurt, either.

Tyler Reddick

Reddick has ties with manufacturer Ford as a driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with Brad Keselowski Racing. The Penske dance card looks pretty full unless the program drastically alters its XFINITY program, leading one to wonder how Reddick can make an upward move. This could be the way up the ladder.