User:DavidMondale/sandbox
Trey Cranfield (born April 3, 1999) is an American professional stock car racing driver and NASCAR team owner. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 26 Ford Mustang for Polar Star Motorsports, a team he has owned and operated since 2021. He has won eight NASCAR Cup Series races, all coming in his rookie campaign in 2020. He was the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion in what is widely regarded as the greatest rookie season in series history. He won seven races, finished in the top ten 18 times, the top five 16 times, and sat on the pole four times. In 2018, he was the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series runner-up, finishing second to Johnny Sauter in the championship race after holding the points lead for the majority of the season. He amassed seven wins, 19 top tens, and 5 poles in his first and only season in the series.
In 2020, his first season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Cranfield was heralded as a potential superstar. He won in his inaugural start in the series, the 2019 Food City 500, in dominant fashion and in lower-tier equipment, subbing for Michael McDowell in the No. 95 car for Levine Family Racing. This performance earned Cranfield a full-time ride for the 2020 season with Hendrick Motorsports and is regarded as one of the most dominant performances in series history. He led all but six laps and put all but nine cars at least one lap down. He signed a five-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports following the conclusion of his 2019 Xfinity championship season, driving the No. 48. He went on to finish 2nd in the 2020 Daytona 500, and held the championship points lead every week of the regular season, a feat achieved for the first time. He successfully qualified for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs round of 16, round of 12, and round of 8. In an astonishing upset, he finished in 19th in the round of 8 cutoff race and missed the championship four by one point. At the conclusion of the season, he had garnered eight wins, 25 top tens, 5 poles, and 23 stage wins, the most in series history.