2017 NASCAR Prospect Watch

Behind the Wall's Annual Prospect Ranking

By Richard Tix

Man, let me just start by saying it has been one heck of a busy year! After the 2016 season wrap up and review articles I just could not find the time to get to any season previews. I do apologize to any of you who really enjoy those previews, but this year it just isn't going to happen. Getting married, getting a new dog (anyone who follows on twitter probably has seen my Golden Retriever, Cooper), buying a new house, and taking a new position at the company I work for all in 1 1/2 years will really tie up your time.

However, some articles will have no excuses as they're the bread and butter of why I enjoy doing this as a hobby. Weekly power rankings, weekly reviews, weekly TV schedules, season predictions, predicting a Champion, "We're Going Streaking," and the Prospect racing (plus more) are all getting done.

First up, the Behind the Wall Annual Prospect Watch. I have been making a prospect list on Behind the Wall since 2015 and it is one of my favorite articles to look into. Even if I fall out of touch a bit with some young guns, this article pulls me back in by looking into each drivers past season's and stories on why they should make the list.

The best part? Every year a guy I didn't even have listed on the "Keep and Eye On" section make the list the next season. Now, sometimes it's on me after overlooking them, but sometimes it's just that random how a young kid can get a deal and or sponsorship and quickly rise the ladder.

In the past three years the sport has been having a huge turnover and young talent is a big thing. Just ask Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota Racing Development how important driver pipelines are. This trend is likely going to continue for the next few years as guys like Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kurt Busch, and Kevin Harvick decide when to call it quit's. So, below (including the 2015 and 2016 list) are drivers that will start to mold the next era of NASCAR.

Note that Behind the Walls rankings leave out drivers known to have a full time ride in Cup for 2017. So, guys like Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez graduated off the list. Yes, they're still part of the future, but at some point the list has to have guidelines -- plus if you look back you will find them on previous rankings. Also, the ages of drivers are what age they will be this year (2017) -- some have not hit that birthday yet while others already had a birthday in the handful of days before this article and the New Year.

**NBTW left out prospect that will driver full time at the Cup level in 2017**


2015 Prospect Watch
2016 Prospect Watch

William Byron, 20 Years Old

Last year William Byron got the big break he was working towards after getting signed on to KBM to run full time in the truck series. He got there after running late models (with Jr Motorsports) and the K&N East series (HScott) in 2015 (K&N East Champion).

While at KBM in 2016, Byron notched a series best 7 wins as well 11 top 5's and 16 top 10's. In 2016 Byron was arguably one of the best Truck Series drivers of the year. In return, Byron now heads the Behind the Wall 2017 Prospect list and also earned a ride with Jr Motorsports (through Hendrick Motorsports) at the Xfinity level full time in 2017. He has shown so far in his career that he is a quick leaner and developer which should go well for his racing future as he is now latched onto HMS.


Christopher Bell, 23 Years Old


Most racing fans already knew his name, but after winning the 2015 dirt race at Eldora (Mud Summer Classic as I will ALWAYS call it) he put his name on the map. Bell is seeming to make a habit of that after winning the 2017 Chili Bowl to kick of this year.

2016 came with mixed results in his first year with KBM at the truck level. Tons of potential was seen as he wracked up 1 win, 9 top 5s, and 17 top 10's in 23 starts, but some flaws also dragged him down a bit. Bell, like many young drivers learning a top three series, was too often part of wrecks that really hurt his production. A 2017 season of refining his skills in a KBM truck will keep him a top the prospect list next year and could even earn him another ride.


Tyler Reddick, 21 Years Old


Tyler Reddick seems like an elder statesmen on Behind the Wall prospect list, yet he just turned 21 years old not long ago. That's mainly because Reddick has laid down 63 starts at the truck level already in his young career. He was the highest driver from the 2016 list to not move onto Cup (Erik Jones has a full time Cup ride) as he was ranked number two last year.

2016 was a bit of a step back in production compared to 2015 with only one win, 8 top 5's, and 12 top 10's, but his consistency earned him a spot with Chip Ganassi at the Xfinity level in 2017 (part time with Kyle Larson). The move to CGR also clears up some questions on where he might fit into the Cup scene in the future.

For being part of the young gun crew at the age of 21, Reddick sure does have a ton of seat time under his belt so watching him on Sundays may not be that far off if and when a spot opens at CGR.

John Hunter Nemechek, 20 Years Old

JHN ran his first full time truck series season in 2016, but he seemed to regress almost down the board compared to 2015. He ended the season with two wins, five top 5's, and 11 top 10's on his way to an 8th place series finish.

However, JHN still has loads of potential as evident in what he does with the equipment he has (family run NEMCO). 2017 will be a big year to see if he can turn his luck around and start running more consistent which could open the door for his future.

Todd Gilliland, 17 Years Old


Todd Gilliland rocketed up my list as a guy who wasn't even mentioned to start 2016 to 5th overall. That will happen when in one year you win 7 total K&N Series races (6 for the West and 1 for the East) and the K&N West Championship. Todd, son of David Gilliland, used all of that momentum to really gain notice and earn rides at the next level in 2017.

As well as competing for both the K&N Series Championships (West and East) in 2017, it was announced he will run four races for KBM in the truck series (No. 51) starting at Gateway Motorsports Park on June 17. Gilliland became the youngest champion in the history of any NASCAR national or touring series this season. He has had a history with KBM (late model series), so it is safe to assume he will continue to climb the ladder with them and Toyota.

Cole Custer, 19 Years Old



Crew C change in 2016 mid year (Joe Shear to Marcus Richmond) which helped him. 

Cole still has a lot of worked to do while finding his way up the charts, but at a young age of 19 he still has plenty of time to sharpen his skills. In 2016 he ran his first full season at the truck level and posted five top 5's and 14 top 10's, but consistency really dragged him down and he came across win less at the truck level after having wins in his previous two partial schedule seasons.

In 2017 Jr Motorsports is shutting down its No. 00 truck so Cole will be moving on with SHR at the Xfinity level. So, next year will bring a step up the series ladder, but may also bring a ton of bumps along the way. It will be fun to see how Custer adapts at the next level after trucks. 

Darrell Wallace Jr, 24 Years Old

Darrell Wallace is still a guy I have a ton of hope for at the next level, but when will he catch his break? In 2016 he once again ran with RFR at the Xfinity level. His production doesn't look great on paper, but fans have to remember he is working with RFR equipment every week.

He finished the year with three top 5's and 9 top 10's and an 11th place finish in the standings. The thing that will help him the most in his quest for the next level and more success will be to keep his car clean. Wallace tends to end up in too many wrecks to lay down enough consistency to boost his numbers (this has always been his knack).

Daniel Hemric, 26 Years Old


Hemric took on his second full season at the truck level in 2016 and his first with BKR. The boost in equipment only solidified the fact that Hemric has been rising up the prospect watch. Daniel may have failed to win, but he posted 11 top 5's and 17 top 10's in 23 starts last season. Hemric finished the season 6th in points, but it could be argued he was one of the most consistent drivers all year at the truck level.

In 2017 RCR is expanding to a five car field at the Xfinity level and Daniel Hemric will be the one moving into the No. 21 full time. Every step of the way so far since making the Behind the Wall list has gone well, this one might be the best opportunity yet.


Cameron Hayley, 21 Years Old


2016 was Hayleys second season at the truck level after a successful rookie season in 2015 where he put up four top 5's and 13 top 10's. In 2016 he managed six top 5's and 10 top 10's on his was to an 11th place points finish. Before the truck series Hayley was a successful K&N driver when he came up just short to Ben Rhodes in the East Championship just one year after coming up short to Derek Thorn in the West Championship.

Hayley might just be the biggest question mark on this list as he broke news earlier this past year that he would not be coming back to ThorSports. Hayley has tons of talent but without a ride and having troubles with finding sponsorship, his 2017 plans are on hold. Hopefully something opens up at the national level so we can see his development continue.


Noah Gragson, 18 Years Old


Gragson is a 2016 NASCAR Next driver that you should start to get to know if you haven't already. You may have heard his name already but can't remember why. Most likely it is because you heard the news he was picked up to run full time in 2017 for KBM in the No. 18 truck.

Gragson made his way to KBM by posting 4 wins, 12, top 5's, and 19 top 10's in 27 K&N races (East and West) last season. Thats just one season after winning 2 races, 7 top 5's, and 11 top 10's in 13 races as a rookie in the K&N West Series. He will now get settled in with KBM for the 2017 season and really put his skills to the test. He could be next years big mover on this list depending on how well his rookie truck season goes.


Chase Briscoe, 23 Years Old


Briscoe won the 2016 ARCA championship while driving for Cunningham Motorsports last season. In 20 races, he won 6 races, with 14 top 5's, and 18 top 10s, plus six poles. Chase is one of the first drivers to benifit from Ford Racings new development program.

In 2017 Briscoe will run a full schedule in the truck series with BKR after both seats opened up on the team. He is still raw and hasn't proven anything in the top three series, but he will get a shot in 2017. If all goes well, doors under the Ford umbrella could start to open up.


Ty Majeski, 22 Years Old

Maybe its some regional bias and maybe it's too soon to list him this high, but the Wisconsin native Ty Majeski made a huge name for himself in 2016. Sure, he was already making a name for himself long before 2016, but after a season with a World Series of Asphalt Championship at New Symrna, a third straight ARCA Midwest Tour Championship, and the pole at the Snowball Derby (2015) his name is almost on fire.

To top it off, his 2016 season got him a gig as a RFR development driver even before his 3rd place finish in the 2016 Snowball Derby. So, maybe I am jumping the gun a bit compared to others expectations, but if not you will have heard his name here as well as all around the NASCAR community first.

Others to Keep an Eye on:

Spencer Davis, 18 Years Old - K&N and ARCA (Venturini Motorsports)
Harrison Burton, 16 Years Old - K&N East and part time NCWTS with KBM
Justin Haley, 18 Years Old - NCWTS in 2017 with GMS Racing 

Ben Rhodes, 20 Years Old

Brandon Jones, 19 Years Old - Xfinity with RCR

Ross Chastain, 24 Years Old - Xfinity with JD Motorsports

Corey LaJoie, 26 Years Old - Part time Cup No. 83
Gracin Raz, 20 Years Old - NCWTS with GMS Racing
Ryan Preece, 27 Years Old - Xfinity with JD Motorsports
Josh Berry, 26 Years Old - CARS Late Model
Ben Kennedy, 24 Years Old
Ross Kenseth, 22 Years Old - ARCA
Ruben Garcia Jr, 20 Years Old - K&N East
Rico Abreu, 24 Years Old

Dalton Sargeant, 19 Years Old - ARCA

Brett Moffit, 24 Years Old

Austin Theriault, 23 Years Old - ARCA

Plenty more young guns are coming. Who is your favorite? Who have I missed that you think is the next real deal? Comment below or let me know on twitter! As always, thanks for checking out Behind the Wall.

2015-16 NASCAR Next Class

The NASCAR Stars of Tomorrow

By Richard Tix

Today, NASCAR announced its latest NASCAR Next Class. These drivers make up the promise of NASCAR's future and come from many different forms of racing. These classes are always interesting because they start to spotlight some of the brightest stars you may already know, some you don't, and those you should.

If you love NASCAR it is just as important to support these young men and women as it is your favorite Cup driver. Without you and sponsor support the road to Cup will eb even harder no matter how much talent they may have. So, check out the list of future NASCAR stars below!

NASCAR Behind the Wall's Preseason 2015 Prospect Watch

Rico Abreu- 23 years old

@Rico_Abreu

• He just won this past years Chili Bowl (2015) and also had exiting news that he would be running the K&N Pro Series this season.

Cole Custer- 17 years old

@colecuster00

• I had Cole on my preseason list of Prospect Watch before 2015. At just 17 years old, he already has an impressive resume and is definitely one to watch. Cole was part of last years NASCAR Next Class.

Nicole Behar- 17 years old

@NicoleBehar33

• Already making waves in the K&N Series, Nicole finished 2nd in just her 5th start in the series. She is the only female in the 2015-16 Next Class.

Kyle Benjamin- 17 years old

@kylebenjamin71

• He might only be 17 years old, but RFR may need him to keep developing at a fast pace with the way there Cup performance has been lately. Kyle notched his first K&N win at Bristol a few weeks ago and is also the youngest driver to win in the ARCA series.

James Bickford- 17 years old

@Bickford_James

• Bickford was last season's K&N West Rookie of the Year. He had 8 top 5's and 10 top 10 finishes in 14 starts.

William Byron- 17 years old

@WilliamByron

• Right now Byron is leading the K&N Pro East standings for 2015. He won in just his second career start in the series and he is averaging a 3.3 finish position in the first three races.

Ruben Garcia Jr.- 19 years old

@rubengarcia4

• Garcia Jr is one of the only drivers to have experience as high as the XFINITY Series (3 races). He also was the 2014 runner up in NASCAR Mexico Series season championship. 

Austin Hill- 21 years old

@_AustinHill

• Hill finished up 2014 with two straight wins in the K&N East series and started 2015 out with another series win. Austin was in the NASCAR Next Class last season. 

Jesse Little- 18 years old

@jesselittle97

• Little is entering his first season in the K&N East series and did it in dramatic fashion, by winning the pole for his debut at Bristol earlier this season.

Dylan Lupton- 21 years old

@LuptonDylan

• In 2014 Dylan ended the season as the runner up Champion in the K&N West Series. Dylan is also another driver who made his XFINITY debut this season (Phoenix). 

John Hunter Nemechek- 17 years old

@JHNemechek

• John Hunter started to really make a name for himself in 2014 at Eldora where he was impressive through stretches. He also had 6 top 10 finishes in the truck series in just 10 starts.

Dalton Sargean- 17 years old

@DaltonSargeant

• Sargean will be running in both the K&N East and West Series this season.

Check out and give all these young racer's a follow on twitter and as much support as you can! These guys could be the future stars you watch and cheer for every Sunday.

2015 NASCAR Prospect Watch

Looking at Some of NASCAR's Up and Comers

By Richard Tix

The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season brought us a huge crop of rookie drivers. Guy's like Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon, Justin Allgaier, Cole Whitt, Michael Annett, and Alex Bowman all joined the Cup level. I don't expect anothe season like the Cup level had anytime soon, but NASCAR does have an interesting group of young guys looking to make there way up.

In fact, it seems like lately NASCAR has a huge group of young guns in the lower ranks which is making every level of NASCAR exciting. But, I would bet they all have the same goal. That goal is to one day be driving at the Cup level and competing just like Larson and Dillon did in 2014.

So, NASCAR Behind the Wall is going to take a quick look at a hand full of them and spotlight them for an article focusing on the future young guns of NASCAR. 

Chase Elliot, 19 Years Old

Let's be clear, most people who follow NASCAR would most likely name Chase first or second when you ask them who is an up and comer who you are excited about seeing at the Cup level. After last season he is known far and wide through NASCAR circles. He also is the first driver I will point out in this years prospect watch. 

Chase is the newest Nationwide Champion after winning 3 races, notching 16 top 5's and 27 top 10's in 2014 (33 races). 2014 was the first year Chase sat in a NASCAR national level seat for a full season (just 9 truck races in 2013). Elliott takes car of his car like his dad, Bill, did when he raced, but also for one of the first times in his career showed a bit more aggression on the track. 

IN 2015 Chase will once again run for Jr Motorsports in the XFINITY Series to try and defend his title. It is also expected to see him run a few races at the Cup level with HMS at some point. The biggest rumor is that he will be on the Cup level full time by 2016.

Erik Jones, 18 Years Old

Jones is a guy that I am excited to see develop through his career. He is just 18 years old but in 2014 made a huge mark on the NASCAR world that got people's attention. A lot of that attentioned was helped by the fact that he won the pole for the Camping World Truck race at Eldora last season (even though he finished 29th), but he was also impressive past that.

While at KBM in 2014 (Camping World Truck Series) Erik only got to run part time, but in 12 races he racked up 3 wins, 5 top 5's, and 8 top 10's, while notching an average finish of 9.2. He also ran 3 races on the Nationwide level and finished all three off in the top 10. 

In 2015 we will truely get to see what Jones can do because he will be running full time on the Camping World Trucks Series level with Kyle Busch Motorsports. Edit: Also, it was announced he will run at least 10 races at the XFINITY level with JGR and Game Stop. He is a JGR development driver worth watching next season.

Ryan Blaney, 21 Years Old

Blaney is another guy that many NASCAR fans know about and comes to mind quick when you think of guys who are about to hit the Cup level. In fact, Ryan will be running a partial Cup schedule with the Wood Brothers in 2015. Most likely Blaney will also make a handful of starts in a third Penske car at the Cup level, just like he did in 2014 (finishes of 27th and 22nd).

Blaney did run full time in the Camping World Trucks series in 2014 and finished the season 2nd after winning one race, 12 top 5's, and 17 top 10's (22 races). He has now won one race in his first three years racing at the truck level (53 races). 

He also ran 14 of 33 Nationwide races last season and finished the year with a win, 10 top 5's, 13 top 10's, and an amazing average finish of 5.8. So far in his career he has been nothing less than impressive at all levels. Blaney will continue to run for Team Penske in the XFINITY Series during the 2015 season as well as the races/series mention above.

Darrell Wallace Jr, 21 Years Old

In 2014 Wallace Jr came up just 34 points short of a Camping World Championship. He ended up finishing off last season 3rd in the points standings but did everything he could by winning the final race at Homestead. In fact, in his last 8 races he had two wins, 5 top 5's, and 7 top 10's. 

"Bubba" is a polarizing figure in NASCAR. He is a very likable guy that seems to wear his emotions right on his sleeve. In 2014 NASCAR fans got to see that a bunch every time he hit Victory Lane. That happened 4 times in 2014 while he also notched 9 top 5's and 14 top 10's in 22 races. 

The biggest news for Bubba is that he will be making the move from JGR to RFR in 2015. That move opened up a door for above prospect Erik Jones to take a full time truck ride at KBM, but it also will give Bubba a chance to run XFINITY in 2015. He has had a roller coaster start to his racing career, but he has the raw speed to compete at any level if he finds that consistency.

Ben Rhodes, 17 Years Old

2014 K&N Pro Series East Champion Ben Rhodes knows how to race. In 2014 he found his way to being a Champion by winning 5 races, 11 top 5's, 13 top 10's, 6 poles, and an average finish of 5.8 (16 races). All of this was in his rookie season after running late models for a few season's before this.

He also ran 4 races on the Camping World level in 2014 where he had 1 top 5 and 3 top 10's. Is lone finished outside the top 10 was a 22nd place finish at Dover where he was involved in a wreck. However, those four races are the only experience Rhodes has on the NASCAR national level. In 2015 Ben is scheduled to run 10 races with Jr Motorsports in the XFINITY Series.

Rhodes is still a very young and raw talent that many have not seen run much on the NASCAR national level, but he is one to keep an eye on. 

Tyler Reddick, 19 Years Old

Dispite only running part time in the Camping World Series in 2014, Tyler Riddick still finished 12 in points which was around guys who had run the full 22 races. In 2014 Riddick only ran 16 races in the truck series but finished with 3 top 5's, 9 top 10's, 2 poles, and an average finish of 10.6.

The important thing to note is how well he finished off the season. He finished with 5 straight top 10's to end the year and had 7 top 10's in his last 8 (3 of those being top 5's). 

That's a promising finish considering he will drive a full time schedule in 2015 for Brad Keselowski Racing. 

Ty Dillon, 23 Years Old

Dillon is a widely known name in the NASCAR world. Some of that is because his older brother Austin just joined the Cup level in 2014. But, Ty is no slouch of his own. Grandson of Richard Childres, Ty made his rookie campaign in 2014 on the Nationwide level. 

The previous two seasons (2013 and 2012) Ty made his mark on the Camping World Series by finishing 2nd in points in 2013 and 4th in 2013. In his truck career he has 3 wins, 18 top 5's, 33 top 10's, and 4 poles in 49 races.

In 2014 he ran all 33 races in the Nationwide Series and finished the year with 1 win (Indianapolis), 7 top 5's, and 24 top 10's. It was a solid rookie season which was faced against a bunch of Nationwide veterans, but gets overlooked because fellow rookie Chase Elliott won the title. 

Ty's career path is interesting because he may also get a fast track to the Cup level since his Grandfather owns RCR, but when will that time come? Looks like he will be driving full time in the XFINITY Series again in 2015 with a handful of races at the Cup level in the #33.

John Hunter Nemechek, 17 Years Old

In 2014 John Hunter Nemechek, son of retired NASCAR Cup driver Joe Nemechek, didn't run much on the NASCAR series, but when he did he normally impressed. The race that has helped him jump on the list of future prospects was the 2014 Snowball Derby win. 

Other than his Snowball Derby win he also ran 10 races in the Camping World Truck Series in 2014. In those 10 starts he had one top 5 and 6 top 10 finishes. He also had an average finish of 10.4 in those 10 starts last year. 

The races that sticks out to me was his run at Gateway which was his third start of the season. Nemechek led 53 laps and looked to be a favorite to win before falling off. That was an exciting run during an exciting race during the Camping World Truck Series season. He followed that up with a 6th place finish at Eldora in his 5th race of the year.

John Hunter is still a ways off from being at the Cup level, but is an interesting prospect. He doesn't have the big team support some other young drivers have been getting, so it will be key to watch where he goes in the future. He is set to run part time in the Camping World Series again in 2015.

Chris Buescher, 22 Years Old

2012 ARCA Series Champion Chris Buecher made his rookie Nationwide appearance in 2014. Most of his career before that was made on the ARCA level finished 2nd and then 1st in the standings back to back seasons.

In 2014 Chris finished 7th in the Nationwide points while racking up 1 win, 5 top 5's, and 14 top 10's all while missing the first race of the season at Daytona. 

After his win at Mid-Ohio things seemed to get more consistent for Buecher. Over the last 12 races he had an average finish position of 10.08 with 7 top 10's. In 2015 the key maybe looking at how he takes that end of year consistency and turns it into a full season long campaign. 

Right now he is part of a growing young crop of drivers in the RFR development program. He will be towards the top of there list going forward after showing how well he can take care of his equipment on the track. 

Cole Custer, 16 Years Old

When is it too far to dig for a future prospect in NASCAR? Well, it sure must be deeper than Cole Custer because he looks like he might be ready to make a splash on the National level.

In 2014 Cole Custer beat out Dylan Kwaniewski's record of the youngest driver to win on the K&N Pro Series level by 6 months, Cole was 15. This season Cole became the youngest driver to win on the NASCAR national level when he won in the truck series at NHMS at the age of 16, 7 months, and 28 days.

Not a bad way to start your career, huh? Cole is part of the SHR Development team and ran 9 races in the Camping World Truck Series in 2014. In those 9 races he had 1 win, 2 top 5's, 6 top 10's, 2 poles, and an average finish of 10. On a side note: Cole races 3 K&N Pro Series Races in 2014 (West) and had 1 win, 2 top 5's and 2 top 10's. 

In 2015 it was just announced recently that Cole will run at least 10  Camping World Truck races for new truck team Jr Motorsports. Haas Automation will still sponsor the #00 truck that Cole drove in 2014. Jr Motorsports also said they will try and help field a car for him in the K&N Pro Series and ARCA series. So, it doesn't sound like he will be full time in a national series but when he does watch out because he may take a huge jump in production.

Brett Moffit, 22 Years Old

Moffit maybe a name some NASCAR fans know well, by now. In 2014 Brett ran 7 races for Michael Waltrip Racing in a jump that shocked a lot of fans. That's because other than 1 start in Nationwide (2012) and two starts in the trucks series (2013) Moffit primarily ran the K&N Pro Series.

Its a big jump straight from K&N to Cup, but MWR made that jump a few times in 2014. It all started at Dover and Moffit answered by finishing a respectable 22nd and only finishing 4 laps down. He struggled most of the rest of the way, but he did gain some valuable seat time in a Cup car, which even some of the guys above have never done.

His next best finish the rest of the way was 34th twice at Michigan and Atlanta. Its tough to put a finger on Moffit since he doesn't have much experience on the NASCAR national level. 

Obviously he still has shown he can win. In the K&N Series he posted 9 wins, 33 top 5's, 44 top 10's, and 10 poles during his 61 race, 5 year career. In all five seasons he finished 3rd or better in the standings (2nd twice and 3rd three times). Also, it must be noted that even though its hard for some of us on the outside to see his potential, MWR must have saw something if they gave Brett the seat time over someone else they could find.

It will be interesting to see where he ends up in 2015 and how many more starts he will make for MWR.

Ben Kennedy, 22 Years Old

2014 was Ben Kennedy's first season as a full time Camping World Series driver. In his rookie season Ben ran all 22 races and finished 9th in the points. Kennedy actually won the 2014 Camping World Series Rookie of the Year honor after tying Tyler Reddick in the rookies standings (Reddick seen above). Ben Kennedy won the ROY honor because he was higher in the truck regular standings (9th).

So Kennedy started his truck career off on the right foot, but if Tyler had run an entire season it might be a different story. But, not to take away from Ben he still finished the year off with 1 top 5, 7 top 10's, and an average finish of 13.3.

Just on season after winning rookie of the year, 2015 will be a big season to see where his career may go. He has a chance to make a real jump in 2015, but he could also be left standing still.

Others to Keep and Eye On:

• Dylan Kwasniewski, 19 Years Old. XFINITY Series in 2015. Chip Ganassi Racing
• Jeb Burton, 21 Years Old. Camping World Truck Series in 2015.
• Daniel Suarex, 22 Years Old. XFINITY Series in 2015. JGR Some trucks for KBM.
• Ross Kenseth, 21 Years Old. ARCA.
• Corey LaJoie, 22 Years Old. If he ever gets a full time ride.
• James Buescher, 24 Years Old. XFINITY Series in 2015. 
• Dakoda Armstrong, 22 Years Old. XFINITY Series in 2015. RPM
• Brandon Jones, 17 Years Old. Races K&N Pro Series in 2014. Part time XFINITY for RCR in 2015
• Mason Mitchell, 20 Years Old. ARCA Champion in 2014.
• Austin Hill, 20 Years Old. K&N Pro Series East in 2014. NASCAR Next 2014 Class.
• Cameron Hayley, 18 Years Old. K&N Pro Series East in 2014. 2nd in points behind B Rhodes.

Well, there you have it your 2015 NASCAR Prospect Watch from NASCAR Behind the Wall. Some of the names on this list may end up rising to stardom in the NASCAR world while others fall off and won't even make next years list of prospects. One thing is for sure is that they all have young careers and it will be fun to watch them pan out. 

This list should give you a good starting point to check these guys out and get to know the future of NASCAR. So, who do you think will break out? What guy not named on here will start to make a name for himself in 2015 and make the list next year?