Top 5 active NASCAR drivers in North Carolina

North Carolina is a hotbed of NASCAR talent, and that remains true today for all three major series. We’ve already broken down the top five drivers in NASCAR history from North Carolina. So let’s answer the question: Who are the five most active NASCAR drivers in North Carolina right now?

The number of Tar Heels who have raced in one of NASCAR’s top three classes is staggering. is. The list includes more than 560 of his names, making California the most drivers in history and producing two of his three winningest drivers of all time.

Top 5 Active NASCAR Drivers in North Carolina

Coastal states like the West and California are starting to produce far more drivers than when the sport began. However, North Carolina still has a strong presence in the Cup Series. So let’s take a look at the top five active North Carolina NASCAR drivers in the Cup Series.

5. Corey LaJoie

• Born: Concord, North Carolina
• Career: 2014 – Current

Corey LaJoie, who has spent his whole career driving for underfunded or self-sponsored teams, has long been regarded as an untapped talent. Including a driver who has not won a race in any of the top three NASCAR categories may come as a surprise. However, Lajoie never took part in more than ten Xfinity or truck races. Additionally, he has only recently joined a race team capable of regularly fielding a car that is reasonably competitive. Corey is currently ranked among the Top 5 Active North Carolina NASCAR Drivers, though a few up-and-coming names from the Tar Heel state could remove him from this list in the near future.

4. Austin Dillon

• Born: Lewisville, North Carolina
• Career: 2011 – Current

Austin was supposed to be a driver in the NASCAR, and he achieved this as the grandson of Richard Childress. Between the Truck and Xfinity Series, he has 16 total victories. Even though Dillon has only received a checkered flag four times in the Cup Series, he has frequently challenged for top-10 finishes and has been a strong contender for the playoffs. Prior to the 2024 season, he was also the only current driver in North Carolina NASCAR who won victory in the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in stock car racing.

3. Ty Gibbs

• Born: Charlotte, North Carolina
• Career: 2022 – Current

Given that this is only his second full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, He might take a beating for this one. But Ty Gibbs’s skills were nearly too good for the other competitors at the lower levels, which put him on a fast track to stardom.

Since Gibbs is the grandson of legendary NFL coach Joe Gibbs and owner of a NASCAR team, a career in NASCAR looked inevitable. However, after winning 11 of his first 51 Xfinity series events and 18 of just 47 ARCA Menards races, he has more than earned a spot among the greatest in stock car racing.

In 2022, Ty switched to the Cup Series, which ran on a shortened schedule. In 2023, he easily won Rookie of the Year after scoring FOUR top-5 and TEN top-10 finishes. Without any question, he is a great racer who will soon be winning races and exceeding Corey LaJoie and Austin Dillon’s totals.

2. William Byron

• Born: Charlotte, North Carolina
• Career: 2018 – Present

Byron’s roots are different from other drivers on this list as he does not come from a family with a history in the sport. If you watched the Netflix show NASCAR: Full Speed, you know that he first started racing in his iRacing simulator. Regardless of his background, Willie B, as he is known, has been extremely successful on every level throughout his career. has achieved success.

During his first and only full Truck Series season in 2016, Byron finished in the top five 11 times and won seven races. The following year, William raced in Xfinity as a rookie in his series, finishing in the top 10 in 22 of 33 races, of which he won 4 races en route to his series championship. Needless to say, this led to his call-up to the 2018 Cup Series, and success followed, although it took a little longer than that level.

Bryon is coming off a 2023 year in which he posted 15 top-five finishes and led the Cup Series with six wins. Although he did not achieve his ultimate goal of winning the championship, the rising star in the No. 24 HMS car looks set to fulfill his potential and establish himself as one of the best in the sport.

1. Blaney Ryan

• Born: High Point, North Carolina
• Career: 2014 – Current

Ryan Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series Champion, completes the list of the Top 5 Active North Carolina NASCAR drivers. Ryan hails from a family with strong ties to NASCAR, just like many other racers in the sport. During his 17-year tenure in the top NASCAR division, his father Dave Blaney frequently had his son Ryan at his side at the track.

Not to discount Dave’s achievements in the sport, Ryan quickly surpassed his father’s success and is now considered one of the best players in the sport. Since his rookie year in 2017, Blaney has won at least one race in all but one of his seven seasons. He made it to the round of 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs each year.

After several years of disappointing playoff results, many wondered if the No. 12 jersey would emerge as one of the best in NASCAR. He has now answered this question and silenced the doubters. Blaney’s biggest accomplishment to date, and the reason he is the top active NASCAR driver in North Carolina, is winning the Cup Series championship, which he won last season.