Started in the 2004 season, NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program aims to attract minorities and females, primarily to driver roles in the world’s largest sanctioned stock car series. In addition to driving, the program is meant to attract suppliers, crew, owners, and support roles on top of attracting a diverse audience.
Most fans only recognize the driver role, and a certain group of “fans” even question the amount of talent from the program. Well, the program has resulted in numerous wins throughout the three main touring series, as well as championships.
We have compiled a list of the most successful drivers produced through the program and the statistics they all bring to the sport.
Just the drivers mentioned in this list have produced 63 National Touring Series wins and a pair of touring series titles, including a Cup Series Championship in 2021. Those numbers come down to 13 Craftsman Truck Series victories, 18 Xfinity Series victories, and 33 Cup Series victories. They also include the 2016 Xfinity Series championship and the 2021 Cup Series title.
Header Image: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
The Drivers
1. Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson is by far the most successful driver to have come from the program. Three Craftsman Truck Series wins, 15 Xfinity Series wins, and 29 Cup Series wins so far in his career. Larson joined the program in 2012, getting his start in the K&N Pro Series East with Rev Racing, where he won twice in the hunt for his 2012 title in the series.
2. Daniel Suarez
Suarez joined the program in 2013 in the NASCAR Toyota Series, scoring three wins and coming second in points. Since then, Suarez has netted a single Craftsman Truck Series victory, three Xfinity Series wins, the 2016 Xfinity Series championship, and two Cup Series wins.
3. Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr.
Bubba Wallace is the second biggest “star” on this list, and although he has more wins than Suarez, he is without a championship in any of NASCAR’s top-3 series. Bubba joined the program in 2010 in the K&N Pro Series East, where he won at Greenville-Pickens Speedway to become not only the youngest winner in series history but also the first African-American winner as well. Wallace would win twice that season, finishing 3rd in the standings. Wallace has since scored six Craftsman Truck Series wins and a pair of wins in the NASCAR Cup Series.
4. Nick Sanchez
Coming from the late model world, Nick Sanchez entered the DfD program in 2018. Sanchez moved from ARCA to the Craftsman Truck Series, where he made the Playoffs in his rookie season before scoring two wins in his sophomore season. In 2025, Nick will run full-time in the Xfinity Series in the No. 48 Big Machine Chevrolet.
5. Rajah Caruth
Rajah Caruth joined the DfD program in 2020 by racing late models and has since made history by becoming only the second African-American driver to win in the Craftsman Truck Series earlier this year in Las Vegas. Caruth has made multiple starts in the Xfinity Series as well, including a dream opportunity in 2023, where he ran the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro. In 2024, his Truck Series season has been fully sponsored by Hendrickcars.com.
