NASCAR Regional power rankings: William Sawalich, Connor Hall hold serve at the top

The NASCAR Regional platform features the ARCA Menards Series, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, and the drivers who compete in those series are, in many cases, the future of NASCAR's national series.

With the 2024 season now underway, it's time to find out who the best of the best are across the NASCAR Regional landscape.

As selected by the NASCAR Regional editorial team, here are the top 10 NASCAR Regional drivers from ARCA, Mods and the Weekly Series as of March 11.

10. Andres Perez

The start of the 2024 ARCA Menards Series season hasn’t been remarkable for Andres Perez, but it hasn’t been bad either. The Rev Racing driver finished 12th in the opener at Daytona after being caught up in the last-lap crash that ended the race. He followed that with an eighth-place effort last Friday at Phoenix Raceway.

9. Kaden Honeycutt

Kaden Honeycutt kicked off a busy zMAX CARS Tour season with back-to-back top-five finishes with the series in the last two weekends. He started with a third-place finish in the Pro Late Model Tour opener on March 2, which he followed with a fifth-place result in Sunday’s Late Model Stock opener. 

8. Bubba Pollard

One of the top Super Late Model drivers in the country is already off to a strong start. He triumphed in the opening race of the ASA Southern Super Series season at Crisp Motorsports Park in January and backed that up with a win in the Clyde Hart Memorial at New Smyrna Speedway in February. He’ll make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut for JR Motorsports at Richmond Raceway on March 30.

7. Gio Ruggiero

Gio Ruggiero is off to a strong start this year. He scored two Super Late Model wins at New Smyrna Speedway during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing in February, which he followed with a runner-up performance in his first ARCA Menards Series start of the season last Friday at Phoenix Raceway. 

6. Carson Kvapil

Carson Kvapil, the reigning zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Tour champion, has already found midseason form. He opened his season with a victory in the IceBreaker at Florence Motor Speedway last month, which he followed with a victory in the CARS Tour opener Sunday afternoon at Southern National Motorsports Park. He’ll make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut for JR Motorsports at Martinsville Speedway on April 6.

5. Justin Bonsignore

Pursuit of a fourth NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship got off to a solid start for Justin Bonsignore last month at New Smyrna Speedway, where he came home second in the opening round of the 2024 season. He also made his ARCA Menards Series debut at Daytona International Speedway less than a week later, but fell out of the race early due to a mechanical failure.

4. Matt Hirschman

Always a threat to win when he rolls into the pits, Matt Hirschman reminded everyone just how good he is during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway last month. After going winless in the first three races of the week, Matt Hirschman dominated the final three, including the Richie Evans Memoril and John Blewett III Memorial, to claim his fifth World Series championship.

3. Ron Silk

The reigning NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion kicked off his title defense in grand style by winning the opening race of the season at New Smyrna Speedway for the second-straight year. He backed up that win with another victory in the Modified division during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing before closing his Florida trip with a runner-up finish to Ryan Preece in his third and final race before heading home to the Northeast.

2. Connor Hall

It may be a new season, but reigning NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion Connor Hall hasn’t missed a step. He started his year with a runner-up result in the IceBreaker at Florence Motor Speedway and has since won three weekly series events at Hickory Motor Speedway and Southern National Motorsports Park. He was also second in the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Tour opener Sunday at Southern National.

1. William Sawalich

Defending ARCA Menards Series East champion William Sawalich gained a bit of redemption Friday with a victory in the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series West combination race at Phoenix Raceway, a race he would have won in 2023 were it not for a late spin. The race was his first ARCA event of the season as he looks to defend his East Series championship while also gaining experience at bigger tracks as he prepares for his Xfinity Series debut late this year.