User blog:Ajaxcupseries/Top Three Drivers Under 25 Entering 2021

By: Charles Fallon, The Fallon Corner (2021)

With another ASCA season rapidly approaching us, the main topic of conversation for yet another season is the ASCA’s current youth movement that continues to sweep the sport by storm. In 2021, there will be ELEVEN full time drivers that are 25 years old or younger in the Ajax Cup scene, while there will only be five drivers 31 years or older entering this season.

With that being said, here’s a look at my top 3 young guns UNDER entering this season (which excludes Todd Kidd and Cameron Atwood):


 * 1) Greg Healey | Age: 24
 * ASCA Career Achievements: 2 Ajax Cup wins, 2018 Ajax Cup Series ROTY, 4 Craftsman Series wins

With his big contract and breakout season last year, it should be no surprise that Greg Healey tops this list at the ripe old age of 24. The sky is seemingly the limit for last season’s 2nd place points man, as the Pensacola, Florida native took the Cup scene by storm with his first two career wins and leading the points for a little over half the season. There’s no question now that Healey is the top dawg at Snoots Enterprises despite Shane Park moving up the ranks, and with billionaire team owner Baby Snoots seemingly content to throw money at his cars to win races, expect Healey to once again be a title contender and star of the sport in 2021.


 * 1) Devin Smith | Age: 22
 * ASCA Career Achievements: 4 Craftsman Series wins, 2020 Craftsman Series ROTY

What more can you say about Devin Smith that hasn’t been said already? If setting the track record and leading the opening 77 laps in his Craftsman debut wasn’t enough, how about scoring his first career win in just his 4th start, and scoring three more throughout the season, and being Shane Park’s only competition all year long for the Craftsman Series championship. From the day he was announced as an ASCA Next class member, people have been hyping Smith up as “the next Randle Woods” and “the next Jimmy Hood”, and so far he’s lived up to the hype and much, much more. As he moves up to Cup to controversially replace Dan Rodgers this season, the sky is the limit for Smith’s potential with one of the top teams in the sport in Michael White Racing.


 * 1) Jared Ayers | Age: 22
 * ASCA Career Achievements: 1 Ajax Cup win, 1 Craftsman Series win

For a guy with only two ASCA wins, some may think its surprising to see Ayers on this list. However, the last six races of 2020 have shown that at his full potential, Ayers can be a serious championship contender, especially in top tier Michael White Racing equipment. His first Ajax Cup win at Belltown in the season finale showed that he also knows how to win, and he’s now completely escaped from Doug Bowden’s shadow and become one of the sport’s top young stars. People were concerned that Ayers wasn’t ready for Cup after being promoted with only one Craftsman win, but he’s certainly shown that he’s now arrived. The future of Michael White Racing also looks incredibly bright with two of the three young prospects on this list as well.