Three years ago, then 23-year-old Kyle Busch swerved his way into both Infineon Raceway’s and Watkins Glen International’s Victory Lanes on his way to a career-high eight wins.
He staked a claim to the title of “future of NASCAR racing.” The moniker came to fruition, as he has since won his 100th NASCAR national series race and a NASCAR Nationwide Series championship.
At an “old” 26, Busch now seems like a grizzled veteran. A new crop of youngsters – a bushel-full – has moved into the “future of NASCAR” discussion.
The volume of that discussion peaked last Saturday once Dylan Kwasniewski crossed the finish line at Colorado National Speedway. At 16 years, two months, Kwasniewski became the youngest winner in the K&N Pro Series, West’s 57-year history, winning the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150. He displaced another young gun – Joey Logano, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star. With pop-star looks, a polished personality, and, oh by the way, tremendous skill, Kwasniewski is a legit future star.
From the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on down, the future is now…
In the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, 21-year-old Joey Logano was the hard-luck loser at Pocono. He performed admirably, leading 44 laps and holding the lead when the yellow – then red – flag came out for rain. Once racing resumed, a low tire forced Logano to the pits, and he eventually finished 26th. Logano has one series win, at New Hampshire in 2009.
In the NASCAR Nationwide Series, 23-year-old Ricky Stenhouse Jr. owns the points lead and two NASCAR Nationwide Series victories. After Saturday’s race, teammate Carl Edwards assured fans that the kid will be around the sport for a long time.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has been the poster-series for the young guns. Cole Whitt, 20, held the points lead earlier this season, becoming the first Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate to lead the points in the series. Two other rookies, Parker Kligerman, also 20, and Joey Coulter, 21, are both in the top 10 in points.
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