By Noah Poser, Staff Writer
This year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie class comprises a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular season champion, a 2024 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring LMP2 winner, a CARS Super Late Model Tour champion and the two-time defending ARCA Menards Series East champion.
And those achievements alone account for just half the rookies in this season’s field.
In total, eight rookies began their quest this past weekend to become this season’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year, and together, these drivers represent a historic rookie class that in terms of combined pedigree and volume, rivals any group of first-year drivers the series has seen in quite some time.
Let’s meet the drivers who will be looking to claim the crown of “best rookie” in 2025.
Christian Eckes
Growing up, Christian Eckes did not want to be a NASCAR driver.
“I really like space,” Eckes said. “I really wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid and it was a really big thing for me. If you think about it, it isn’t too far off ending up a NASCAR driver. You’re just going really fast in a race car as opposed to a rocket so there’s a bit of correlation there.
“But yeah, I don’t know what happened. I guess maybe my career path got a little misaligned when I first started racing.”
But while Eckes chalks up his career in racing as pure happenstance, others would probably point to the instant success he had when he first appeared at a racetrack, starting when he first strapped into a bandolero at nine years old.
From there, Eckes was on the fast track to NASCAR stardom. He captured victory in the 2016 Snowball Derby at just 16 years old and was an ARCA champion by 2019, by which point he had cemented his status as one of Toyota’s top young prospects.
Then 2020 happened.
And after just one full-time season driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports didn’t go as hoped for all parties involved, Eckes was without a full-time NASCAR ride in 2021.
Eckes would eventually emerge from the “catastrophe” that was his time at KBM, in which he himself admitted “he probably didn’t do a very good job” and would go on to land a part-time ride at ThorSport Racing.
It was at ThorSport that he ultimately found victory lane for the first time in the truck series and propelled himself back into the conversation of being among the sport’s best young drivers.
Now 24, Eckes is coming off a two-year stretch in the truck series with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing that has completely revitalized his racing career, and after finally having made his Xfinity Series debut in the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing this past weekend at Daytona, he isn’t willing to take anything else in his career for granted.
“I feel like in my younger days, I maybe got a little bit too ahead of myself and that got me in trouble,” Eckes said. “So I don’t necessarily have any expectations or anything really aside from just trying to be a championship contender and not wash out like I did in the beginning of my truck series career.”
Connor Zilisch
By now, it’s unlikely you follow racing and haven’t heard the name Connor Zilisch.
The 18-year-old phenom has captured the fanfare not only of NASCAR fans, but motorsports fans around the world in large part due to big-time performances on some of racing’s biggest stages, including at the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring.
Add in the fact he’s a Red Bull athlete, has a development deal with Trackhouse Racing and oh, he won in his Xfinity Series debut last season at Watkins Glen (the first to accomplish that feat since Ty Gibbs) and there is a lot going right for Zilisch entering 2025 as he sets to embark on a full season driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports.
So it may come as a surprise to some to hear what this young driver, known for excelling in so many different forms of racing, is most looking forward to this season.
“Getting to run 33 races in one car and chase one championship,” Zilisch said. “It’s going to be good for me to settle in one series and work with the same group of guys every week and have some consistency in my racing schedule. I’ve been bouncing around a lot the past few years, which has really helped me become who I am and learn to adapt to situations, but now this year is going to be a little different and allow me to have a consistent process every week.”
In addition to providing himself with a sense of security and comfortability in NASCAR, Zilisch also feels this upcoming season is a good opportunity for NASCAR fans to get to know him and what he’s like off the track a little better as well.
“The biggest thing for me is I feel like I’m just a fun personality,” Zilisch said. “And I think that’s one thing this sport sometimes lacks, is people who aren’t afraid to show who they are and that’s one thing I’m not afraid of. Through the good, the bad, the pretty, the ugly, I’m still a human, right? Everyone’s human. Whether I go out and win or finish 25th, I want to be there for people and be appreciative of everyone who supports me through the good and bad.”
Carson Kvapil
When fans talk about wanting to support the “blue-collar worker” driver archetype, look no further than Carson Kvapil to see what they mean.
“When I’m not driving the race cars, my passion is to work on them,” Kvapil said. “Especially the late model racing stuff that I came from and some of the dirt car stuff that I came from growing up. It’s just what I do. I get home, work on that stuff until like seven, eight o’clock and then go racing on the weekends. If I’m not racing, I want to be working on the race cars.
“It’s the only way we ever did it growing up and it’s the only way I know.”
And while the 21-year-old from Mooresville, N.C. is likely going to be tasked with a more hands-off approach during his rookie season in the Xfinity Series, it’s the mindset he brings to the table off the track (along with the potential for big on-track results) that has already endeared him to the NASCAR community.
There’s also the matter of his last name.
Yes, Carson is the son of former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil. And while he would be the first to tell you the advantages that come along with having that level of racing pedigree in the family, the man who has dominated the late model scene over the past four years doesn’t want to live in his father’s shadow.
Instead, the new driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports would like to carve out his own identity and whatever relationship with the fans comes along with that, one that can be his own and isn’t intertwined with nostalgia from his dad’s racing days.
“If I wasn’t driving these race cars, I would probably be working a typical nine-to-five job and I think I would be okay with that,” Kvapil said. “But throughout my career, I’ve gotten really fortunate and I’ve been able to get some really great opportunities to put me in the position I’m currently in. Now, I’m gonna try to take advantage of it and make the most of it, and try to be more open and enjoy the fans in the process.”
William Sawalich
“I’m a humble race car driver with big ambitions to make it to the top.”
At first glance, it doesn’t seem like much of a pitch as far as why fans should root for the new driver of the famed No. 18 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing, but for William Sawalich, he doesn’t mind.
In fact, he much prefers to keep things simple.
“I just like to be a hard and clean racer and try to be humble,” Sawalich said. “I think that’s one thing some of these young guys miss. I think it’s a big advantage if you’re able to be humble and you’re able to stay calm about everything. That’s something I try to strive for in not boasting about anything or making anything a bigger deal than it needs to be.”
It’s an approach that’s evident when you watch the 18-year-old on track.
Sawalich grew up in the Midwest. He started off racing at local tracks, such as Little Elko Speedway, before moving up to legends cars. Not long after, he made the transition to late models, where those ambitions of racing success first became apparent.
Whether it was in a late model or an ARCA car, all Sawalich did over the past couple years was win. He won the 2023 All American 400 (which he says is his most cherished racing accomplishment to date) and won back-to-back ARCA Menards Series East championships, the second of which came with Zilisch finishing right behind him in the standings.
As he makes the jump to Xfinity, his aspirations of winning remain unchanged.
“Obviously I want to get wins and compete for the championship,” Sawalich said. “But I think all of that will come together if we can just get strong finishes consistently. If we can do that, the points will start building up and we won’t have to worry about having pressure going into the playoffs. I feel like my team and I are going to work really well together this year and we’re going to be able to put up some good finishes and have some good times.”
The Challengers
As mentioned above, this rookie class is not just stacked with talent, but also with sheer numbers. The four drivers above are all contending for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year title, but they aren’t alone.
They’re joined by four additional challengers, all of whom have had their own share of successes in racing, both in and out of NASCAR, throughout their careers.
Here are the remaining rookie of the year contenders, and may the best rookie win.
Daniel Dye
Age: 21
From: DeLand, Fla.
Team: No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing
Last year: No. 43 Chevrolet Silverado for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing (Truck Series)
Notable achievements: Finished 10th in 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings
Taylor Gray
Age: 19
From: Artesia, N.M.
Team: No. 19 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing
Last year: No. 17 Toyota Tundra for Tricon Garage (Truck Series)
Notable achievements: Finished sixth in 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings
Nick Sanchez
Age: 23
From: Miami, Fla.
Team: No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro for Big Machine Racing
Last year: No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado for Rev Racing (Truck Series)
Notable achievements: 2022 ARCA Menards Series champion, 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie of the year, finished fifth in 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings
Dean Thompson
Age: 23
From: Anaheim, Calif.
Team: No. 26 Toyota GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing
Last year: No. 5 Toyota Tundra for Tricon Garage (Truck Series)
Notable achievements: Finished eighth in 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series opener at Daytona