Who are the youngest and oldest NASCAR Cup Series drivers in 2023?

NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and the biggest racing competition across the United States.

It’s an interesting motorsport, as people of all ages compete in various races from different parts of the country. Winning a Cup Series race requires a level of maturity and skill that only a few young drivers possess.

According to Speedway Digest, the governing body announced last year that 15 will be the minimum age for drivers to compete in its regional touring series. In major races, anyone as young as 16 (that is, after all, the legal driving age) can compete in Truck Series, but only on tracks 1.25 miles or less in length and on road courses.

However, they will have to wait until the age of 18 to compete full-time in NASCAR’s top three national series – Cup, Xfinity, and Truck.

The youngest driver competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series 2023 is Ty Gibbs, who is 20 years old. 47-year-old Kevin Harvick is the oldest Cup Series driver this season.

Ty Gibbs is the grandson of Joe Gibbs, who won the 2022 Xfinity Series championship in dominating fashion with seven wins, including the season finale victory at the Phoenix Raceway. Due to his impressive performance in the Xfinity Series, he was promoted to the Cup Series in 2023.

The North-Carolina-born driver came into the limelight in the 2020 ARCA Menards Series season when he won a series-leading six wins in just 16 starts. He clinched the ARCA Menards Series championship in 2021 with the help of 10 wins.

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Kevin Harvick is retiring from the NASCAR Cup Series after the end of the 2023 season

2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick is one of the most accomplished and oldest active full-time drivers at the Cup level this season. The 2023 season will mark Harvick's 23rd and final season as a full-time Cup driver, as he has announced that he will retire at the end of the season.

Harvick began his Cup Series career in 2001 at the Rockingham Speedway with Richard Childress Racing. He won two races that season and earned Rookie of the Year honors.

After spending 13 years with Richard Childress Racing, Harvick joined Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014. He won his maiden Cup championship in his first season with the team, which is co-owned by good friend Tony Stewart.

In a 22-year Cup career, Harvick has 60 wins including victories in the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500.