Rookie Cup drivers wanted for 2010 season
It's hard to believe that the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season might be void of rookie drivers.
As the 2009 season reaches its conclusion, race teams have yet to announce any freshmen drivers for next year, and I think this is a sure sign of how our country's economy has impacted NASCAR.
Brad Keselowski, who will be racing for Penske Racing in 2010, has made too many Cup starts this season to be eligible to compete as a rookie next year. The allotted number of starts a driver can make and keep his rookie status is seven.
The Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award is pretty prestigious and an important measuring stick for the future of the sport.
NASCAR's top series has had one or more rookies racing for the coveted award since 1957. The award's first year was 1954, but it took a two-year hiatus after Blackie Pitt put together five top-10 finishes to become the top rookie.
Richard Petty is the first notable rookie on the list. Petty won the award in 1959 after six top-five and nine top-10 finishes in 22 starts. Petty, by the way, was 22 at the time.
It's also pretty neat that Tony Stewart has the most wins of any rookie rookie driver with three in 1999 when he also finished fourth in the standings. Denny Hamlin, who won the top rookie award in 2006, is the only first-year driver to finish third in the final standings.
While it doesn't appear IndyCar driver Danica Patrick would jump right into a Cup ride and become a 2010 rookie candidate, it sure would be nice if guys such as Colin Braun, Matt Crafton or Timothy Peters could be part of next year's rookie class.
