This article is part of our NASCAR Draft Kit series.
The 2018 rookie class will be a bit thinner than last season's group. However, the level of talent is still considerable when we examine their racing resumes. We have some very seasoned, young Xfinity Series drivers who will be making the transition in the upcoming season, and they're not entirely unfamiliar with Monster Energy Cup Series cars. In addition to our full-time rookies we have some young drivers that will be making some part-time forays into the world of Monster Energy Cup Series racing from the lower divisions of the sport. The transition from the Xfinity Series or Camping World Truck Series to the top division of NASCAR is always a big adjustment for young drivers. However, as last season showed, drivers like Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez wasted little time adjusting and had almost immediate impact. We'll take a look at the ROTY candidates and some of the young, up-and-coming drivers who will make part-time starts in the Monster Energy Cup Series this season, and give you some in-depth analysis on which rookie drivers are the ones to watch closely this season.
William Byron
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
The 2017 Xfinity Series champion gets the immediate promotion to NASCAR's top division in
William Byron
Car: 24
Owner: Hendrick Motorsports
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
| SERIES | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| ARCA | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| K&N Pro West | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| K&N Pro East | 14 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 11 |
| Camping World Truck | 24 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 16 |
| Xfinity | 33 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 22 |
The 2017 Xfinity Series champion gets the immediate promotion to NASCAR's top division in
The 2018 rookie class will be a bit thinner than last season's group. However, the level of talent is still considerable when we examine their racing resumes. We have some very seasoned, young Xfinity Series drivers who will be making the transition in the upcoming season, and they're not entirely unfamiliar with Monster Energy Cup Series cars. In addition to our full-time rookies we have some young drivers that will be making some part-time forays into the world of Monster Energy Cup Series racing from the lower divisions of the sport. The transition from the Xfinity Series or Camping World Truck Series to the top division of NASCAR is always a big adjustment for young drivers. However, as last season showed, drivers like Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez wasted little time adjusting and had almost immediate impact. We'll take a look at the ROTY candidates and some of the young, up-and-coming drivers who will make part-time starts in the Monster Energy Cup Series this season, and give you some in-depth analysis on which rookie drivers are the ones to watch closely this season.
William Byron
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
The 2017 Xfinity Series champion gets the immediate promotion to NASCAR's top division in 2018. Byron has quickly climbed the NASCAR ranks, and now at the age of 20 is one of the top up-and-coming drivers in the sport. He'll take over the No. 24 Chevrolet as Chase Elliott is moving to Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 car, and Kasey Kahne is moving on to Leavine Family Racing. Byron broke onto the scene in 2015 and stormed to four victories and the championship in the K&N Pro Series East. He then moved to the truck series and claimed seven victories and a Top-5 points finish in 2016. Last season the talented youngster took the wheel of JR Motorsports' No. 9 Chevrolet and claimed four victories, 22 Top-10 finishes and raced to the Xfinity Series crown. Byron will be teamed with veteran crew chief, Darian Grubb, and the two will set out to win Rookie of the Year honors. Given the team resources, and this driver's talent, that should be well within reach.
Darrell Wallace Jr.
Last season was a year cut short in racing for Wallace. Funding and sponsorship for his Xfinity Series team dried up and left him without a ride mid-campaign. However, an injury to Aric Almirola at the Cup level gave Wallace a rare opportunity to show his talents in NASCAR's top division during some relief appearances in the No. 43 Ford. The seasoned young driver didn't disappoint. Wallace chalked up finishes of 26th-, 19th-, 15th- and 11th-place at Pocono, Michigan, Daytona and Kentucky during the summer. At 24-years-old Wallace is a bit older than recent Cup Series rookies. However, a bit of that has to do with his development stalling at Roush Fenway Racing since no Cup rides were available to promote him in that team. Almirola moving on from the No. 43 team opened the door for Wallace to come in and have immediate impact next season. He has the talent and this team has the resources to help him to a serious bid for the Rookie of the Year award.
Brennan Poole
At the time of this writing, Poole has not been officially named to the No. 27 Chevrolet of Richard Childress Racing. However, it has been rumored all throughout the off-season and looks likely to happen. If so, it's likely that DC Solar will accompany Poole and come over as primary sponsor for this team. The 26-year-old Texan enjoyed a lot of success during four seasons of racing in the ARCA Series. Poole's best points finish was third-place in 2012, and he nabbed an impressive six victories in just 35 starts for ARCA Series heavyweight Venturini Motorsports. His success wasn't quite as extensive in two-and-a-half seasons of Xfinity Series racing for Chip Ganassi. Still, Poole posted some respectable numbers during that time. If this situation comes together, it will give this young driver a great team with many resources. However, Poole's lack of experience in Cup Series cars will show in his performance.
Ray Black Jr.
Rick Ware Racing will attempt to run the full schedule in the upcoming season. RWR ran most of the schedule in 2017 with multiple drivers. One of those wheelmen was Black Jr. He made three starts for the team in the No. 51 car. The 26-year-old Floridian has only been competing in NASCAR's touring series since 2014. In that time, he's amassed 89 combined starts in the top three divisions. Black will race for Rookie of the Year in 2018. RWR has purchased a charter so he's assured of racing, as long as sponsorship and funding holds up. However, this small race team will be ill-equipped to give Black a serious shot at the ROTY. In a strange approach, they will run all three manufacturers in the upcoming season, and that's a good indicator of a cash-strapped effort. For the most part we expect to see Black racing at the rear of the field each week.
William Byron
Car: 24
Owner: Hendrick Motorsports
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
| SERIES | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| ARCA | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| K&N Pro West | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| K&N Pro East | 14 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 11 |
| Camping World Truck | 24 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 16 |
| Xfinity | 33 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 22 |
The 2017 Xfinity Series champion gets the immediate promotion to NASCAR's top division in 2018. Byron has quickly climbed the NASCAR ranks, and now at the age of 20 is one of the top up-and-coming drivers in the sport. He'll take over the No. 24 Chevrolet as Chase Elliott is moving to Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 car, and Kasey Kahne is moving on to Leavine Family Racing. Byron broke onto the scene in 2015 and stormed to four victories and the championship in the K&N Pro Series East. He then moved to the truck series and claimed seven victories and a Top-5 points finish in 2016. Last season the talented youngster took the wheel of JR Motorsports' No. 9 Chevrolet and claimed four victories, 22 Top-10 finishes and raced to the Xfinity Series crown. Byron will be teamed with veteran crew chief, Darian Grubb, and the two will set out to win Rookie of the Year honors. Given the team resources, and this driver's talent, that should be well within reach.
Darrell Wallace Jr.
Car: 43
Owner: Richard Petty Motorsports
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
| SERIES | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| ARCA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| K&N Pro East | 36 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 25 |
| Camping World Truck | 45 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 27 |
| Xfinity | 85 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 35 |
| Monster Energy Cup Series | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last season was a year cut short in racing for Wallace. Funding and sponsorship for his Xfinity Series team dried up and left him without a ride mid-campaign. However, an injury to Aric Almirola at the Cup level gave Wallace a rare opportunity to show his talents in NASCAR's top division during some relief appearances in the No. 43 Ford. The seasoned young driver didn't disappoint. Wallace chalked up finishes of 26th-, 19th-, 15th- and 11th-place at Pocono, Michigan, Daytona and Kentucky during the summer. At 24-years-old Wallace is a bit older than recent Cup Series rookies. However, a bit of that has to do with his development stalling at Roush Fenway Racing since no Cup rides were available to promote him in that team. Almirola moving on from the No. 43 team opened the door for Wallace to come in and have immediate impact next season. He has the talent and this team has the resources to help him to a serious bid for the Rookie of the Year award.
Brennan Poole
Car: 27
Owner: Richard Childress Racing
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
| SERIES | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| ARCA | 35 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 27 |
| Camping World Truck | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xfinity | 83 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 36 |
At the time of this writing, Poole has not been officially named to the No. 27 Chevrolet of Richard Childress Racing. However, it has been rumored all throughout the off-season and looks likely to happen. If so, it's likely that DC Solar will accompany Poole and come over as primary sponsor for this team. The 26-year-old Texan enjoyed a lot of success during four seasons of racing in the ARCA Series. Poole's best points finish was third-place in 2012, and he nabbed an impressive six victories in just 35 starts for ARCA Series heavyweight Venturini Motorsports. His success wasn't quite as extensive in two-and-a-half seasons of Xfinity Series racing for Chip Ganassi. Still, Poole posted some respectable numbers during that time. If this situation comes together, it will give this young driver a great team with many resources. However, Poole's lack of experience in Cup Series cars will show in his performance.
Ray Black Jr.
Car: 51
Owner: Rick Ware Racing
Manufacturer: Ford/Chevy/Toyota
| SERIES | RACES | WINS | POLES | TOP 5s | TOP 10s |
| Camping World Truck | 31 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Xfinity | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Monster Energy Cup Series | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rick Ware Racing will attempt to run the full schedule in the upcoming season. RWR ran most of the schedule in 2017 with multiple drivers. One of those wheelmen was Black Jr. He made three starts for the team in the No. 51 car. The 26-year-old Floridian has only been competing in NASCAR's touring series since 2014. In that time, he's amassed 89 combined starts in the top three divisions. Black will race for Rookie of the Year in 2018. RWR has purchased a charter so he's assured of racing, as long as sponsorship and funding holds up. However, this small race team will be ill-equipped to give Black a serious shot at the ROTY. In a strange approach, they will run all three manufacturers in the upcoming season, and that's a good indicator of a cash-strapped effort. For the most part we expect to see Black racing at the rear of the field each week.
Join Our Subscriber-Only NASCAR Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire NASCAR fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
