Drivers face countless decisions throughout their racing careers. Thefirst decision comes in getting involved in the sport. From there, manykey decisions have to be made, including when to move to the next level.
There are plenty of considerations, often numbering as many as theindividuals considering it. Once the decision has been made, it's likestarting all over. You're a rookie . . . again.
A rookie driver faces acertain amount of scrutiny. There's the somewhat ego-deflating yellowbumper or other such designation that this driver is different from therest. In many cases, that rookie could have as much experience as manywithout the designation, but until there's a better system, this willhave to do.
The stepladder to the top requires a driver to face rookiestatus on more than a few occasions. Of course, that is generallyfollowed by the fearsome "sophomore jinx," but we're getting ahead ofourselves on that.
As the '05 season starts to take shape, the rookieclass is looking very good in many areas. There are the rare serieswhere no rookies compete, but for the most part, rookie drivers are avivid part of the scenery.
NASCAR Nextel Cup
The '05 class is a bit smaller than some years, but itis certainly big on talent and the ability to grab headlines. Earlyseason leaders have been Kyle Busch and Travis Kvapil, who carry theyellow bumper after spending time in other high-profile series. Buschcame to the Nextel Cup ranks from a year in NASCAR Busch Series racingwhile Kvapil has been a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion. Otherdesignated rookies include Eric McClure (who has dabbled in the Buschranks and ran with the ARCA series), and Stanton Barrett, who has hadperiodic starts through the last few years.
Kyle Busch establishedhimself as the clear favorite by capturing a pole position in the AutoClub 500 at California Speedway. Driving for Hendrick Motorsports, Buschis setting out to get Rookie of the Year honors and to become the firstHendrick driver to win it since Jeff Gordon in 1993. Kvapil takes overthe ride at Penske Motorsports that was vacated when former Truck seriesrival Brendan Gaughan was relieved of his seat.
Past rookie honors havegone to Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, and Ryan Newman.
NASCAR Busch Series
The competition is higher in sheer numbers, butthere are those trying to break from the pack early. Carl Edwards haswon a race in Atlanta and then backed it up by winning a Nextel Cupevent, in a reversal of the "Nextel Cup stars winning Busch races"trend. Edwards has lurked at the top of the point standings early, buthe is not the only rookie to win a Busch race in the first handful. ReedSorenson captured the Nashville event after sitting on the pole. Thesetwo rookies make it difficult for the rest of the class. Edwards isdriving for Roush Racing while Sorenson is a product of the GanassiDriver Development program. Both drivers have short-trackbackgrounds--Edwards raced dirt in his native Missouri and once placed adisplay ad to get a ride. Sorenson is a second-generation racer who camefrom Legends and a successful ASA campaign to get the shot.
There are afew other drivers that bear watching in a healthy rookie class for theBusch Series. Blake Feese came from the open-wheel ranks and ARCA aspart of the Hendrick Driver development program. Denny Hamlin made hisname in the Pacific Northwest before relocating to North Carolina anddriving for Joe Gibbs. Ryan Hemphill came from Pennsylvania to run ASA,then ARCA, and now pilots the Biagi Motorsports entry. Michel Jourdainis a veteran open wheeler who ran over 150 races on the CART Series andfinished Third in the point standings while driving for Bobby Rahal.Brent Sherman earned honors in the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2004 beforemaking the move to Busch. Tyler Walker came to fendered racing fromWorld of Outlaws Sprint competition and USAC action. Jon Wood is agraduate of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck ranks.
NASCAR Craftsman Trucks
Todd Kluever gained plenty of notoriety byprevailing in the famous "Gong Show" test session put on by Jack Roush.He impressed the parties enough to earn the seat of the number 50 truckand put himself into position to move up the driver development ladder.Kluever backed his supporters with a podium finish early in the year.The graduate of the ASA ranks appears to be the odds-on favorite for theNCTS rookie honors.
Shige Hattori is driving the Germain/Arnold Toyota,becoming the first Japanese driver to be a regular in the series. SeanMurphy, who has European racing experience and recently competed withFlorida-based Late Models and Super Late Models, is in the hunt in 2005.Regan Smith, a USAR Hooters Pro Cup graduate, and Jason Rudd are alsolisted as rookie hopefuls.
ASA Late Models
In its third year of existence, this Michigan-basedseries had 22 rookies on the roster in 2004. One of those rookies, BobbyStremme, became the series champion when it was all said and done.
The'05 listing is healthy again with many drivers seeing the value of thisracing group. By April 1, at least 15 drivers had made their desiresknown to become the Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year.
The listincludes second-generation racer Brian Campbell. The 2000 Berlin (MI)Speedway Super Stock Rookie of the Year is the son of MichiganMotorsports Hall of Fame member Fred Campbell.
Brent Downey competed onthe now-dormant ASA National Tour and will come out as a rookie in thisseries. Travis Dassow will use his experience at the Slinger SuperSpeedway to his advantage as he goes touring in 2005. Dan Jung will pickup a limited schedule for last season for a full-year onslaught. BrettPiontek will come from the Mid-American Stock Car Series Top Five in2004 for this year's efforts. Ohio driver Scott Leach was the youngestdriver to win a track championship at Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway.Chase Austin of Eudora, Kansas, will contest as part of the HendrickMotorsports Driver Development Program with help from Butch Miller. I-70(MO) Speedway Rookie of the Year Garrett Stonum is expected to ventureout. Young Nebraska racer Josh Krug, an invitee to the Roush Gong Show,will join the ASA in 2005. Mansfield (OH) Motorsports Speedway LateModel regular Joey Dennewitz, Independence, Missouri's Rod Cordon,former Rockford (IL) Speedway rookie Ryan Carlson, and Midvale (OH)Modified champ Dusty Woodie can be counted among the drivers expected atmost events.
The young guns will be well-represented with 14-year-oldKeeton Hanks and 15-year-old Jesse Smith expected to see action.
USAR Hooters Pro Cup
An increase in the Miller Lite Rookie program forthis series has continued to yield top-quality racers. A payoff of$75,000 in 2004 was increased to $90,000, and the entry forms startedflying in.
2004 Snowball Derby champion Steve Wallace will attempt totake money from his father's sponsor during the 2005 Southern Divisionraces with the series. Wallace, son of Nextel Cup great Rusty Wallace,has his program backed by crewchief Barry Dodson. Michael WaltripMotorsports has brought an entry with Ken Butler III behind the wheel ofthe Aaron's Dream Machine. Chase Pistone, grandson of Tiger Tom Pistone,started his rookie effort by winning the pole in the first race. Theteam is expected to hit its stride and will prove formidable throughoutthe year.
Altogether, there were 17 rookies contesting the first tworaces. Andrew Rogers was head of the pack, thanks in part to hisrunner-up finish in the series' second race. Michael Faulk, fresh from aTop-10 run in the NASCAR AutoZone Southeast Series, has cast his lotwith the series. North Carolina racer Kirk Leone has joined GeorgiansDwayne Buggay and Wayne Willard for a shot at the stakes. Jake Hobgood,a veteran of the former NASCAR Goody's Dash Series, is hoping to shakesome of the '04 misfortune that aborted his attempt to run for rookiehonors last year.