Top 5 Up and Coming NASCAR Drivers

The NASCAR Cup Series is set for significant changes in the future.

As the current generation of drivers gets older, replacements start lining up.

Fortunately, the current crop of young talent looks promising.

Youngsters such as Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Alex Bowman, Erik Jones, Darrell Wallace Jr., Daniel Suarez, and Daniel Hemric are series regulars.

The Xfinity and Truck Series, meanwhile, have some interesting prospects.

Below are five names you should keep an eye on for the future.

5. Harrison Burton

Harrison Burton made the move to a full-time ride in the Truck Series for 2019.

The son of former Cup Series race winner Jeff Burton, this is his first full season at the national level.

Burton won the NASCAR K&N East Series championship in 2017.

His title campaign had a seventh place as the worst result.

Burton finished inside the top 10 in all 14 races, scoring five wins and 12 top 5.

For 2018, he drove part-time schedules in the Truck and ARCA Series, scoring one win in the latter.

In the Trucks, Burton scored three top 5 and six top 10 with one pole-position in eight starts.

He is currently eighth in the Truck Series points, with three top 5 and five top 10 in nine starts.

Harrison Burton also made his Xfinity Series debut with Joe Gibbs Racing, scoring a tenth place at Bristol.

4. Chase Briscoe

Chase Briscoe had his big break in 2016, winning the ARCA Series championship.

That year, Briscoe only missed out on the top 10 twice in 20 starts.

He closed out the year with six wins, 14 top 5 and 18 top 10 finishes.

His results quickly drew Ford’s attention, and Briscoe landed a ride with Brad Keselowski Racing for 2017.

As a rookie, he scored four poles and won the season finale at Homestead.

Briscoe ended up ninth in points, having scored 10 top 5 and 14 top 10 finished in 23 starts.

For 2018, he moved into a part-time ride in the Xfinity Series, jumping between Roush-Fenway Racing and Stewart Haas.

He scored an impressive win at the Charlotte road course during the playoffs.

Chase Briscoe moved into a full-time ride with Stewart-Haas for 2019.

He is currently sixth in points, having scored seven top 5 and ten top 10 finishes in 13 starts.

Briscoe has only missed out on the top 10 once in the last 11 races.

3. Cole Custer

Cole Custer did a full season in the K&N East Series in 2013, scoring two wins.

He would only return to a full-time ride in 2016 with JR Motorsports in the Truck Series.

Even as a part-time driver, Custer won two races in the Trucks and one in the ARCA Series.

His first full season had some ups and downs, finishing 10th in points without a win.

Custer’s big break came in 2017, moving to a full-time ride in the Xfinity Series with Cup Series powerhouse Stewart-Haas.

As a rookie, he won the season finale at Homestead and finished fifth in points.

The following year, Briscoe scored two wins and six pole-positions.

He qualified for the Final Four at Homestead, winning stages 1 and 2 and leading the most laps.

But Custer ultimately missed out on the championship, finishing a close second.

In 2019, he sits third in points with three wins, seven top 5 and eight top 10 finishes in 13 races.

2. Christopher Bell

Christopher Bell moved straight from the dirty ovals to the national scene.

He scored an impressive top 5 at Iowa in his Truck Series debut with Kyle Busch Motorsports.

His first win came in only his third Truck Series start.

Making good use of his experience, the rookie took the checkered flag at Eldora.

Bell moved into a full-time ride with KBM for 2016 and qualified for the Final Four.

He finished third in points at the end of his first year, showing some promising signs.

Bell confirmed that in 2017, winning the Truck Series championship as a sophomore.

Still driving for KBM, he scored five wins, 15 top 5 and 21 top 10 in 23 starts.

A second place finish at Homestead was enough to clinch the title, as race winner Chase Briscoe wasn’t in the Final Four.

Bell moved to the Xfinity Series for 2018 with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Despite scoring a series-leading seven wins as a rookie and qualifying for the Final Four, Bell finished fourth in points.

A disappointing 11th place at Homestead following a hit to the wall put an end to his championship hopes.

In 2019, Bell sits second in points, tied for the series lead in wins with three.

The youngster is widely regarded as one of the best prospects in NASCAR.

Coach Gibbs has already declared that Christopher Bell will play a key role in his team’s future.

1. Tyler Reddick

Reigning Xfinity Series champion Tyler Reddick is arguably the best prospect in NASCAR.

Reddick scored a win in his first ever NASCAR start in 2012.

He broke into the national scene in 2014, driving part-time for Brad Keselowski Racing in the Truck Series.

The following year, Reddick scored two wins and finished second in points in his first full season.

He had a bit of a down year in 2016, scoring only one win later in the year.

Reddick missed out on the first ever Truck Series playoffs and finished ninth in points.

For 2017, he made the move to a part-time ride with Chip Ganassi Racing in the Xfinity Series.

His first series win came that same year at Kentucky.

JR Motorsports signed Reddick for a full-season ride in 2018.

In his proper rookie year, Reddick narrowly qualified for the Final Four, arriving as a dark horse at Homestead.

He managed to jump Cole Custer and overtake Christopher Bell to score an unexpected win, taking the championship home.

For 2019, Tyler Reddick joined Richard Childress Racing to defend his title.

His campaign started with a pole at Daytona, and his form has only improved.

With the worst finish of 14th in 13 races, the reigning Xfinity Series champion has posted some impressive numbers.

Reddick has 11 top 5 and 12 top 10 finishes.

His worst result in the last 11 races was the fourth place.

Reddick has three wins in the last five starts, with one second and one third in the other two races.

This season also marked his Cup Series debut.

After a DNF at the Daytona 500, Reddick scored a top 10 in only his second start, surviving a fuel-saving run at Kansas.

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