“Gut says ROTY will be…” - NASCAR Influencer reveals his top pick for the Rookie honors in the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity season

NASCAR YouTuber Eric Estepp has shared his prediction for the 2025 Rookie of the Year award. He chose Connor Zilisch as his first pick but mentioned Carson Kvapil, William Sawalich, and Christian Eckes as strong contenders.

This season, eight drivers will compete for the Rookie honors in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

18-year-old Zilisch, who won his first Xfinity race at Watkins Glen last year, will join JR Motorsports in the No. 88 car. Zilisch's teammate Carson Kvapil, 21, won two late model championships and finished second at Dover in Xfinity last season.

Meanwhile, William Sawalich, also 18, dominated the ARCA Menards Series with 13 wins and two championships. He will race for Joe Gibbs Racing. Kaulig Racing's Christian Eckes, 24, finished third in the Truck Series standings last year.

Taking it to X, Estepp wrote:

"Gut says ROTY will be Connor Zilisch.... but Kvapil is also really good, and Sawalich will be in a great car. Eckes will be dangerous IF Kaulig can find their stride".

Zilisch will also make his Cup Series debut with Trackhouse racing this year with sponsorship from Red Bull.

Other Xfinity rookie contenders include Taylor Gray (No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing), Daniel Dye (No. 10 Kaulig Racing), Nick Sanchez (No. 48 Big Machine Racing), and Dean Thompson (No. 26 Sam Hunt Racing).

The ROTY award is based on a points system similar to the season championship. Drivers earn points based on race results, stage wins, and playoff performance and the driver with the most points wins the award.

---

Hendrick Motorsports and Kasey Kahne return to NASCAR Xfinity Series

Hendrick Motorsports will return the No. 17 car for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team ran 10 Xfinity Series races last season with primary sponsorship from HendrickCars.com and won two races, including Kyle Larson’s win at Circuit of the Americas

The team’s vice president, Chad Knaus said during an episode of SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that the first race will be on March 8 at Phoenix Raceway.

Moreover, former Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne will also return to NASCAR after even years this season. The 44-year-old will drive the No. 33 car for Richard Childress Racing in the Xfinity Series race at Rockingham Speedway on April 19. This will be his first race since 2018. The series will race at Rockingham for the first time since 2004.

The first points race for the year, United Rentals 300 will be held at the 300-mile-long (483 km) Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 15. Xfinity will have 29 full-time drivers in 2025.