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.
1994
Jeff Burton
Winner: Jeff Burton (Stavola). Runners Up: Steve Grissom (Diamond Ridge), Joe Nemechek (Larry Hedrick), John Andretti (Hagan/Petty), Mike Wallace (Donlavey), Ward Burton (AG Dillard), Jeremy Mayfield (Cale Yarborough), Loy Allen Jr. (Tri-Star), Billy Standridge (Johnson-Standridge). Aborted Attempts: Curtis Markham, Rick Carelli, T. W. Taylor
How their careers turned out: And here we have it—the biggest rookie class in Cup history! In terms of success, here’s how I’d rank them: Jeff Burton (nearly a champion, lots of race wins), Jeremy Mayfield (championship contender, pissed off Rusty Wallace AND Ray Evernham), Ward Burton (Daytona 500 winner, a few other wins), John Andretti (two-time Cup race winner, Mr. Versatile), Mike Wallace (got beat up at a concert, stupid online comments), Loy Allen Jr. (bunch of pole positions and nothing else), Billy Standridge (may or may not have actually existed).
“Fun” “Fact” about the winner: Experts believe it was roughly 2005 when Jeff had his crash that caused his voice to go up three octaves whenever he’s excited.
Ranking: #16 out of 50
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