The 6 Best Stock Car Drivers Not in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2015

There are several drivers who belong in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series but aren’t there for one reason or other. Typically, it’s either opportunity or sponsorship—or lack thereof—that keeps them in NASCAR’s lower-ranked series, namely the Xfinity (formerly Nationwide) and Camping World Truck Series.

The drivers we’ve chosen for this exercise are all Cup-worthy and have either already been in NASCAR’s big show or are looking to get back there once again.

Sure, some may have carved out a successful niche in either of NASCAR’s smaller series and don’t mind being there. But I can guarantee that most, if not all of them, would love to be in the position of a guy like Sam Hornish Jr., who toiled for so long in the Nationwide Series before getting his chance to get back to the Cup ranks in 2015 with Richard Petty Motorsports, replacing Marcos Ambrose.

So here are the six drivers that we’d love to see in the Cup Series.

And, who knows, we just may very well see them in 2016.

One other thing: One driver conspicuous by his absence in this list is defending Nationwide Series champion Chase Elliott. While many believe Elliott is ready to follow his Hall of Fame father, Bill, into the Cup Series right now, we think one more season in NASCAR’s junior league would be best for his development. No need to rush him. He’s going to have a long and successful Cup career in due time.

Elliott Sadler

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Even though he’s spent the last four seasons full time in the Nationwide Series, Elliott Sadler to many is and always will be a Sprint Cup driver.

Sadler has 435 career Cup starts, with three wins, 19 top-fives and 69 top-10 finishes. That’s compared to 263 Nationwide Series starts, with 10 wins, 62 top-fives and 131 top-10 showings.

And let’s not forget that in his last four NNS seasons, he has been a consistent challenger for the championship, having finished second in both 2011 and 2012, fourth in 2013 and third in 2014.

Clearly, Sadler, who turns 40 in 2015, belongs back in the Cup Series. But at the same time, when opportunities or sponsorship dried up, he made the wise move to continue racing in the Nationwide circuit, with five of his 10 career wins there coming in two of the last three seasons.

If there’s anybody who should be called back to the Cup Series in the future, it’s Sadler.

Regan Smith

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If there’s anyone who can understand why Sadler chose to continue racing in the Nationwide Series once his Sprint Cup ride went away, it’s Regan Smith.

Smith had a decent time in the Cup Series, starting 172 races but earning just one win, three top-five and 11 top-10 finishes.

But in hindsight, he has really blossomed back in the Nationwide Series. Part of the reason is his talent; the other part is he’s driving for one of the best and most high-profile teams in the series, the Dale Earnhardt Jr. co-owned JR Motorsports.

Even though he hadn’t raced in the NNS for nearly five years, Smith won his first race back in that series in 2012 (and his only race in the NNS that season) and has been very successful since then, with four total wins, 16 top-five and 46 top-10 finishes since then.

What’s more, he’s come ever so close to winning the championship both seasons, finishing third in 2013 and second in 2014.

At just 31 years old, Smith is a likely candidate to return to the Cup Series. In fact, if JR Motorsports ever decides to upgrade and move up to the Cup ranks, Smith would be a perfect candidate to make the jump back up.

Brendan Gaughan

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Brendan Gaughan has carved out a nice little niche for himself in the Xfinity Series—and before that the Camping World Truck Series.

Gaughan had just one full season in the Sprint Cup ranks, finishing 28th in 2004. All told, he’s made 42 career Cup starts with zero wins, just one top-five and four top-10 finishes.

But it’s a whole different story in NASCAR’s two other series for the Las Vegas native.

First, in the Truck Series, Gaughan has made 217 starts and was quite successful, earning eight wins, 47 top-fives and 80 top-10 finishes.

When he had a chance to move full time to the Nationwide Series in 2014 under the Richard Childress Racing banner, Gaughan took it—and it proved to be a very wise decision. He finally earned his first two career NNS wins in 2014 driving for the RCR stable. He also had seven top-10 finishes and finished eighth in the overall season standings.

He had some struggles in the latter third of the 2014 season (including 28th at Dover and 29th in the season finale at Homestead) that likely kept him from finishing the year with a top-five ranking. Still, Gaughan is the kind of driver who will take the momentum and success he had in 2014 and build upon that for an even better season in 2015.

Matt Crafton

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When you find your right place in the racing world, it’s sometimes hard to picture yourself somewhere else.

That’s kind of the situation Matt Crafton finds himself in. Becoming the first driver to win back-to-back championships in Camping World Truck Series history in 2013 and 2014, Crafton has definitely found his niche in the world of NASCAR.

In 338 career CWTS starts, he has five wins, 76 top-fives and an outstanding 192 top-10 finishes. That means he’s finished in the top 10 more than half of his career starts in the series.

Interestingly, Crafton has never appeared in a Sprint Cup race in his 15-year NASCAR career. He did attempt to race in this past season’s Brickyard 400, but he failed to qualify for what would have been his first career Cup start.

Since Crafton's 38 years old, it’s increasingly unlikely we’ll ever see him as a full-time competitor in the Sprint Cup Series. After all, would you rather dominate in the series that you’ve done so much in or chase the unknown in a series you’ve never been in before now?

Johnny Sauter

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Johnny Sauter is another driver who's tried his hand at both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, with mixed success. In 84 career Sprint Cup starts, the Wisconsin native has just one top-five and three top-10 finishes.

In the Nationwide Series, Sauter has 205 career starts with three wins, 21 top-fives and 49 top-10 finishes.

But it’s been in the Camping World Truck Series that Sauter has found the best success of his NASCAR racing career. In 11 seasons, he has made 152 Truck race starts, earning 10 wins, 56 top-fives and 86 top-10 finishes.

In addition, in his six full-time seasons in the Truck Series, Sauter has finished very respectably in the final season standings: sixth, third, second, ninth and fourth each of the last two seasons.

While we’d love to see Sauter in the Cup Series, it’s pretty clear he’s found his niche and will likely remain a lifer in the Truck Series until he retires.

Ron Hornaday Jr.

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At the age of 56 and a grandfather, Ron Hornaday Jr. will not likely be back in the Sprint Cup Series. Still, if he's given the chance and the opportunity, we’d love to see if the four-time Truck Series champion could hold his own against some of today’s Cup stars.

Of course, Hornaday has not driven in a Cup race since 2003 and has only 45 starts in that series to his credit, with just one top-10 finish. He’s had some success in the Nationwide Series, with four wins, 32 top-five and 70 top-10 finishes in 184 starts.

But in the Truck Series, Hornaday has been one of that series’ most dominating forces. He’s won nearly one-sixth (51) of his 360 career starts in the Truck Series, along with 158 top-five and 234 top-10 finishes.

Unfortunately, Hornaday managed just 16 starts in 2014 when team owner Steve Turner shut down Hornaday’s No. 30 team after the 13th race of the season. He managed three one-off starts for Bob Newberry late in the season.

While it’s uncertain what the future holds for Hornaday, we think he still has a few more wins left in him. And oh, how we’d love to see him back in a Sprint Cup car once again, even if it was just for a race or two.

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