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Who is the greatest NASCAR Rookie of the Year?

By YPB Team

Some first seasons predicted everything that followed. Others were the best year the driver ever had.

  1. Dale Earnhardt — ranked #11
    Dale Earnhardt
    Rookie of the Year in 1979, then Cup champion the very next season.
    1000pts
  2. Jeff Gordon — ranked #22
    Jeff Gordon
    Rookie of the Year in 1993 and champion two years later.
    912pts
  3. Kevin Harvick — ranked #33
    Kevin Harvick
    Named 2001 rookie while taking over the No. 3 mid-season, and won twice.
    643pts
  4. Alan Kulwicki — ranked #44
    Alan Kulwicki
    The 1986 rookie who built his own team and won the 1992 title.
    577pts
  5. Kyle Busch — ranked #55
    Kyle Busch
    Won twice as a 2005 rookie at 20 and became the sport's winningest racer.
    576pts
  6. Matt Kenseth — ranked #66
    Matt Kenseth
    Beat Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the 2000 award, then won the 2003 title.
    500pts
  7. Rusty Wallace — ranked #77
    Rusty Wallace
    Rookie of the Year in 1984, champion in 1989.
    500pts
  8. Richard Petty — ranked #88
    Richard Petty
    Took the 1959 award and went on to 200 wins and seven titles.
    409pts
  9. Denny Hamlin — ranked #99
    Denny Hamlin
    The 2006 rookie who swept both Pocono races that year.
    300pts
  10. Ryan Newman — ranked #1010
    Ryan Newman
    Won the 2002 award with a win and six poles.
    300pts
  11. Joey Logano — ranked #1111
    Joey Logano
    Won at New Hampshire as a 2009 rookie at 19, then two championships.
    300pts
  12. Kyle Larson — ranked #1212
    Kyle Larson
    The 2014 rookie who became a champion and an open-wheel crossover star.
    300pts
  13. Chase Elliott — ranked #1313
    Chase Elliott
    Took the 2016 award and the 2020 championship.
    300pts
  14. William Byron — ranked #1414
    William Byron
    The 2018 rookie who arrived from iRacing and won the 2024 Daytona 500.
    300pts
  15. Tony Stewart — ranked #1515
    Tony Stewart
    Won three races as a 1999 rookie, then three championships.
    167pts
  16. Davey Allison — ranked #1616
    Davey Allison
    Won two races as a 1987 rookie, the first to do so in decades.
    167pts

#usa305#drivers66#nascar12#motorsport87#awards8

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