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Most memorable rookie classes in NASCAR Cup Series history
By Chase Wilhelm | Tuesday, February 11, 2020
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The 2020 Sunoco Rookie of the Year race in the NASCAR Cup Series has all the ingredients of becoming one of the most intense battles in the sport's history.
The three frontrunners for the honors all made a name for themselves in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Christopher Bell is one of the most talented all-around drivers, Cole Custer has proven he can muscle his way to Victory Lane with grit and Tyler Reddick's back-to-back Xfinity Series championships speak for themselves.
With hype surrounding this year's young drivers, it's a good time to take a look back at other memorable rookie classes through the years.
The three frontrunners for the honors all made a name for themselves in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Christopher Bell is one of the most talented all-around drivers, Cole Custer has proven he can muscle his way to Victory Lane with grit and Tyler Reddick's back-to-back Xfinity Series championships speak for themselves.
With hype surrounding this year's young drivers, it's a good time to take a look back at other memorable rookie classes through the years.
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1959
Sunoco Rookie of the Year: Richard Petty
Runners-up: Fritz Wilson, Buddy Baker, Bob Burdick
While Petty was unable to earn a victory in his first season, his six top fives and nine top-10 results were good enough to earn the rookie glory. Baker wasn't quite as lucky, earning one top five and five top 10s. Now, both of them are NASCAR Hall of Famers.
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1979
Sunoco Rookie of the Year: Dale Earnhardt
Runners-up: Joe Millikan, Terry Labonte, Harry Gant
Earnhardt's rookie season was stellar, earning his first career victory at Bristol Motor Speedway while also racking up 11 top fives and 17 top 10s. Millikan notched five top fives and 20 top 10s, while Labonte had two top fives and 13 top 10s.
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1986
Sunoco Rookie of the Year: Alan Kulwicki
Runner-up: Michael Waltrip
Kulwicki collected one top five and four top 10s to earn the rookie title as Waltrip was unable to crack the top 10 all season with a best finish of 11th on two occasions. Kulwicki went on to win the 1992 championship in one of NASCAR's greatest races of all time at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
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1987
Sunoco Rookie of the Year: Davey Allison
Runners-up: Dale Jarrett, Derrike Cope, Steve Christman, Rodney Combs
Allison's rookie season was spectacular, collecting a pair of race wins, nine top fives and 10 top 10s, competing in only 22 of the scheduled 29 events. Jarrett wasn't able to give him a fight, recording only two top 10s in 24 of the 29 races.
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2000
Sunoco Rookie of the Year: Matt Kenseth
Runners-up: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dave Blaney, Scott Pruett, Stacy Compton, Mike Bliss, Ed Berrier
While Earnhardt Jr. was able to nab a pair of victories at Texas Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway, consistency for Kenseth earned him the honors at season's end. Kenseth's first career victory in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway was accompanied with four top fives and 11 top 10s.
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2001
Sunoco Rookie of the Year: Kevin Harvick
Runners-up: Kurt Busch, Casey Atwood, Jason Leffler, Ron Hornaday Jr., Andy Houston
Thrust into the spotlight following the death of Dale Earnhardt, Harvick was able to channel all the pressure into a successful rookie season with two victories, six top fives and 16 top 10s. Busch wasn't able to match Harvick's numbers with three top fives and six top 10s. But it worked out for both, though, with each carrying one championship trophy apiece.
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2002
Sunoco Rookie of the Year: Ryan Newman
Runner-up: Jimmie Johnson
Both Newman and Johnson lit the world on fire during their rookie seasons. Newman's one win, 14 top fives and 22 top 10s gave him the edge over Johnson's three wins, six top fives and 21 top 10s. But Johnson has seven reasons why this doesn't matter much in the long run.
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2006
Sunoco Rookie of the Year: Denny Hamlin
Runners-up: Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Reed Sorenson, JJ Yeley, David Stremme
Hamlin's pair of victories at Pocono Raceway, eight top fives and 20 top 10s easily earned him the rookie honors, but Bowyer also wasn't too shabby with four top fives and 11 top 10s. Oh yeah, Truex Jr. was also in the mix, too. But that's the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion to you now.
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2014
Sunoco Rookie of the Year: Kyle Larson
Runners-up: Austin Dillon, Justin Allgaier, Michael Annett, Trevor Bayne, Alex Bowman, Parker Kligerman, Ryan Truex, Cole Whitt
All the hype was around Larson going into the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series season, but Dillon also had an Xfinity Series championship to prove his worth. But it was Larson who collected an impressive eight top fives and 17 top-10 finishes to receive the rookie honors.
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2016
Rookie of the Year: Chase Elliott
Runners-up: Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher
While Buescher wound up earning the first victory out of the bunch in a rain-shortened race at Pocono Raceway, it was Elliott who received the honors after a consistent season of 10 top fives and 17 top-10 finishes, while Blaney recorded three top fives and nine top 10s.
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