ES 
NFL Previews 
MLB Previews 
NBA Previews 
NHL Previews 
Soccer Previews 
The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series kicks off in February with the running of the Daytona 500 on a weekend often called Speed Week. This year includes plenty of driver changes, new teams, and a trio of drivers that will be racing for the NASCAR Rookie of the Year title.
The three official drivers racing for the honor are, in alphabetical order, Harrison Burton for Wood Brothers Racing, Austin Cindric for Team Penske, and Todd Gilliland for Front Row Motorsports. Early spoiler – a Blue Oval driver will win Rookie of the Year in 2022 – all three will be behind the wheel of a Ford!
Several qualifiers are needed for a driver to run for the Rookie title but the main one is declaring that they are only running for points in the Cup Series. There will probably be several other drivers making their Cup Series start during the season but none will be driving a full season or qualify fully.
So let’s take a look that the three drivers racing for the Rookie of the Year title this season. You’ll notice that all three “Rookies” have amazing racing resumes!
Austin Cindric NASCAR Rookie Preview
Austin Cindric will be driving for Team Penske this season as he takes over the driving duties for the No. 2 Ford. That seat opened up when Brad Keselowski moved to a new team for an ownership stake. Cindric is a former NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion as well as a Bronze Medal winner in the 2014 XGames in Rally Car Competition. He also has raced open-wheel competitions.
His resume includes wins in the K&N Pro Series, ARCA Racing Series, Camping World Truck Series as well as 13 checkered flags in the Xfinity Series. He’s already been named as a driver for Weathertech in the upcoming Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Cup Series: 2021, 7 races, 1 top 10.
Xfinity Series: 2017-2021, 5 years, 133 races, 13 wins, 89 top-tens, 8 poles.
Camping World Truck Series: 2015-2017, 3 years, 29 races, 1 win, 16 top-tens, 1 pole.
ARCA: 2015-2017, 3 years, 29 races, 1 win, 5 top-tens, 1 pole.
K&N Pro: 2016, 2 races, 2 wins.
Notes: 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season champion.
Harrison Burton NASCAR Rookie Preview
Harrison Burton is now the Cup Series driver for famed Wood Brothers Racing as he jumps into the seat formally held by Matt DiBenedetto. Burton has deep racing roots that include his dad Jeff Burton and Uncle Ward Burton. Both are retired Cup Series legends while Jeff is a NASCAR analyst for NBC. He’s also the cousin of current driver Jeb Burton who races in the Xfinity Series.
Burton, as can be expected, has plenty of seat time under his belt. He started racing competitively at an early age and was a 3-time USAC Quarter Midget Champion. He also won two Pro Late-Model races by the age of 12 with several ARCA race wins at the age of 17 including Pocono and Daytona.
Cup Series: 2021, 1 race, finished 20th at Talladega.
Xfinity Series: 2019-2021, 3 years, 75 races, 4 wins, 49 top-tens.
Camping World Truck Series: 2016-2019, 4 years, 38 races, 0 wins, 18 top-tens, 1 pole.
ARCA: 2016-2019, 4 years, 17 races, 3 wins, 15 top-tens, 1 pole.
K&N Pro: 2015-2018, 35 races, 5 wins, 25 top-tens, 4 poles.
Notes: 2017 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Champion and 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year.
Todd Gilliland NASCAR Rookie Preview
Todd Gilliland jumps behind the wheel of the No. 38 Ford for Front Row Motorsports. His dad, David Gilliland, piloted the No. 38 during much of his NASCAR Cup Series career. Like the other rookies this season, the younger Gilliland has already logged plenty of laps as a driver. But, of the three rookie drivers competing for the title, he’s the only one that has yet to log laps in a Cup Series or Xfinity Series car during a race.
By the age of 15, he had already won both the North Carolina Quarter Midget Association and USAC World Formula National Quarter Midget Championship. During that span, he logged 34 career wins. In 2014, Gilland won two races in limited late model and late model cars. The Limited Late Model came at Ace Speedway and the Late Model came at Southern National Motorsports Park.
Camping World Truck Series: 2017-2021, 5 years, 93 races, 2 wins, 52 top-tens, 2 poles.
ARCA: 2015, 2018-2020, 4 years, 10 races, 2 wins, 9 top-tens, 2 poles.
K&N Pro: 2015-2019, 5 years, 53 races, 20 wins, 49 top-tens, 15 poles.
Notes: 2016, 2017 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Champion.
Quick Comparison by Team
This is my opinion of how these drivers will perform – simply relating to the teams they are with. Of the three drivers in the battle for the Rookie of the Year title, you have to root for Todd Gilland on some level. He’s jumping into the highest level of NASCAR racing with no seat time in a Cup car and he’s driving for one of the smaller teams in the sport. That takes guts! But, with his racing heritage, he should do well.
But the title may be a battle between Cindric and Burton when you factor in teams. Austin Cindric probably has the best equipment of the three. He’s with Team Penske which has been one of the better teams in the sport over the years. And Harrison Burton becomes the driver of one of the most iconic teams, Wood Brothers, in the sport. Plus, Wood Brothers is partnered with Penske as is often referred to as the 4th Penske car.
It will be exciting to watch the three Rookie of the Year drivers this season. And, it will be interesting to keep an eye out for other drivers that make their first Cup Series appearances during the season in one- off races. Why? Because one of those “one-off” drivers may be racing for the Rookie of the Year title next season!
