6 Top NASCAR Prospects Whose Stock Is Rising in 2026

Carson Hocevar is emerging as one of the next superstars in NASCAR, with rookie Connor Zilisch likely a few years away from becoming one of the top drivers in the Cup Series. The future of the sport is bright and that has a lot to do with some of the up-and-coming drivers. Let’s dive into our list of the top NASCAR prospects in 2026 who are off to hot starts this season and increasing their odds of reaching the Cup Series.

Corey Day Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Corey Day, who turns 21 years old in November, got off to a rough start in 2026 with a 27th-place finish at Daytona and an incident with Connor Zilisch. It was just the latest in a series of mistakes and questionable moves by the young driver that raised questions about his readiness for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Since then, he’s demonstrated why Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports have so much confidence in him long-term. Through 13 races, Day has the fifth-most points (422) in the O’Reilly Series and he’s showing a lot of consistency lately. Even including the DNF (37th place) at Texas Motor Speedway, Day boasts a 9.

75 average finishing position in the last 12 races. He earned his first-ever O’Reilly Series win at Talladega and has four top-five finishes with nine top-10 finishes in that 12-race span. If Hendrick decides to move on from Alex Bowman, Day seems like the favorite to take over the No.