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When Erik Jones threw his hat into the Sunoco Rookie of the Year race, it landed alone in an empty ring. That was early last August, the summer sun beating down on the new Furniture Row Racing entry unveiled among much pomp at Watkins Glen International.
Three months passed and the season ended without a challenge. But Jones’ candidacy wasn’t a solitary act, and the contest among first-year drivers in 2017 will be no walkover.
Ty Dillon‘s late-November landing with Germain Racing and Daniel Suarez‘s sudden January thrust into a full-time ride vacated by Carl Edwards have made the Rookie of the Year pursuit in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series a compelling one. The three blossoming drivers — all aged 25 or younger — are already familiar with each other’s talents, having gone head-to-head in both XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series events the last few years.
“We know each other very well, we get along well and for me, something that is very cool is to see how slowly all of this group of drivers, we’ve been making our way up now to the Cup level,” said Suarez, the oldest of the bunch at 25. Last year’s XFINITY Series champ will drive Joe Gibbs Racing‘s No. 19 Toyota in Edwards’ place this season.
“So I think now it’s going to be a lot of fun. I believe that you guys will enjoy it as much as we’re going to enjoy it, so looking forward to it and hopefully we can start in the right way in the Daytona 500.”
The trio’s collective rise to the sport’s top level might not be considered all that gradual. Dillon made his first NASCAR national series start midseason in 2011, and his rookie rivals didn’t make their national debut until later — Jones late in 2013 and Suarez a year afterward.
All but Suarez have partial experience in NASCAR’s top series — Dillon has made 18 starts over the last three years, and Jones has three pinch-hit appearances (and most of a fourth as a relief driver) in Gibbs equipment in 2015.
As Jones has prepared for his first full-time foray into NASCAR’s top division with a newly-expanded Furniture Row operation, he’s been mindful of the benchmark that Chase Elliott established in winning the rookie award last year. Elliott’s first season in Hendrick Motorsports‘ No. 24 Chevrolet produced a playoff appearance and victory contention on several race weekends, a performance Jones wouldn’t mind emulating.
“I think he set a really good standard for the rookies and showed that we can come in and be competitive right away,” says the 20-year-old Jones, who has a Truck Series championship from 2015 in his portfolio. “I hope I can have as good of a year that he did. He was obviously in contention for more than one race win and made it pretty deep into the Chase format as well, so that’s a really good year for a rookie. I hope I can do the same, but he definitely set the bar high.”
Jones and Suarez have natural ties to each other through their connections to Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing, which shares a technical alliance with Furniture Row. Dillon operates outside that circle, having risen through the ranks with Richard Childress Racing and its staunch Chevrolet roots. RCR’s alliance with the Germain organization continues for 2017.
Dillon echoed the sense of familiarity he has with his fellow rookies, but he’s also embraced the notion that he might be considered the dark horse among the three. Germain Racing is still seeking its first victory since it first entered the Monster Energy Cup fold in 2009. Dillon hopes he can personally lead a potential breakthrough.
“It’s a great rookie class, and the thing is all three of us are similar in a lot of ways and the way we approach racing,” Dillon said. “We all have an understanding of each other on the race track. We go hard every lap and I think it’s going to be an exciting rookie race. I kind of feel people put us on the back burner — me and Germain Racing — and I think they’ll be surprised.”