NASCAR Young Guns to watch in 2025

Not only that but he’s already under contract for a likely future cup opportunity with Trackhouse Racing. Zilisch broke through with his first win in the series at Watkins Glen last fall. This kid is a phenom in the making.

Corey Heim- Truck Series

Corey Heim again made a big push for the Truck Series championship in 2024. As he enters another full-time season with Tricon Garage, it has to be championship or bust for the 11-time Truck Series race winner. He made a handful of starts in the Xfinity Series and also made three cup starts in 2024.

A cup ride seems closer than many think. He looked like a possibility for the third 23XI car that ultimately went to Riley Herbst. Toyota Racing has certainly put Heim at the forefront of the sport.

Christian Eckes and Daniel Dye- Xfinity Series

Another top truck contender in the last several years, Christian Eckes got the call to move up to the Xfinity Series in 2025. He slides into the Kaulig Racing No. 16 famously piloted by AJ Allmendinger. Eckes had another huge season in 2024 behind the wheel of the No. 19 Chevy for Bill McAnally Racing.

He finished with four victories in 2024, which brought his Truck total to nine. He heads up to the Xfinity after a third-place finish in the truck standings. He’s going to have a great ride. The No. 16 at Kaulig has won plenty of races. Eckes has proven to be a tough competitor and he’ll be one of the many NASCAR young guns to watch in 2025.

He’s not alone as Daniel Dye will also move up from the Trucks to hop behind the wheel of the No. 10 car for Kaulig. Kaulig has always put drivers in a good position to succeed and that should hold with their pair of rookie drivers.

Rajah Caruth – Truck Series

The newly minted college graduate, Rajah Caruth returns to the No. 71 Chevy for Spire Motorsports. Caruth broke through in 2024 with his first Truck Series win coming at Las Vegas. That helped him reach the playoffs for the first time. In doing so, Caruth reached the round of 8.

He finished the 2024 season 7th in the standings with one victory, 12 top-10 finishes, and two poles. He will run it back with great support from Hendrickcars.com as his sponsor. Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick has his eyes on Caruth for the future. It’s never too early to have a driver waiting in the wings.

Toni Breidinger – Truck Series

In what was a bit of a surprise move, TRICON Garage tabbed Toni Breidinger for a full-time ride for 2025.

The biggest question will be whether is she ready for the grueling Truck Series. As everyone saw with Hailie Deegan, things didn’t quite work out. She does have 27 top-10 finishes in her 65 career ARCA Menards starts.

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Carson Hocevar – Cup Series

Hocevar looks to build off an impressive rookie season, with Spire Motorsports. He’s back for his second season behind the wheel of the No. 77. It was very clear he was starting to hit his stride at the end of the 2024 season. He finished with six top-10 finishes and was 21st in the points.

Spire looks very different in 2025 with Michael McDowell now in the line-up alongside Hocevar and Justin Haley. This team has shown they are close to breaking through. Not to mention Hocevar is a hungry driver to prove he belongs amongst the best in the Cup Series. The youngest driver in the series could have a breakout season in 2025.

Riley Herbst- Cup Series

Herbst will duke it out with Trackhouse’s Shane van Gisbergen for the Rookie of the Year title in the Cup Series. Herbst has already showcased his ability finishing Top 10 in the Daytona 500 in 2023. Add in his impressive wins in 2024 in the Xfinity Series, winning at the Brickyard and the season finale at Phoenix.

He’s got great backing at 23XI Racing with Monster Energy who has been a long-time sponsor throughout Herbst’s racing journey. Now he will try to make an impact at the sport’s highest level.

Honorable Mention NASCAR young guns to watch include Carson Kvapil (Xfinity), Jesse Love (Xfinity), Nick Sanchez (Xfinity), William Sawalich (Xfinity), Kaden Honeycutt (Truck), Taylor Gray (Xfinity) and Gio Ruggiero (Truck).