Buried by all of the commotion over what was quite possibly the NASCAR Cup Series' race of the year at EchoPark Speedway on Saturday night is the fact that the Xfinity Series put on a show nearly just as exhilarating the previous day.
Nick Sanchez earned, emphasis on earned, the victory, his first at NASCAR's secondary level, after taking the lead on a late restart and holding off the field in the final laps. It's only the second win for Big Machine Racing as an organization, and the first with a driver who is not already a full-time Cup Series competitor.
Make no mistake about it, though: he will be one day. And with the right opportunities, he'll be winning races at that level too.
Nick Sanchez is NASCAR's most overlooked prospect, but that shouldn't last for long
Sanchez has largely flown under the radar because unlike most of NASCAR's top prospects, he has never driven for a team that gives him a direct route to Cup. His two full seasons in the Craftsman Truck Series came with Rev Racing, albeit with alliances to Kyle Busch Motorsports and Spire Motorsports, and he scored a pair of wins during the latter campaign, presenting him the opportunity to move up to Xfinity.
Now in his first Xfinity Series season, he has become only the second rookie (after Connor Zilisch) to win in 2025. This year's class of first-year drivers in the series is nothing short of stacked, including Zilisch, Carson Kvapil, Taylor Gray, William Sawalich, Christian Eckes, and Daniel Dye all on top teams.
Sanchez has had an impressive season even outside of the win, as he sits 10th in points with six top 10 finishes and 73 laps led. He's ahead of some big names on bigger teams such as Sheldon Creed, Sammy Smith, and all of the other rookies aside from Zilisch, Kvapil, and Gray.
The 24-year-old from Miami should already have been turning heads with his performance prior to this past Friday, and he certainly will be now. With Tuesday's announcement that Daniel Suarez will not be returning to Trackhouse Racing in 2026, likely clearing the way for Zilisch to vacate his Xfinity ride to replace him, Sanchez deserves a close look as a candidate for the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.
Other opportunities could be available as well. If Richard Childress Racing's Jesse Love graduates to Cup (perhaps in a third Legacy Motor Club ride), a move to the No. 2 Chevrolet could be in the works, given Big Machine's already existing alliance with RCR.
Whatever the case, it's a matter of when, not if, a Cup Series team snags up Sanchez's services as a development driver. And he will make them thankful for it.