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.
2008
Regan Smith's rookie car
Winner: Regan Smith (DEI). Runners Up: Sam Hornish Jr. (Penske), Patrick Carpentier (GEM), Michael McDowell (MWR), Dario Franchitti (Ganassi). Aborted Attempts: Jacques Villeneuve
How their careers turned out: “What’s that? Juan Pablo Montoya was good in HIS rookie year? Well we’d better hire an open-wheel racer!” —five different Nascar Cup teams. While Regan Smith went on to a decent enough career (including a Darlington Cup win), the rest of the group, save for Michael McDowell, showed that they were far better in cars without fenders.
“Fun” “Fact” about the winner: Regan won three gold medals in the 2020 Summer Olympics in the women’s swimming ev—oh, wait, sorry. Wrong Regan.
Ranking: #38 out of 50
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