NASCAR Rookie of the Year

The NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season in a NASCAR season. Each of NASCAR's national and regional touring series selects a RotY winner each year.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year logo for 2013

History of the Award

The Rookie of the Year award for NASCAR's premier series was first presented to a driver named Blackie Pitt by Houston Lawing, NASCAR's Public Relations director, in 1954. An official award started with the 1958 season.

From the 1958 through the 1973 seasons, NASCAR did not have an official points system to determine the Rookie of the Year, so NASCAR's officials merely gathered together to select a winner. As of 2018, the rookie of the year points are the same as the championship points.

The award is currently sponsored by Sunoco. Drivers competing for the award must display the Sunoco contingency decal.

Eligibility

Eligibility for Rookie of the Year has changed several times over the history of NASCAR. As of 2021, a driver must be competing for driver championship points in the series and that the driver must not have competed in more than seven events in any prior season in that series. A driver can also only compete for the Rookie of the Year honors once per series. However, these rules are not officially written in the NASCAR rulebook and NASCAR makes the final decision on eligibility.[1]

Cup Series

2024 ROTY contenders

Reference:[2]

History

Below is a list of all winners, and known runners-up.[3][4] (Note: some of the drivers listed here are not confirmed as ROTY contenders, and competed in more than the maximum number of races to be eligible for ROTY honors.)

* indicates ROTY who later became the Series Champion
*Declared for ROTY, but did not make minimum seven (five before 2001) races, thus could be eligible in a later year.
±Marked drivers during Daytona 500 practice or qualifying events were killed during their rookie seasons and were unable to complete the schedule.
ØMoroso died after race 25 of 29 during his rookie season in a vehicular incident where he and his girlfriend were driving home from the September North Wilkesboro round, receiving the award posthumously. Toxicology reports noted Moroso had a BAC more than twice the legal limit (was .22 BAC), leading to a NASCAR rule change later that states a driver must finish the season in good standing. Under modern rules, a driver who is found to be under current indictment of a crime (including DUI/DWI) would be ineligible for the award, in addition to facing an indefinite suspension from the sport.[5]
♦Hylton finished second in the overall 1966 championship, the highest ever finish for an eligible rookie.
æPitt did not receive an official award.
§Dick Hutcherson won nine times and finished second in the championship standings in 1965, but was not considered to be eligible due to being a champion in the IMCA.
Year Winner Runner(s) Up
2023 Ty Gibbs Noah Gragson
2022 Austin Cindric Harrison Burton, Todd Gilliland
2021 Chase Briscoe Anthony Alfredo
2020 Cole Custer Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek, Brennan Poole, Quin Houff
2019 Daniel Hemric Ryan Preece, Matt Tifft
2018 William Byron Bubba Wallace
2017 Erik Jones Daniel Suárez, Ty Dillon, Corey LaJoie, Gray Gaulding
2016 Chase Elliott* Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney, Brian Scott, Jeffrey Earnhardt
2015 Brett Moffitt Matt DiBenedetto, Jeb Burton, Alex Kennedy, Tanner Berryhill*
2014 Kyle Larson* Austin Dillon, Justin Allgaier, Cole Whitt, Michael Annett, Alex Bowman, Ryan Truex, Parker Kligerman
2013 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Danica Patrick, Timmy Hill
2012 Stephen Leicht Josh Wise, Timmy Hill*
2011 Andy Lally T. J. Bell*, Brian Keselowski*
2010 Kevin Conway Terry Cook*
2009 Joey Logano* Scott Speed, Max Papis, Dexter Bean*
2008 Regan Smith Sam Hornish Jr., Patrick Carpentier, Michael McDowell, Dario Franchitti, Jacques Villeneuve*
2007 Juan Pablo Montoya David Ragan, Paul Menard, David Reutimann, A. J. Allmendinger, Brandon Whitt*
2006 Denny Hamlin Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Reed Sorenson, J. J. Yeley, David Stremme, Brent Sherman*
2005 Kyle Busch* Travis Kvapil, Mike Garvey, Stanton Barrett
2004 Kasey Kahne Brendan Gaughan, Brian Vickers, Scott Wimmer, Scott Riggs, Johnny Sauter, Carl Edwards
2003 Jamie McMurray Greg Biffle, Tony Raines, Casey Mears, Jack Sprague, Larry Foyt
2002 Ryan Newman Jimmie Johnson, Shawna Robinson*, Carl Long*
2001 Kevin Harvick* Kurt Busch, Casey Atwood, Jason Leffler, Ron Hornaday Jr., Andy Houston
2000 Matt Kenseth* Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dave Blaney, Scott Pruett, Stacy Compton, Mike Bliss, Ed Berrier, Jeff Fuller*
1999 Tony Stewart* Elliott Sadler, Buckshot Jones, Stanton Barrett*, Dan Pardus*, Mike Harmon*
1998 Kenny Irwin Jr. Kevin Lepage, Jerry Nadeau, Steve Park
1997 Mike Skinner David Green, Jeff Green, Robby Gordon
1996 Johnny Benson Jr. Randy MacDonald*, Stacy Compton*
1995 Ricky Craven Robert Pressley, Randy LaJoie, Davy Jones, Steve Kinser*, Mike Chase*, Gary Bradberry*, Terry Byers*
1994 Jeff Burton Steve Grissom, Joe Nemechek, John Andretti, Mike Wallace, Ward Burton, Jeremy Mayfield, Loy Allen Jr., Billy Standridge, Curtis Markham*, Rick Carelli*, T. W. Taylor*
1993 Jeff Gordon* Bobby Labonte, Kenny Wallace, P. J. Jones
1992 Jimmy Hensley Andy Belmont, Dave Mader III*
1991 Bobby Hamilton Ted Musgrave, Stanley Smith, Wally Dallenbach Jr., Jeff Purvis, Sammy Swindell*, Rich Bickle*, Dave Mader III*, Dorsey Schroeder*
1990 Rob Moroso Ø Jack Pennington, Jerry O'Neil, Jeff Purvis*
1989 Dick Trickle Hut Stricklin, Larry Pearson, Jimmy Spencer, Rick Mast, Ben Hess, Chad Little, Butch Miller, Mickey Gibbs
1988 Ken Bouchard Ernie Irvan, Brad Noffsinger, Jimmy Horton
1987 Davey Allison Dale Jarrett, Steve Christman, Rodney Combs, Derrike Cope, Jerry Cranmer*
1986 Alan Kulwicki* Michael Waltrip, Chet Fillip, Davey Allison*, Jerry Cranmer*, Rick Baldwin*, Jonathan Lee Edwards*, Wayne Kramer*
1985 Ken Schrader Eddie Bierschwale, Don Hume
1984 Rusty Wallace* Greg Sacks, Phil Parsons, Clark Dwyer
1983 Sterling Marlin Trevor Boys, Ronnie Hopkins, Ken Ragan, Bobby Hillin Jr.
1982 Geoff Bodine Mark Martin, Brad Teague
1981 Ron Bouchard Morgan Shepherd, Tim Richmond, Mike Alexander, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Joe Ruttman, Stan Barrett, Connie Saylor, Gary Balough
1980 Jody Ridley Lake Speed, Kyle Petty, Slick Johnson
1979 Dale Earnhardt* Joe Millikan, Terry Labonte, Harry Gant
1978 Ronnie Thomas Roger Hamby, Blackie Wangerin, Baxter Price, Al Holbert
1977 Ricky Rudd Sam Sommers, Janet Guthrie, Tighe Scott, Tommy Gale, Gary Myers
1976 Skip Manning Terry Bivins, Neil Bonnett, Jimmy Means, Bill Elliott, John A. Utsman, Johnny Ray
1975 Bruce Hill Carl Adams, Bruce Jacobi, Grant Adcox, Chuck Bown, Joe Mihalic, Travis Tiller, Ferrel Harris, Dick May
1974 Earl Ross Richie Panch, Jackie Rogers, Ramo Stott
1973 Lennie Pond Darrell Waltrip, Johnny Barnes
1972 Larry Smith David Sisco, Doc Faustina
1971 Walter Ballard Maynard Troyer, Richard Brown, D. K. Ulrich
1970 Bill Dennis Joe Frasson, Jim Vandiver, Talmadge Prince±
1969 Dick Brooks Buddy Young, Hoss Ellington
1968 Pete Hamilton Dave Marcis, Don Tarr
1967 Donnie Allison Charlie Glotzbach, Paul Dean Holt
1966 James Hylton♦ Bill Seifert, Frank Warren
1965§ Sam McQuagg Henley Gray, Clyde Lynn
1964 Doug Cooper J. T. Putney, Buddy Arrington
1963 Billy Wade Bobby Isaac, Larry Manning, J. D. McDuffie
1962 Thomas Cox Cale Yarborough, Ed Livingston
1961 Woodie Wilson Wendell Scott, Lee Reitzel
1960 David Pearson* Gerald Duke, Paul Lewis
1959 Richard Petty* Fritz Wilson, Buddy Baker, Bob Burdick
1958 Shorty Rollins
1957 Ken Rush
1956 not awarded
1955 not awarded
1954 Blackie Pitt æ

Xfinity Series

2024 ROTY Contenders

Reference:[2]

History
* indicates ROTY who later became the Series Champion
Year Winner Runner(s) Up
2023 Sammy Smith Parker Retzlaff, Chandler Smith
2022 Austin Hill Sheldon Creed, Jesse Iwuji
2021 Ty Gibbs* Josh Berry, Sam Mayer, Ryan Vargas
2020 Harrison Burton Riley Herbst, Jesse Little, Joe Graf Jr., Kody Vanderwal
2019 Chase Briscoe Noah Gragson, Justin Haley, Brandon Brown, John Hunter Nemechek
2018 Tyler Reddick* Christopher Bell, Austin Cindric, Alex Labbe, Kaz Grala, Spencer Boyd, Vinnie Miller, Chad Finchum, Josh Bilicki, Matt Mills
2017 William Byron* Cole Custer, Daniel Hemric, Matt Tifft, Spencer Gallagher, Ben Kennedy
2016 Erik Jones Brennan Poole, Brandon Jones, Ryan Preece, Garrett Smithley, Ray Black Jr., B. J. McLeod, Cody Ware*
2015 Daniel Suárez* Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain, Cale Conley, Harrison Rhodes, Peyton Sellers, Josh Reaume
2014 Chase Elliott* Ty Dillon, Chris Buescher, Ryan Reed, Dylan Kwasniewski, Dakoda Armstrong, Ryan Sieg, Tanner Berryhill, Chad Boat, Tommy Joe Martins, Harrison Rhodes*
2013 Kyle Larson Alex Bowman, Nelson Piquet Jr., Jeffrey Earnhardt, Kevin Swindell, Dexter Stacey, Hal Martin, Juan Carlos Blum
2012 Austin Dillon* Cole Whitt, Jason Bowles, Brad Sweet, Johanna Long, Joey Gase, Casey Roderick, Benny Gordon
2011 Timmy Hill Blake Koch, Ryan Truex, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Charles Lewandoski
2010 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.* Brian Scott, Colin Braun, James Buescher, Parker Kligerman
2009 Justin Allgaier Brendan Gaughan, Michael Annett, Michael McDowell, Erik Darnell, Scott Lagasse Jr., John Wes Townley, Ken Butler III, Terry Cook, Peyton Sellers, Marc Davis*
2008 Landon Cassill Bryan Clauson, Dario Franchitti, Cale Gale, Brian Keselowski, Chase Miller, Patrick Carpentier
2007 David Ragan Marcos Ambrose, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Krisiloff, Brad Coleman, Juan Pablo Montoya, Robert Richardson Jr., Sam Hornish Jr., Justin Diercks*, Timothy Peters*, Bobby Santos III*, Alex García*, Brian Conz*
2006 Danny O'Quinn Jr. John Andretti, Todd Kluever, Burney Lamar, Mark McFarland, Stephen Leicht, David Gilliland, Tracy Hines, Joel Kauffman, A. J. Foyt IV*, Jorge Goeters*, Kevin Conway*, Chris Wimmer*
2005 Carl Edwards* Reed Sorenson, Denny Hamlin, Jon Wood, Brent Sherman, Kertus Davis, Michel Jourdain Jr., Tyler Walker, Ryan Hemphill, Brandon Miller, Paul Wolfe, Boston Reid*, A. J. Fike*, Blake Feese*, Kim Crosby*, Donnie Neuenberger*
2004 Kyle Busch* Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, J. J. Yeley, Billy Parker, Stan Boyd, Travis Geisler, Donnie Neuenberger*, Rick Markle*, Kevin Conway*, Brian Conz*
2003 David Stremme Coy Gibbs, Joey Clanton, Chad Blount, Jason White, Chase Montgomery, Regan Smith, Damon Lusk, Chris Bingham
2002 Scott Riggs Johnny Sauter, Shane Hmiel, Kerry Earnhardt, Casey Mears, Brian Vickers, Kasey Kahne, Dan Pardus
2001 Greg Biffle* Scott Wimmer, Jamie McMurray, Larry Foyt, Tim Sauter, Marty Houston, David Donohue
2000 Kevin Harvick* Ron Hornaday Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jay Sauter, Michael Ritch*, P. J. Jones, Anthony Lazzaro, Mike Stefanik, Mike Borkowski, Derrick Gilchrist, Kelly Denton*, Jay Fogleman*, Dave Steele*
1999 Tony Raines Hank Parker Jr., Adam Petty, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Tony Roper, Andy Kirby, Jimmy Kitchens, Ted Christopher*, Kelly Denton* Phillip Morris*, Kerry Earnhardt*, Skip Smith*
1998 Andy Santerre Dave Blaney, Blaise Alexander, Kevin Grubb, Wayne Grubb, Casey Atwood, Mike Cope, Matt Hutter, Lance Hooper, Jason Jarrett, Kevin Schwantz, Brad Loney, Hank Parker Jr.*, Mike Stefanik*
1997 Steve Park Matt Kenseth, Johnny Chapman, Mark Krogh, Jeff Krogh, Lyndon Amick, Chris Diamond, Jimmy Foster, Jeff McClure, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tim Bender, Doug Reid III, Stanton Barrett, Tim Steele, David Hutto*
1996 Glenn Allen Jr. Mike Dillon, Shane Hall, Mark Green, Tony Stewart, Mike Harmon, Jerry Nadeau*, Johnny Chapman*, Tim Bender*, Pete Orr*, Andy Hillenburg*, Jimmy Kitchens*, Greg Clark*, Mike Laughlin Jr.*
1995 Jeff Fuller Curtis Markham, Kirk Shelmerdine, L.W. Miller, David Bonnett, Greg Clark*, John Tanner*, Tim Bender*, Dale Williams*
1994 Johnny Benson Jr.* Dennis Setzer, Kevin Lepage, Stevie Reeves, Randy Porter, Dirk Stephens, Johnny Rumley, Mike Garvey, Robbie Reiser, Chad Chaffin, Michael Ritch*, Kirk Shelmerdine*, Mike Stefanik*, George Crenshaw*, Jeff Neal*, Andy Hillenburg*
1993 Hermie Sadler Joe Bessey, Tim Fedewa, Roy Payne, Nathan Buttke, Jason Keller, Michael Ritch*, Tom Hessert*, Alan Russell*, Ken Wallace*, Page Jones*
1992 Ricky Craven^ Shawna Robinson, Robert Huffman*, Randy MacDonald*, Greg Trammell*
1991 Jeff Gordon David Green, Tracy Leslie, Troy Beebe, Cecil Eunice, Richard Lasater, Jeff Green, Mike Wallace, Mike Oliver, Mike McLaughlin, Rich Burgess*, Shawna Robinson*
1990 Joe Nemechek* Bobby Moon, Ward Burton, Jack Sprague, Dana Patten, Davey Johnson, Dave Mader III, Ed Ferree, Frank Fleming, Clifford Allison*
1989 Kenny Wallace Bobby Hamilton, Jeff Burton, Dave Rezendes, Robert Pressley, Brandon Baker, Dave Simpson, Ed Ferree*, Tom Harrington*

^ Craven started seven races in 1991 (the limit was five) but was charged with only two starts. The other five starts were in combination races with the Busch North Series, where he raced as a regular. Both 1991 Busch Series wins were in combination races as a North driver.

Craftsman Truck Series

2024 ROTY Contenders

Reference:[2]

  • Conner Jones
  • Layne Riggs
  • Thad Moffitt

History
* indicates ROTY who later became the Series Champion
Year Winner Runner(s) Up
2023 Nick Sanchez Jake Garcia, Rajah Caruth, Bret Holmes, Daniel Dye
2022 Corey Heim Lawless Alan, Dean Thompson, Jack Wood, Blaine Perkins
2021 Chandler Smith Carson Hocevar, Hailie Deegan, Chase Purdy, Kris Wright,Ryan Preece
2020 Zane Smith* Christian Eckes, Derek Kraus, Raphaël Lessard, Tanner Gray, Tate Fogleman, Ty Majeski, Spencer Davis
2019 Tyler Ankrum Sheldon Creed, Harrison Burton, Tyler Dippel, Gus Dean, Spencer Boyd, Brennan Poole, Natalie Decker, Anthony Alfredo
2018 Myatt Snider Todd Gilliland, Dalton Sargeant, Justin Fontaine, Bo LeMastus, Robby Lyons
2017 Chase Briscoe Austin Cindric, Grant Enfinger, Noah Gragson, Kaz Grala, Justin Haley, Cody Coughlin, Stewart Friesen, Wendell Chavous
2016 William Byron Christopher Bell, Cole Custer, Ben Rhodes, Rico Abreu, Austin Wayne Self, Matt Tifft
2015 Erik Jones* John Hunter Nemechek, Cameron Hayley, Daniel Hemric, Brandon Jones, Spencer Gallagher, Ray Black Jr., Korbin Forrister, Austin Theriault, Justin Boston
2014 Ben Kennedy Tyler Reddick, Mason Mingus, Tyler Young, Jimmy Weller III
2013 Ryan Blaney Darrell Wallace Jr., Jeb Burton, Germán Quiroga, Brennan Newberry
2012 Ty Dillon Cale Gale, Ross Chastain, John Wes Townley, Dakoda Armstrong, Bryan Silas, Max Gresham, Paulie Harraka
2011 Joey Coulter Nelson Piquet Jr., Cole Whitt, Parker Kligerman, Miguel Paludo, Johanna Long, Craig Goess
2010 Austin Dillon* Justin Lofton, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Brett Butler
2009 Johnny Sauter* Tayler Malsam, James Buescher, Ricky Carmichael, J. R. Fitzpatrick, Brian Ickler, Brent Raymer, Chris Jones
2008 Colin Braun Brian Scott, Scott Speed, Donny Lia, Justin Marks, Marc Mitchell, Andy Lally
2007 Willie Allen Tim Sauter, Joey Clanton, Jason White, Blake Bjorklund, Aaron Fike
2006 Erik Darnell Chad McCumbee, Marcos Ambrose, Aric Almirola, Bobby East, Kerry Earnhardt, Erin Crocker, Boston Reid, Joey Miller, Robert Richardson Jr., Kraig Kinser, Scott Lagasse Jr., Ryan Moore
2005 Todd Kluever Timothy Peters, Shigeaki Hattori, Regan Smith
2004 David Reutimann Tracy Hines, Robert Huffman, Brandon Whitt, Chase Montgomery, Shane Sieg, Kelly Sutton, Ken Weaver, Chris Wimmer, Shelby Howard, Brad Keselowski
2003 Carl Edwards Jody Lavender, Randy Briggs, T. J. Bell, Tina Gordon, Doug Keller
2002 Brendan Gaughan Bill Lester, Jason Small, Dana White
2001 Travis Kvapil* Ricky Hendrick, Matt Crafton, Billy Bigley, Jon Wood, Willy T. Ribbs, Brian Rose, Nathan Haseleu, Larry Gunselman, Chuck Hossfeld, Ricky Sanders
2000 Kurt Busch Carlos Contreras, Scott Riggs, Jamie McMurray, Rick Ware, Wayne Edwards, Coy Gibbs, Kenny Martin
1999 Mike Stefanik Scott Hansen, David Starr, Marty Houston, Tim Steele, Ryan McGlynn, Phil Bonifield
1998 Greg Biffle* Andy Houston, Scot Walters, Wayne Anderson, Kevin Cywinski, Dominic Dobson, Rob Morgan, Rick McCray
1997 Kenny Irwin Jr. Rick Crawford, Stacy Compton, Tony Raines, Boris Said, Tony Roper, Tammy Jo Kirk, Randy Tolsma, Terry Cook, Rob Rizzo, Lonnie Rush Jr., Kelly Denton, Mike Cope
1996 Bryan Reffner Doug George, Lance Norick, Bobby Gill, Jay Sauter, Lonnie Cox, Charlie Cragan, Ron Barfield Jr., Butch Gilliland

See also

References

Citations

  1. Andrejev, Alex (February 14, 2021). "Ross Chastain can't win NASCAR Rookie of the Year. Here's how he feels about it". The Charlotte Observer.
  2. "2024 Rookie of the Year contenders". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media. February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  3. NASCAR (2019-11-18). "Full list of Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award". Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  4. Jayski's Silly Season Site (2019-11-17). "NASCAR Cup Rookie of the Year Records, Stats and Notes". Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  5. Gluck, Jeff (2016-02-19). "NASCAR issues rules, punishments for on- and off-track behavior". USA Today. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  • NASCAR Chronicle by Greg Fielden & Consumer Guide.
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