Dale Earnhardt poses for a photo next to his race car in 1979.

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Full list of Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award winners

By Staff Report | Published: November 6, 2022 68

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Austin Cindric celebrates after winning the 2022 Daytona 500.

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Team Penske's Austin Cindric added his name to the list of drivers who have won the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in the NASCAR Cup Series, keeping it in the Ford family after Chase Briscoe earned the nod last year. Take a look back at the others who have accomplished the feat throughout the sport's history.

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Blackie Pitts poses for a photo at Darlington Raceway.

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Blackie Pitt, 1954

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Ken Rush poses next to his race car at Talladega in 1957.

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Ken Rush, 1957

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Shorty Rollins works on his car at Daytona in 1958.

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Shorty Rollins, 1958

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Richard Petty poses next to his race car at Daytona in 1959.

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Richard Petty, 1959

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David Pearson poses for a photo inside his race car.

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David Pearson, 1960

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Woody Wilson sits in his car.

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Woody Wilson, 1961

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Thomas Cox sits in his car.

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Tom Cox, 1962

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Billy Wade poses for a photo next to his race car.

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Billy Wade, 1963

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Doug Cooper poses for a photo with his race car at Daytona in 1964.

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Doug Cooper, 1964

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Sam Mcquagg poses for a photo with his race car at Daytona.

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Sam McQuagg, 1965

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James Hylton poses for a photo inside his race car in 1966;

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James Hylton, 1966

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Donnie Allison poses for a photo in 1967.

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Donnie Allison, 1967

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Pete Hamilton poses for a photo next to his car at Daytona in 1968.

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Pete Hamilton, 1968

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Dick Brooks poses for a photo in his race car in 1969.

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Dick Brooks, 1969

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Bill Dennis poses for a photo in his race car during the 1970s.

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Bill Dennis, 1970

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Walter Ballard at Daytona International Speedway.

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Walter Ballard, 1971

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Larry Smith poses for a photo in his race car in 1972.

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Larry Smith, 1972

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Lennie Pond poses next to the No. 54 car in the 1970s.

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Lennie Pond, 1973

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Earl Ross at Charlotte 1974

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Earl Ross, 1974

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Bruce Hill poses for a photo next to his race car in 1975.

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Bruce Hill, 1975

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Skip Manning takes a lap at Daytona.

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Skip Manning, 1976

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Ricky Rudd poses for a photo in 1977.

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Ricky Rudd, 1977

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Ronnie Thomas poses with his race car at Talladega in 1978.

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Ronnie Thomas, 1978

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Dale Earnhardt poses for a photo next to his race car in 1979.

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Dale Earnhardt, 1979

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Jody Ridley looks on next to his race car in the 1970s.

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Jody Ridley, 1980

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Ron Bouchard poses with a trophy in 1981.

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Ron Bouchard, 1981

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Geoff Bodine celebrates winning at Darlington in 1982.

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Geoffrey Bodine, 1982

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Sterling Marlin looks on at Atlanta in 1983.

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Sterling Marlin, 1983

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Rusty Wallace poses with his race car at Daytona in 1984.

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Rusty Wallace, 1984

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Ken Schrader poses next to his race car at Daytona in 1985.

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Ken Schrader, 1985

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Alan Kulwicki gets ready for the start of a NASCAR Cup race.

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Alan Kulwicki, 1986

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Davey Allison celebrates in Victory Lane after winning at Talladega in 1987.

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Davey Allison, 1987

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Ken Bouchard poses for a photo inside his race car in 1988.

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Ken Bouchard, 1988

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Dick Trickle smiles before leaving the garage area at Phoenix in 1989.

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Dick Trickle, 1989

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Rob Moroso poses for a photo in 1990.

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Rob Moroso, 1990

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Bobby Hamilton studies the action at the Nascar NAPA 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton , Georgia.

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Bobby Hamilton, 1991

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Jimmy Hensley looks on during the qualifying heats for the NASCAR Diehard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama.

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Jimmy Hensley, 1992

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NASCAR DRIVER JEFF GORDON CHECKS OUT HIS CAR BEFORE A RACE.

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Jeff Gordon, 1993

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Jeff Burton poses for a photo in 1994.

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Jeff Burton, 1994

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Ricky Craven looks on in the garage in the mid-1990s.

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Ricky Craven, 1995

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Johnny Benson poses for a photo at Daytona in 1996.

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Johnny Benson, 1996

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Mike Skinner looks on at Daytona in 1997.

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Mike Skinner, 1997

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Kevin Irwin looks on at Daytona in 1998.

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Kenny Irwin, 1998

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Tony Stewart looks on in 1999.

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Tony Stewart, 1999

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Matt Kenseth looks on in 2000.

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Matt Kenseth, 2000

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Kevin Harvick climbs into the No. 29 car in 2001.

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Kevin Harvick, 2001

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Ryan Newman celebrates winning at New Hampshire in 2002.

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Ryan Newman, 2002

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Jamie McMurray poses for a photo after winning the pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2003.

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Jamie McMurray, 2003

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Kasey Kahne poses next to the No. 9 car in the garage at Talladega in 2004.

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Kasey Kahne, 2004

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Kyle Busch celebrates winning at Phoenix in 2005.

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Kyle Busch, 2005

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Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Freight Chevrolet, puts in his ear plugs prior to practice for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Banquet 400 on September 30 at Kansas Speedway.

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Denny Hamlin, 2006

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Juan Pablo Montoya looks on at Dover in 2007.

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Juan Pablo Montoya, 2007

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Regan Smith looks on next to his race car on pit road at Kansas in 2008;

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Regan Smith, 2008

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Joey Logano strapped into his race car in 2009.

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Joey Logano, 2009

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Kevin Conway looks on at Chicagoland in 2010.

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Kevin Conway, 2010

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Andy Lally, driver of the #71 TRG Motorsports Ford, looks on before the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 21, 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Andy Lally, 2011

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Stephen Leicht climbs into his car at Sonoma Raceway.

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Stephen Leicht, 2012

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. flashes a smile at Pocono in 2013.

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2013

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Kyle Larson hangs out by the No. 42 car at Texas in 2014.

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Kyle Larson, 2014

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Brett Moffitt poses for a photo in Las Vegas.

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Brett Moffitt, 2015

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Chase Elliott looks on with a smile in the garage at Dover in 2016.

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Chase Elliott, 2016

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Erik Jones stands in the garage during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 28, 2017 in Richmond, Virginia.

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Erik Jones, 2017

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William Byron smiles in the garage

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William Byron, 2018

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 09: Daniel Hemric, driver of the #8 Bass Pro Shops/Caterpillar Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 61st Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 9, 2019 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images) | Getty Images

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Daniel Hemric, 2019

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BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 19: Cole Custer, driver of the #41 HaasTooling.com/Autodesk Ford, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 19, 2020 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

Cole Custer, 2020

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Chase Briscoe

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Chase Briscoe, 2021

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DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 20: Austin Cindric, driver of the #2 Discount Tire Ford, celebrates in the Ruoff Mortgage victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series 64th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 20, 2022 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) | Getty Images

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Austin Cindric, 2022