Best of The Rest (8/3/2024): Current Standings

While the usual suspects and headliners maintain their spots at the top of their respective series, who is quietly flying under the radar in 2024?

NASCAR Cup Series (22 races):

1. Chase Briscoe (#14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford): Currently sitting a decent 16th in the standings after a dismal 30th place final ranking last season, Briscoe and his #14 SHR Ford team have improved vastly. Running on the strength of two Top 5’s and six Top 10 finishes, the team sits 14 positions higher than all of 2023. Briscoe’s best finish thus far is an impressive runner up finish in New Hampshire.
2. Josh Berry (#4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford): Hand-picked as the replacement for Kevin Harvick in SHR’s #4 Ford, Berry has entered his first full-time Cup Series run this season. While the team had a slow start, Berry and veteran crew chief Rodney Childers now sit 22nd in the standings, scoring two Top 5’s and four Top 10 finishes. The top result for Berry after 22 races, is a 3rd behind teammate Briscoe in New Hampshire.

   

3. Todd Gilliland (#38 Front Row Motorsports Ford): After somewhat of a long season in 2023, Gilliland is quietly having a career season. While Gilliland and his #38 crew have scored four Top finishes, it is not entirely indicative of the team’s performance. Running closer to the front in recent weeks, Gilliland already sits higher (19th) than he has finished in two full seasons previously. The streets of Chicago have yielded the best result so far, coming home 7th.

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NASCAR Xfinity Series (20 races):

1. Ryan Sieg (#39 RSS Racing Ford): Running a family-owned team in the current NASCAR climate has never been easy. Sieg and his #39 Ford Mustang have flourished in 2024, as Sieg sits 10th in the standings after 20 starts. Sieg’s best result has been a second in Texas, after his first career win just barely slipped from his grasp.
2. Anthony Alfredo (#5 Our Motorsports Chevrolet): Alfredo and owner Chris Our have put together a quietly solid season this year. After 20 starts for the single-car operation, the new owner/driver duo have worked their way into the Top 15. Scoring his best Xfinity finish in two years, Alfredo wheeled the #5 Camaro to a third place finish in Talladega.

    Alfredo has also made two Cup Series starts in the Beard Motorsports #62 Chevrolet, finishing 27th in the Daytona 500 and 6th in Talladega.

1. Leland Honeyman (#42 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet): Both rookie Honeyman and Truck Series team Young’s Motorsports made the leap to Xfinity this season. While many did not expect much, the duo has virtually maintained a Top 20 (20th) ranking a good portion of the season.  Honeyman marched his No. 42 entry to fourth place in Talladega.

   

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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (15 races):

1. Grant Enfinger (#9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet): After GMS Racing shuttered their Truck program in the off season, Enfinger rejoined Codie Rohrbaugh and his CR7 Motorsports in 2024. Bringing long-time sponsor Champion Power Equipment with him, the driver/team duo is having a career year, sitting 7th in points and nearly winning multiple times this season. Enfinger has currently collected four Top 5’s and seven Top 10’s in 15 races run so far.
2. Chase Purdy (#77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet): Purdy joined Spire Motorsports’ three-truck program in 2024 after Spire acquired the assets of Kyle Busch Motorsports. Now running a re-branded #77 Chevrolet, Purdy is quietly sitting 14th currently. Purdy’s results include a strong 3rd place in Martinsville, along with four Top 10 finishes.
3. Kaden Honeycutt (#45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet): Signed to run a partial schedule in Niece Motorsports’ flagship No. 45 team, Honeycutt has been able to showcase his talent in only six starts so far. These results include a 6th-place finish in Atlanta, and a fourth in Kansas. Honeycutt currently sits 24th in points despite the limited starts.