NASCAR ROTY RANKINGS 2002: Ranking the Rookie of the Year Classes Through the Years

Ryan Newman

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.

2002

Winner: Ryan Newman (Penske) Runner Up: Jimmie Johnson (Hendrick) Aborted Attempts: Shawna Robinson, Carl Long

How their careers turned out: Here’s how good the 2002 class was—Ryan Newman won numerous races, a LOT of poles, contended for championships, and won a Daytona 500—and he’s not even the best driver in the class.  Jimmie Johnson won an amazing seven championships, and while yeah, there’s plenty of criticism for how he did it, you can’t argue with the results.

“Fun” “Fact” about the winner: Perhaps it’s also worth noting that Newman’s Daytona 500 win wasn’t even the most-famous thing he did in the Daytona 500.  That crash—yeesh.

Ranking: #3 out of 50

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