NASCAR’s most memorable Cup Series prospects

By Staff Report | Published: 18 Nov, 2022 19

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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

Ty Gibbs, 20, will join the NASCAR Cup Series full-time as driver of the No. 54 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing starting in 2023. As Rookie of the Year in the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series, not to mention 2022 Xfinity Series champion, Gibbs is viewed as one of the sport's top rising stars. Read on to see more of NASCAR's top Cup Series prospects over the years.

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Christopher Bell

Bell joined Leavine Family Racing in 2020 after winning 15 races over a two-year span in the Xfinity Series (2018-2019). And just for good measure, Bell added to his "prospect" claim by winning seven Camping World Truck Series races over four years (2015-2018).

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Kyle Busch

Busch, a veteran of the local Las Vegas bullring as a teenager, drove his first NASCAR national series race at age 16 in the Camping World Truck Series. He was in the Cup Series full time at age 20 and now, at age 37, has the most NASCAR national series wins of all time (223 and counting).

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William Byron

Byron made his name in the iRacing community, becoming one of its top drivers in the world before setting foot inside a race car. The skills transferred over. Byron was called up to Hendrick Motorsports at age 20, following one season in the Camping World Truck Series in 2016 (seven wins) and one season in the Xfinity Series in 2017 (four wins, series championship).

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Austin Cindric

After a respectable showing during his 2018 rookie year in the Xfinity Series, Cindric continued improve year in and year out. After winning two races in 2019, Cindric found Victory Lane six times in 2020. Cindric then took it a step further in 2021 with five more wins and a clinch of the 2021 title. Winning the 2022 Daytona 500 then quickly cemented Cindric's prospect status as one that was worth the wait.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.

He had the name, and he had the skills, too. Earnhardt Jr. made his own statements in the Late Model world, then won consecutive Xfinity Series titles from 1998-99 before being called up to the Cup Series full time in 2000.

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Carl Edwards

Known for handing out business cards whenever he could, imploring teams to hire him, Edwards also gained notoriety for his signature back flip. But it was his skill behind the wheel that made him one of the most sought-after drivers in his early 20s, and Jack Roush was quick to bring Edwards to the Cup Series full time at age 25.

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Chase Elliott

Chase Elliott's 2014 season in the Xfinity Series started as strong as one could hope for. In what was his first year in the circuit, Elliott amassed three wins and 16 top-five finishes for JR Motorsports. Winning the 2014 Rookie of the Year and Xfinity Series title only made Elliott's case as a rising star that much more believable. After a productive 2015, Elliott finally made the full-time jump to Cup in 2016.

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Jeff Gordon

Perhaps the best NASCAR prospect of all time, Gordon had it all -- the skills, of course, but also a look, a certain California cool that ushered in a new NASCAR era. He retired in 2015 with 93 wins and as one of the best drivers of all time.

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Noah Gragson

A career 2022 season saw Gragson rocket toward hot prospect status. Eight wins, 21 top-five finishes and a runner-up finish in the Phoenix title race made 2022 a year to remember. Now, Gragson will look to build on the momentum as driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet for Petty-GMS starting in 2023.

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Dick Hutcherson

Maybe the biggest unknown on this list, Hutcherson had won the International Motor Contest Association championship before coming to NASCAR. Because of that, although he arrived with great fanfare, he was not permitted to run for Rookie of the Year honors in 1965. That season he won nine times and logged 32 top fives in 52 starts, finishing second in the standings to Ned Jarrett.

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12 Mar 1999: Kenny Irwin #28 sitting in his car looking out during practice for the Cracker Barrel 500 of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.

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Kenny Irwin Jr.

Irwin was dubbed the next Jeff Gordon by many, and he was the 1998 Rookie of the Year in the premier series. Robert Yates pounced and gave Irwin the No. 28 ride in 1998. Irwin tragically died in a wreck during practice at New Hampshire in 2000.

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Bobby Labonte

A late bloomer by today's standards, Labonte's 1991 Xfinity Series championship at age 27 put him on the radar -- as did being the younger brother of Cup Series driver Terry Labonte. Bobby won one Cup Series championship and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020.

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Joey Logano

The "Sliced Bread" nickname stuck, and eventually, so did Logano's career. Logano is the youngest Cup Series winner of all time -- 19 years, 1 month, 4 days when he won at Loudon, but it took him nearly three years to win again. Eventually, he left Joe Gibbs Racing after two wins in 145 races and had a career renaissance at Team Penske driving the No. 22. With his title win in 2022, Logano became the second active Cup Series driver to win multiple championships under the Cup banner (Kyle Busch).

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Danica Patrick

Before setting her sights on NASCAR, Patrick's trade was IndyCar, where she tallied one win and seven podiums from 2005-2011. A full-time year in the Xfinity Series in 2012, followed by a move to Cup the next season, exemplified Patrick's capability in learning a different craft quickly.

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Richard Petty

Richard Petty, left, was a hot prospect in 1959 because of his father Lee's success. Richard Petty passed his father for first place on the all-time Cup Series wins list in 1967 at age 27, when he won a whopping 27 races in a season. He is the sport's all-time leader with 200 Cup Series wins, and he has seven series championships.

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Adam Petty

A fourth-generation racer, Adam was the great-grandson of Lee, the grandson of Richard and the son of Kyle. He was tragically killed during a practice wreck in New Hampshire at age 19. The Petty family established the Victory Junction camp in Adam's honor in 2004. The camp exists to enrich the lives of children, ages six to 16, with chronic or life-threatening illnesses.

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Tyler Reddick

One could say Reddick had a double dose of momentum heading into his 2020 rookie campaign at the Cup level. Perhaps winning back-to-back Xfinity Series titles (2018-2019) had something to do with it. Whatever the case, Reddick trotted into the 2020 Cup campaign with 12 wins between the Xfinity Series (nine) and Camping World Truck Series (three). Call it a lucky dozen.

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Tony Stewart

Hardly a "rookie," Stewart came into NASCAR white-hot as a prospect in 1999, considering he already was an open-wheel champion. He went on to add three Cup Series titles on top.

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NASCAR’s most memorable Cup Series prospects

Christopher Bell

Kyle Busch

William Byron

Austin Cindric

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Carl Edwards

Chase Elliott

Jeff Gordon

Noah Gragson

Dick Hutcherson

Kenny Irwin Jr.

Bobby Labonte

Joey Logano

Danica Patrick

Richard Petty

Adam Petty

Tyler Reddick

Tony Stewart