Five
of the six NASCAR K&N Pro Series race winners in 2015 are 21 years old or
younger. The championship points leaders in both the East and West are 17 and
16, respectively. And a 17-year-old just became the highest-finishing female in
the 61-year history of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.
It
is fitting that as fans celebrate Jeff Gordon’s final year of competition, the
ranks of NASCAR are filled with young drivers battling to one day fill that
void. And on Tuesday, in a building that honors the sport’s history, NASCAR
introduced some of those potential future stars of the sport.
During
a ceremony at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, 12 drivers
were formally announced as the newest NASCAR Next class, a group of
up-and-coming talent that joins the industry program aimed at spotlighting
NASCAR’s emerging stars.
“The
NASCAR Next initiative spotlights the future of NASCAR, a collection of
promising young talent who have shown the potential to one day reach the
highest level of our sport,” said Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president
for Industry Services. “Alumni – and current members – of the NASCAR Next
program are achieving success at the national series level, and we are
confident that this class will build upon that foundation of excellence for
many seasons to come.”
Now
in its fifth season, the career résumé of NASCAR Next alumni is impressive,
highlighted by Chase Elliott’s 2014 NASCAR XFINITY Series championship, Kyle
Larson’s 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, and
Cole Custer’s September 2014 win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series, making him the youngest winner in NASCAR national
series history.
Of
the 28 drivers previously selected for the program, 21 have raced in one of
NASCAR’s three national series (NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series
and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), and 11 are competing full-time there in
2015.
The
team was selected through an evaluation process that included input from
industry executives and veteran racers. Drivers must be between the ages of
15-25, have tangible and expressed goals in eventual competition in the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series and demonstrate the potential to realize that goal.
Each
driver in NASCAR Next must be actively competing in a NASCAR touring or weekly
series – NASCAR K&N Pro Series East or West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour,
NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by
Mobil 1, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series or NASCAR Whelen
All-American Series. NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series competitors also are eligible provided they are not slated to run a full
season in their respective series.
The
NASCAR Next members for 2015-16 are:
•
Rico Abreu (23, Rutherford, Calif., Twitter: @Rico_Abreu) – A 2014 USAC
national champion and winner of the 2015 Chili Bowl, he has two top-10 finishes
in three K&N Pro Series East starts, his first season racing in stock cars.
•
Nicole Behar (17, Otis Orchards, Wash., @NicoleBehar33) – Tied the
series record for highest finish by a female driver in just her fifth K&N
West start with her second place mark at Irwindale Event Center, and has top-10
finishes in four of six West starts.
•
Kyle Benjamin (17, Easley, S.C., @kylebenjamin71) – This Roush Fenway
Racing developmental driver earned his first K&N Pro Series win at Bristol
Motor Speedway, and is the youngest race winner in ARCA history.
•
James Bickford (17, Napa, Calif., @Bickford_James) – The 2014 K&N
West Sunoco Rookie of the Year earned his first win at State Line Speedway last
season and finished fifth in the season championship.
•
William Byron (17, Charlotte, N.C., @WilliamByron) – With a win at Greenville
Pickens Speedway and three top 10 finishes, he sits atop the K&N Pro East
season championship standings.
•
Cole Custer (17, Ladera Ranch, Calif., @colecuster00) – He holds the
records for youngest pole award and race winner in both the NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series and NASCAR’s touring series, and led late in the Truck race
at Martinsville Speedway earlier this season.
•
Ruben Garcia Jr. (19, Mexico City, Mex., @rubengarcia4) – The runner up
in last season’s NASCAR Mexico Series season championship, he had one win and
10 top-10 finishes there while also competing in three NASCAR XFINITY Series
races.
•
Austin Hill (21, Winston, Ga., @_AustinHill) – Had three consecutive
K&N East wins, in the final two races in 2014 and the 2015 season opener at
New Smyrna Speedway where he captured his first pole award and led every lap.
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