Recent Cup Series debuts by drivers under age of 20
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Connor Zilisch, a two-time winner in the NASCAR Xfnity Series at age 18, made his first NASCAR Cup Series start at Circuit of The Americas on Sunday. The heralded prospect is among the latest to get his first Cup Series start before turning 20. Read on to see a few of the more recent ones.
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Ty Gibbs
Date: July 24, 2022
Track: Pocono Raceway
Age: 19 years, 9 months, 20 days
Note: Although he's still seeking his first Cup Series win, Gibbs' first-race performance tops anyone else on this list. A last-minute replacement for ailing Kurt Busch — who was not cleared to race following a wreck during practice — Gibbs piloted the No. 45 Toyota to a 16th-place finish for 23XI Racing.
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Erik Jones
Date: May 9, 2015
Track: Kansas Speedway
Age: 18 years, 11 months, 9 days
Note: Jones was a hot prospect who had come up through the Toyota pipeline, and his first time in a Cup car was actually earlier in the season at Bristol Motor Speedway. That was as a substitute in-race driver for ailing Denny Hamlin, so Hamlin was credited with the start. At Kansas, Jones subbed for injured driver Kyle Busch and put on a show before his car smacked the wall on Lap 196. He earned a measure of praise for his performance from race winner Jimmie Johnson — now owner of Legacy Motor Club, for which Jones drives the No. 43.
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Chase Elliott
Date: March 29, 2015
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Age: 19 years, 4 months, 1 day
Note: Elliott was the defending Xfinity Series champion, and the Hendrick Motorsports prospect drove a fifth entry in the Cup Series race at Martinsville in the spring. His No. 25 Chevrolet was battered in a variety of incidents, and he finished 38th. There would be more memorable Martinsville showings in his future, like in 2020 when his fall victory rocketed him to the Championship 4 and ultimately a Cup Series title.
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Trevor Bayne
Date: Nov. 7, 2010
Track: Texas Motor Speedway
Age: 19 years, 8 months, 19 days
Note: Bayne's debut with the Wood Brothers was a respectable lead-lap finish of 17th, which was better than five playoff drivers at the time. It was also enough to get Bayne into the No. 21 for the 2011 Daytona 500, which he won in a stunning upset in his second career Cup Series start.
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Joey Logano
Date: Sept. 14, 2008
Track: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Age: 18 years, 3 months, 21 days
Note: Logano may have been the most hyped prospect on this list. His 2008 debut made Logano the first driver born in the 1990s to start a Cup Series race, but resulted in a 40th-place finish (out of 43 cars). He's since gone on to win 36 Cup Series races and three championships.
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Kyle Busch
Date: March 7, 2004
Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Age: 18 years, 10 months, 5 days
Note: Busch's debut came in front of a hometown crowd in Las Vegas. But his No. 84 Hendrick Motorsports car got into the wall early in the race, and he never recovered despite qualifying 18th. Busch would finish 41st.
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Connor Zilisch
Date: March 2, 2025
Track: Circuit of the Americas
Age: 18 years, 7 months, 8 days
Note: Zilisch has been labeled a surefire Cup Series prospect, and his debut at the top level of stock-car racing comes with just seven Xfinity Series starts and six Craftsman Truck Series starts. He started 14th in his Trackhouse Racing No. 87 Chevrolet.