Sammy Smith pulled off a final-lap pass to win the NASCAR Progress Group 250 on Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway. The win gave Smith a rare sweep of the Craftsman Truck Series race and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race this weekend at the iconic track.
But Smith isn’t eve considered among the top prospects for a NASCAR Cup Series seat next year. Who were the top drivers to watch in the race — the prospects who have the best shot at moving up to a coveted NASCAR Cup Series seat in 2027?
Jesse Love, Austin Hill and Corey Day are the names that stand out in today’s Progress Group 250 at Talladega, the O’Reilly Series stars most likely to race in the Cup Series next year. Love, Hill and Day all have Cup Series plans in the works for next year.
Love and Hill are set to move up to full-time Cup rides. Day gets a part-time schedule. Carson Kvapil, who stays in the O’Reilly Series next year, rounds out the roster of top NASCAR Cup prospects.
Jesse Love Headed to Full-Time Cup Ride
Love, a 21-year-old from Menlo Park, California, takes over the No. 21 Ford at Wood Brothers Racing in 2027, replacing Josh Berry. Wood Brothers announced the move June 17, according to NASCAR.com. The team works in a technical alliance with Team Penske.
His résumé is growing fast. Love won 10 of 20 ARCA races in his 2023 title season, according to Yahoo Sports. He then took O’Reilly Series rookie honors in 2024 and the series championship in 2025 with Richard Childress Racing, and he has already made seven Cup starts.
Love arrives at Talladega on top of his game. He swept the stages and won at Phoenix last weekend, which put him 36 points ahead of Justin Allgaier in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase standings. Today he claimed his fifth consecutive Talladega pole, according to SpeedwayMedia.com, the first O’Reilly driver to string together a streak of five at one track. He won the spring 2024 race here.
Austin Hill Moving Up to Cup Competition
Hill, a Georgia native, drives the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in Cup next season. RCR confirmed his full 2027 Cup season in August, and he has run that car in Cup since the Coca-Cola 600 while competing full time in the O’Reilly Series. United Rentals will sponsor multiple races on his 2027 schedule.
Hill won eight Truck Series races before moving to the O’Reilly Series, where he took the 2023 regular-season title and reached the Championship 4. Superspeedways are his specialty. He swept both Talladega races in 2025, and in the fall race won both stages and led 48 laps. He survived fuel concerns and an overtime finish to take the victory, according to Motorsport.com. He starts fifth today.
Corey Day and Carson Kvapil Round Out the Cup Watch List
Day, 20, comes from Clovis, California, and built his name in dirt sprint cars, following his father, Ronnie Day, into the sport. His long-term Hendrick Motorsports extension includes a handful of 2027 Cup starts, according to NASCAR.com. Hendrick president Jeff Andrews said those races will come in a Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. Day returns to the No. 17 O’Reilly Series car full time.
In his first full O’Reilly season, Day won at Talladega in April and Dover in May. He qualified inside the top 10 today, but an engine change sends him to the back of the field. Talladega rewards patience, and he has already won here once.
Carson Kvapil starts fourth for JR Motorsports. His 2027 plan keeps him in the O’Reilly Series, moving from the No. 1 to the No. 8, according to Toby Christie. That makes him a longer-term Cup candidate, not a likely 2027 mover.
In today’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race, Hill is the betting favorite at +400, followed by Love at +500 and Kvapil at +1000, according to DraftKings Sportsbook odds listed by RotoWire. The last 14 Talladega winners in the ORAP series have driven Chevrolets, and six of the last seven winners started inside the top 10.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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