5 Xfinity stars feat. Jesse Love who can potentially land a Team Penske seat in the NASCAR Cup Series

The 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series is seeing huge competition among drivers, and multiple names have come to the forefront as considerations for the Cup Series seat. Drivers like Jesse Love, Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer, Sheldon Creed, and Connor Zilisch are a few names to start with.

Zilisch is expected to sign with Trackhouse Racing after Justin Marks' team did not offer Daniel Suarez a contract extension last month. Besides him, multiple names can make their full-time debut in the series and drive for teams such as Roger Penske's Team Penske.

In this article, we have assembled five such NASCAR drivers who could have a breakthrough next season:

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#5 Taylor Gray

Taylor Gray, Joe Gibbs Racing's Xfinity Series driver, impressed the critics with his performance coming into this season. He is ranked 12th in the drivers' championship with 456 points after 18 races, and given his performance, he is likely to land a seat in the Cup Series.

Xfinity Series driver Taylor Gray (54) drives during the NASCAR Xfinity race at Texas Motor Speedway - Source: Imagn

Although he has yet to win a race, he has the potential to win many this season. He has picked up two poles, five top-fives, eight top-10s, and led 136 laps. His average start position has been 9.5, but his average finish position has been comparatively inferior, 16.778.

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#4 Nicholas Sanchez

This season, Nicholas Sanchez can be regarded as a dark horse in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. With a win at Atlanta, the Big Machine Racing driver picked him up to ninth place in the drivers' championship with 474 points after 18 races.

Xfinity Series driver Nicholas Sanchez (48) drives during the NASCAR Xfinity race at Texas Motor Speedway - Source: Imagn

In addition, he amassed four top-fives and seven top-10s, has 11.222 an average start position, and 17 an average finish position. Given his brilliant performances, he is sure to look elsewhere as he drives for a team that doesn't have a Cup Series connection.

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#3 Sammy Smith

Sammy Smith is competing in his third year in the Xfinity Series. Even though he did not achieve outstanding results, he has been thoroughly consistent, which can be a factor for his Cup Series entry. He picked up three wins in three seasons so far, averaging a win, and qualified for the playoffs.

Xfinity Series driver Sammy Smith (8) drives during the NASCAR Xfinity race at Texas Motor Speedway - Source: Imagn

In 2025, Smith won at Rockingham and is 11th in the drivers' championship with 459 points. After 18 races, Smith, who races for JR Motorsports, has three top-fives, nine top-10s, and a pole position.

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#2 Carson Kvapil

Carson Kvapil, another JR Motorsports Xfinity Series NASCAR driver, has his eyes set on the Cup Series. However, the team he races for does not have a full-time Cup seat, and on top of that, has teammates who could also be his Cup Series competitors when it comes to his debut full-time.

Xfinity Series driver Carson Kvapil (1) during practice for The Loop 110 at Chicago Street Race - Source: Imagn

Despite that, given his consistency, he remains one of the leading names to land a NASCAR Cup seat. He is ranked sixth in the drivers' standings with 511 points after 18 races, with four top-fives and seven top-10s.

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#1 Jesse Love

Jesse Love is regarded as one of the most promising talents in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Experts think he is already Cup-ready and races for a team with a NASCAR Cup Series connection.

Xfinity Series driver Jesse Love (2) during practice for The Loop 110 at Chicago Street Race - Source: Imagn

He is ranked fourth in the drivers' championship with 581 points after 18 races. With a victory at the inaugural race at Daytona, he also has four top-fives, 12 top-10s, and two poles to his name, with 8.889 as his average start position and 10.778 as his average finish position.