We are nearing the end of the regular season in the NASCAR Cup Series, with the week off after the Brickyard 400 offering a breather before the final four points races ahead of The Chase. It is the perfect time to dive into some NASCAR stats to highlight drivers who have made huge strides in 2026.
Ahead of next weekend’s race at Iowa Speedway, let us highlight four of the most-improved NASCAR drivers this season. Ordinarily, we’d highlight Shane van Gisbergen’s remarkable improvement on ovals and Carson Hocevar’s emergence as a star in the Cup Series. For this exercise, however, we’re going to focus on four others.
Daniel Suarez, Spire Motorsports
Let’s remember where things stood in Daniel Suarez‘s career back in September. He was dumped by Trackhouse Racing and there were legitimate questions regarding whether Suarez would have to spend his age-34 season racing full-time in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Fortunately, an opportunity to drive the No. 7 car with Spire Motorsports came through. It may have changed the course of his career.
- Daniel Suarez stats 2025: 611 Points (29th), two top-5s, 7 top-10s, 35 laps led, 23.53 average starting position, 20.89 average finishing position
- Daniel Suarez stats 2026: 558 Points (11th), 1 win, two top-5s, six top-10s, 39 laps led, 12.43 average starting position, 14.62 average finishing position
Suarez won the Coca-Cola 600 and while it was a result decided by the rain, he also has a career-best average starting position and average finishing position right now. The driver of the No. 7 car is on pace for his highest laps led total and top-10 finishes since 2024, greatly outpacing what Justin Haley did with the same team a year ago. At the same time, Trackhouse seems to be wasting its talented three-driver lineup and might even be in danger of losing all of them after next season.
Read More: NASCAR Predictions for Final Four Regular-Season Races
Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club
23XI Racing has made the biggest leap of NASCAR Cup Series teams, firmly establishing itself in 2026 in that Tier 1 with Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske. Another program that has made strides is the Legacy Motor Club, particularly 30-year-old driver Erik Jones.
- Erik Jones stats 2025: 665 Points (24th), four top-5s, five top-10s, 11 laps led, 22.03 average starting position, 20.17 average finishing position
- Erik Jones stats 2026: 474 Points (18th), two top-5s, five top-10s, 17 laps led, 20.9 average starting position, 17.4 average finishing position through 22 races
Jones has shown flashes of excellence before; it is why he once had a full-time ride with JGR in the No. 20 car. This also is not a career-best season for him, given he won in 2022 with 13 top-10s and 147 laps led, but his average finishing position this year with Legacy rivals that, and his numbers have greatly improved compared to his 2025 season. With more financial resources coming to Legacy in 2027, there is certainly reason to think Jones could get better next year.
Riley Herbst, 23XI Racing
23XI Racing needed money in 2025 amid its expensive lawsuit against NASCAR. Once it was settled, given Riley Herbst‘s disastrous results in his first full-time season in the Cup Series, some fans might have wondered if he would be replaced with Corey Heim. Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan stayed the course, showing faith in Herbst’s potential, and it has paid off in 2026.
- Riley Herbst 2025 stats: 399 Points (35th), 0 top-fives, 0 top-10s, 8 top-20s, 2 laps led, 26.97 average starting position, 26.39 average finishing posiiton
- Riley Herbst 2026 stats: 370 Points (25th), 0 top-5s, 3 top-10s, 10 top-20s, 5 laps led, 21.9 average starting position, 21.6 average finishing position
Herbst pushed teammate Tyler Reddick to a win in the Daytona 500, delivering 23XI Racing another crown-jewel victory. He has also been praised heavily by Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Corey Heim for what he does behind the scenes to help as a teammate. Between that paired with his family’s relationship with Monster Energy, you can easily see why a smaller Cup team might bring him in for 2027. What is going to make that ride deserved, likely with Legacy, is the genuine improvements he has made behind the wheel this year.
Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing
The nepotism label has rightfully followed Ty Gibbs throughout his Cup Series career with Joe Gibbs Racing. Once one of the top prospects in the sport, he could not deliver JGR a single win in his first three full seasons at the Cup level. There were signs of improvement from the young driver, but it never quite came together until now.
- Ty Gibbs stats 2025: 783 Points (19th), five top-5s, 10 top-10s, 19 top-20s, 304 laps led, 13.6 average starting position, 17.9 average finishing position
- Ty Gibbs stats 2026: 751 Points (4th), 1 win, nine top-5s, 14 top-10s, 17 top-20s, 258 laps led, 1 pole, 9.2 average starting position, 12.0 average finishing position
Gibbs has been the second-best driver at JGR this season, and he finally won his first Cup Series race. On top of that, he became the fourth driver to clinch a spot in The Chase, and he is in a much better spot than two of his teammates (Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell) to bring home a championship for JGR. Gibbs is finally putting it all together this season, and when Denny Hamlin retires, there is now a real likelihood of Gibbs and Bell being the two drivers who deliver the best results for JGR.
More must-reads:
- Has Joe Gibbs Racing’s Case Against Chris Gabehart Just Gotten Weaker? Latest Court Filing Explained
- Denny Hamlin Adds Fuel to Carson Hocevar-Corey Heim Rivalry with Jabs at Fan Favorite on ‘Actions Detrimental’
- NASCAR Rumors: Early Buzz on Corey Day’s Cup Series Future Amid Hendrick Motorsports’ Connor Zilisch Interest
