Though we have yet to see a rookie grace victory lane, it is plausible that we'll see at least one, if not two or three of the rookies win a race in the near future. Here's a quick look at how the 2006 freshmen class is performing after the first quarter of 2006.
1. Clint Bowyer: 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top tens, 4 top fifteens, 0 poles
According to the Raybestos Rookie Of The Year standings, Bowyer is the top rookie so far in 2006. He has been the most consistent, but he has been unable to race his way to the front and contend with the leaders on a regular basis like Denny Hamlin has. Still, Bowyer has shown the unflappable ability to pace himself and avoid overdriving the car as a lot of other newcomers tend to do. Bowyer must improve upon his qualifying, because as he showed at Phoenix, if he is running up with the leaders, he'll stay there.
2. Denny Hamlin: 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top tens, 4 top fifteens, 0 poles
Hamlin and Bowyer's statistics are practically indistinguishable. But Hamlin has finished 30th or worse on four occasions while Bowyer has only finished outside of the top 30 once. For that reason alone, Hamlin has had to play second fiddle to Bowyer in the rookie race. Hamlin has consistently raced with the leaders and if he can muster up some consistency, he has the potential to become the top dog of the rookie class.
3. Martin Truex Jr: 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top ten, 2 top fifteens, 0 poles
It's not enigmatic that Truex Jr was the trendy pick to win the Raybestos Rookie of the Year battle heading into the season. But he has yet to measure up to Hamlin and Bowyer up to this juncture of the 2006 season. However, Truex Jr has picked up his performance ever since his eighth place finish at Texas last month. He ran among the top ten at Phoenix, and it's viable to assume that he would have finished towards the front at Talladega if he weren't involved in the big wreck on lap 8. Like Bowyer, Truex Jr has been solid, but he lacks the ability to drive to the front. But when he qualifies well, he typically stays towards the front of the pack.
4. J.J. Yeley: 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top ten, 3 top fifteens, 0 poles
I get the feeling that the more experience that Yeley obtains, the more dangerous he will become. Yeley has qualified well as he has started in the top five on three occasions, but he is still liable to overdrive the car during the race. We saw an example of that at Texas. But like Hamlin, Yeley has been able to drive to the front and race with the leaders. Yeley isn't quite as versatile as Hamlin and Bowyer as far as consistency at different types of tracks, but he is a threat each time the Nextel Cup circuit competes on the 1.5-mile or 2-mile venues.
5. Reed Sorenson: 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top ten, 3 top fifteens, 0 poles
The runt of the rookie class has produced similar results as J.J. Yeley. Sorenson tends to run well on the bigger tracks, but often times he seems in way over his head. At Martinsville, however, Sorenson may have invalidated a lot of skeptics when he consistently ran among the top ten and finished in 12th position. What makes that performance so prodigious is that before that particular race at Martinsville, Sorenson had never even seen the track in person. Sorenson is only twenty years old and is the least experienced driver in the rookie class, so naturally he is at a disadvantage, but he seems to be adapting well to the Nextel Cup series and he will only get better with time.
6. David Stremme: 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top tens, 0 top fifteens, 0 poles
While the five afore mentioned rookies have been impressive, Stremme has been the disappointment. He has struggled to find any type of comfort zone in the Nextel Cup series. In fact, Stremme and the #40 team are currently on the outside looking in as far as being in the all-important top 35 in the Nextel Cup owner's standings. Until Stremme can get that #40 Dodge back into the top 35, they'll be weighed down with the pressure of not being locked into the lineup and having qualifying for each race on speed. The good news for Stremme is that his car owner Chip Ganassi has a history of being patient with rookies. In 2003, Casey Mears was having a season just as atrocious as Stremme's 2006 rookie campaign. Now, Mears is the senior driver in the Ganassi camp.
7. Brent Sherman: 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top tens, 0 top fifteens, 0 poles
Sherman brought sponsorship to BAM Racing, but that's about it. Unfortunately, Sherman has set the fifth year team back quite a bit. I would be surprised if Sherman lasted through the summer months.
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