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The NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season in a NASCAR season. Each of NASCAR's national and regional touring series selects a RotY winner each year.
The Rookie of the Year award for NASCAR's premier series was first presented to a driver named Blackie Pitt by Houston Lawing, NASCAR's Public Relations director, in 1954.[citation needed] An official award started with the 1958 season.[citation needed]
From the 1958 through the 1973 seasons, NASCAR did not have an official points system to determine the Rookie of the Year, so NASCAR's officials merely gathered together to select a winner.[citation needed] As of 2018[update], the rookie of the year points are the same as the championship points.[citation needed]
The award is currently sponsored by Sunoco. Drivers competing for the award must display the Sunoco contingency decal.[citation needed]
Eligibility
Eligibility for Rookie of the Year has changed several times over the history of NASCAR. As of 2021[update], a driver must be competing for driver championship points in the series and that the driver must not have competed in more than seven events in any prior season in that series. A driver can also only compete for the Rookie of the Year honors once per series. However, these rules are not officially written in the NASCAR rulebook and NASCAR makes the final decision on eligibility.[1]
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2025 ROTY contenders
History
Below is a list of all winners, and known runners-up.[4][5] (Note: some of the drivers listed here are not confirmed as ROTY contenders, and competed in more than the maximum number of races to be eligible for ROTY honors.)
| * indicates ROTY who later became the Series Champion |
| * | Declared for ROTY, but did not make minimum seven (five before 2001) races, thus could be eligible in a later year. |
| ± | Marked drivers during Daytona 500 practice or qualifying events were killed during their rookie seasons and were unable to complete the schedule. |
| Ø | Moroso died after race 25 of 29 during his rookie season in a vehicular incident where he and his girlfriend were driving home from the September North Wilkesboro round, receiving the award posthumously. Toxicology reports noted Moroso had a BAC more than twice the legal limit (was .22 BAC), leading to a NASCAR rule change later that states a driver must finish the season in good standing. Under modern rules, a driver who is found to be under current indictment of a crime (including DUI/DWI) would be ineligible for the award, in addition to facing an indefinite suspension from the sport.[6] |
| ♦ | Hylton finished second in the overall 1966 championship, the highest ever finish for an eligible rookie. |
| æ | Pitt did not receive an official award. |
| § | Dick Hutcherson won nine times and finished second in the championship standings in 1965, but was not considered to be eligible due to being a champion in the IMCA. |
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2025 ROTY Contenders
History
| * indicates ROTY who later became the Series Champion |
- Craven started seven races in 1991 (the limit was five) but was charged with only two starts. The other five starts were in combination races with the Busch North Series, where he raced as a regular. Both 1991 Busch Series wins were in combination races as a North driver.
2025 ROTY Contenders
History
| * indicates ROTY who later became the Series Champion |
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- Whelen Modified Tour (includes list of WMT RotY award winners)
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