Join me as we take a look at every NASCAR Cup Rookie of the Year class from 1972 (the start of the modern era) through 2021, going from the worst to the first in terms of overall careers of each year’s rookie class.
1981
Ron Bouchard
Winner: Ron Bouchard (Race Hill). Runners Up: Morgan Shepherd (Cecil Gordon), Mike Alexander (Rogers), Elliott Forbes-Robinson (Howard & Egerton), Joe Ruttman (Jim Stacy), Stan Barrett (Mach 1). Aborted Attempts: Tim Richmond, Connie Saylor, Gary Balough
How their careers turned out: Ron Bouchard’s career highlight came in his rookie year, when he shocked the Nascar world with a win at Talladega, only for his career to peter out by 1987. Morgan Shepherd and Joe Ruttman both had long careers mostly in underfunded equipment, while Stan Barrett was far better known for his stuntman career. Elliott Forbes-Robinson was better-known for his road racing exploits, and the fact that his name makes him sound like a villain in a “Slobs vs. Snobs” story.
“Fun” “Fact” about the winner: Darrell Waltrip claimed Ron Bouchard passed him for his lone Cup win because he thought Bouchard was a lap down, showing us what a sore loser DW could be before he was humbled in the late-90s.
Ranking: #34 out of 50
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