NASCAR Midseason Prospect List: Will 'Butterbean' Be Next Older Driver To Make It?

Fox News

15 hours ago

Brenden "Butterbean" Queen won't be on this list much longer.
At age 27, he'll drop off this list of prospect rankings after this season, as one of the conditions is that a driver is under 28 years old.
Queen is getting his first shot at a national series this year, as he leads the ARCA standings with five victories. His next step would be full-time truck or full-time Xfinity. He's hopeful — but not fully certain — that he'll reach this goal.
Four or five years ago, someone of Queen's age would be considered too old.
"You can kind of see the tide turning where the teams are looking at it like sometimes having an 18-year-old, they've got a longer career, maybe," Queen said.
"But at the same time, if you've got a 27-year-old, 28-year-old that can be good marketing for your partners and can also go get the job done, there's nothing wrong with that."
Queen should thank Josh Berry for maybe a more hopeful outlook. Berry had similar roots, racing late model stocks in the Southeast. He got his first relatively full season on a NASCAR national level at age 30.
Berry said that Queen being 27 "is not that old."
"It's a reality that all of our journeys are a little bit different getting to this point," Berry said. "Some of us, it takes a little longer. He's done a really good job.
"I feel like my success coming from a late model primarily straight to the Xfinity car opened up people's eyes of what's possible, that the late model stocks is a good proving ground to go right into a heavier car."
Queen has dropped 15 pounds. He has improved from both a physical and mental standpoint through his work in the Chevrolet driver training program under former driver Josh Wise. And Queen does recognize Berry's influence in his success.
"I feel better now than I did three years ago," Queen said. "If you'd asked me this question [about my future] when I was 24 or 25, I would have told you it's probably over. I'm just going to race late models because of my age.
"But I think Josh truly changed the trajectory of the teams going, 'OK let's think about this for a minute.' Honestly, I feel better than I did at 24 as far as maturity, how to manage a race and put it together."
Because of his outgoing personality, Queen resonates with grassroots fans. And some would say that he has proven people wrong about whether he can do it on a national level.
Or maybe he more proved something to himself?
"I always thought, if I had the right opportunity, that I could do it — just off of what I had accomplished late model racing. And then also seeing people that I've raced with move up and be able to do it, knowing that I went toe-to-toe with them at times," he said.
"I think it was probably more important to me to show the world I could do it. I never like to give an opinion of myself. I'll leave it up to the world or Bean Nation to decide."
So with all this in mind, here's my midseason prospect list, based on performance and potential.
While marketing, sponsorship opportunities and funding are not primary factors, they do factor into this list because they can impact if these drivers will make it to Cup.
Some parameters: To be on this list, drivers cannot have had a season in Cup and they must be younger than 28 years old.
1. Connor Zilisch Age: 19Previous Ranking: 2
Zilisch leads the Xfinity Series standings with a series-high five victories. Four of those have come in the last 10 races, all top fives for him. He'll be Cup next year at Trackhosue Racing.
2. Corey Heim Age: 23Previous Ranking: 1
Heim has dominated the trucks this year with five wins and 10 top fives in 16 starts. He clinched the regular-season points title with two races left. Already signed with 23XI Racing, he will likely have to wait until 2027 to be in a Cup car full time. Whether he's in an Xfinity car full time in 2026 is still TBD.
3. Brent Crews Age: 17Previous Ranking: 5
Crews has two wins and a second in five ARCA national series starts. He also has one top 10 in three truck starts. He'll likely race full time in Xfinity next season at Joe Gibbs Racing after he turns 18 in March.
4. Jesse Love Age: 20Previous Ranking: 4
Love sits fourth in the Xfinity standings with one win and 15 top-10 finishes. The driver is at Richard Childress Racing and the question is this: Does he stay there for another season in hopes a Cup ride opens up in 2027?
5. Nick Sanchez Age: 24Previous Ranking: 9
Sanchez is 12th in the Xifnity standings and has a win driving for Big Machine Records Racing. He has had a respectable rookie season and if he continues to improve, he could be in Cup in 2027.
6. Sam Mayer Age: 22Previous Ranking: 12
Mayer is third in the Xfinity standings and has been impressive with 10 top-five finishes driving for the revamped Haas team. He got a big victory last week at Iowa. More runs like that and Cup teams will start talking about him.
7. Corey Day Age:19Previous Ranking: 6
Day has two top fives in seven truck starts (and no top 10s in five Xfinity starts) as he starts making the adjustment to stock cars and pavement racing. It has been a little bit of a difficult adjustment but these moves do take a little time.
8. Layne Riggs Age 23Previous Ranking: 13
Riggs is third in the truck standings with two wins and seven top fives this year, driving for Front Row Motorsports. Another year in trucks next season for FRM is quite possible.
9. Carson Kvapil Age: 22Previous Ranking: 8
Kvapil is sixth in the Xfinity standings and has nine top 10s as a rookie while still looking for his first victory. The JR Motorsports driver is considered to have a high upside as he had not raced a full season in ARCA or in trucks before this year.
10. Kaden Honeycutt Age: 22Previous Ranking: 17
Honeycutt is on pace to make the truck playoffs and the former Neice Motorsports driver is replacing Stewart Friesen starting next week at Richmond. So while not announced, it is fairly evident he is now in the Toyota pipeline. A Tricon truck is his likely destination next year.
11. Taylor Gray Age: 20Previous ranking: 10
Gray is ninth in his first full season of running in the Xfinity Series. His six top fives and 11 top 10s show potential. Would expect him to return to this seat next year.
12. Chandler Smith Age: 23Previous ranking: 7
Smith is second in the truck standings and has two wins. He has just four top-five finishes but 12 top 10s driving for Front Row Motorsports. He isn't leading a ton of laps but he's getting his truck to the finish. Like his teammate Riggs, he will quite possibly return to the truck next season.
13. Rajah Caruth Age: 23Previous Ranking: 14
Caruth is 11th in the truck standings but has qualified for the playoffs with a win. A little more was expected from Caurth this year. His three top-fives need to be higher but he also didn't have a ton of stock-car experience before beginning in trucks a few years ago.
14. Christian Eckes Age: 24Previous Ranking: 3
Eckes didn't forget how to drive but this has been a long year, as he sits 15th in the Xfinity standings driving for Kaulig Racing. He needs a turnaround over the final few months of 2025 and/or a quick start in 2026.
15. Tristan McKee Age: 15Previous Ranking: 15
McKee has four top fives in seven starts in the CARS Tour late model stock division. He is a Spire development driver.
16. Isabella Robusto Age: 20Previous Ranking: 18
Robusto is fifth in the ARCA standings with five top fives in 12 starts. Her progress has not been as vibrant as some had hoped but there are glimpses of potential that she will challenge for the ARCA title next year at the revamped Nitro Motorsports (after its buyout of Venturini Motorsports).
17. Keelan Harvick Age: 13Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Harvick is second in the CARS Tour pro late model standings with one win and three top fives in seven starts. The son of NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick, he has shown strong ability at a young age.
18. Jade Avedisian Age: 18Previous Ranking: 19
Avedisian has one win and three top-fives in four CARS Tour pro late model starts as she begins to focus on late model pavement racing. A midget racing champion in 2023, Avedisian was the first female driver to win a CARS Tour race.
19. Brenden Queen Age 27Previous Ranking: 20
Queen has five wins and 10 top fives in 12 starts and leads the ARCA national series standings. It has been a solid season for Queen, who likely needs to be in a truck or Xfinity car next year if he wants to get some looks from Cup owners over the next few years.
20. Gio Ruggiero Age: 18Previous Ranking: 16
Ruggiero is 12th in the truck standings as a rookie with three top fives and six top-10 finishes driving for Tricon. There have been flashes of potential but also some disappointing runs. He stays on this list, as many believe he will show significant improvement over the next year.
25 others to watch: Lawless Alan, Tyler Ankrum Luke Baldwin, Austin Beers, Lanie Buice, Cole Butcher, Sheldon Creed, Daniel Dye, Luke Fenhaus, Jake Finch, Jake Garcia, Tanner Gray, Conner Jones, Isaac Kitzmiller, Caden Kvapil, Treyten Lapcevich, Landen Lewis, Ben Maier, Andres Perez de Lara, George Phillips, Tyler Reif, Taylor Reimer, William Sawalich, Lavar Scott, Sammy Smith.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.