How Ty Gibbs Has Early Lead in NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year Derby

• Neither Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing nor Noah Gragson of Legacy Motor Club has been especially impressive through early-season races.

• It’s unlikely anyone at JGR or LMC is terribly worried about their first-year driver.

• After all, only one ROTY winner in the past 10 years has won during his first full season.

Five races aren’t necessarily a fair sampling, especially when no short tracks or road courses are included. That’s why it’s probably too early to judge this year’s two-man NASCAR Cup Series rookie of the year class other than to say they clearly have a lot to learn.

Neither Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing nor Noah Gragson of Legacy Motor Club has been especially impressive through early-season races in Daytona Beach, Fontana, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Atlanta. They’ll do their first road race this weekend at COTA near Austin and their first short-track race on April 2 at Richmond.

Gibbs’s best result has been ninth last weekend near Atlanta, where Gragson finished a season’s-best 12th. Combined, though, seven of their 10 finishes have been in the 20’s and 30’s. Gragson has led the only lap (one) and has no DNF’s; Gibbs’s has one DNF. Each has occasionally run among the top 10, but only Gibbs has managed to finish there.

It’s unlikely anyone at JGR or LMC is terribly worried about their first-year driver. After all, only one ROTY winner in the past 10 years has won during his first full season: Team Penske driver Austin Cindric won last year’s season-opening Daytona 500. Other than 2014 rookie winner Kyle Larson (19 victories) and 2016 rookie winner Chase Elliott (18), the eight other rookies since 2013 have combined for only 15 victories.