While Kevin Harvick ran away with the 2001 Rookie of the Year title, Kurt Busch arguably emerged as the most successful driver from this rookie class.
A look back at a decade of rookies in NASCAR
Take a look at the 2000 rookie class
2001 Rookie Class
1. Kevin Harvick- Harvick replaced the late Dale Earnhardt following the tragic accident at Daytona. No other driver encountered as much pressure as Harvick in 2001. The unproven youngster won the Rookie of the Year for Richard Childress in the NASCAR Nationwide Series the year before, and the plan was to promote him to the Cup series in 2002 with Earnhardt as a mentor. He was to drive the third RCR car sponsored by America Online. Harvick captured an emotional victory at Atlanta in just his third start roughly a monthly after Earnhardt’s passing. The win somewhat eased the pain of losing Dale Earnhardt, at least for a day. He won at Chicagoland that July, and clinched the Rookie of the Year honors while finishing ninth in the standings. Furthermore, he won the Nationwide Series title, and paved the way for the current trend of full-time Cup drivers running a full-time Nationwide schedule. Harvick won the 2006 Nationwide title, the 2007 Daytona 500, and his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team won the series’ title in 2007 with Ron Hornaday as the driver. Overall, Harvick has earned eleven career victories, and won the 2007 All-Star event.
2. Kurt Busch- While Harvick ran away with the 2001 Rookie of the Year title, Kurt Busch arguably emerged as the most successful driver from this rookie class. Though his rookie season was unbalanced, the Roush Fenway Racing driver enjoyed a breakout season in 2002 by winning four races and finishing third in the championship standings. He won four races again in 2003, but because of his aggressive driving style and arrogant demeanor, he materialized as the most ostracized driver in the garage. A recurrent feud with popular veteran Jimmy Spencer highlighted the 2002 and 2003 seasons. In 2004, Busch won three races and the Sprint Cup championship. He was the first driver to win the title under the Chase for the Championship format. Under the traditional championship format, he would have come up short in the championship race. Following the 2005, season, Busch left Roush Fenway Racing for Penske Racing. Since joining Penske Racing, Busch has earned three wins and qualified for the 2007 Chase for the Championship. He has recorded 17 career victories.
3. Casey Atwood- Atwood is a classic case of ‘what ever happened to’. Branded the next Jeff Gordon when Ray Evernham signed him in 2000, Atwood was the driver favored to win the 2001 Rookie of the Year award. He became the poster boy of Dodge’s return to NASCAR. Atwood won a Nationwide Series race at the age of 18 in 1999 at Milwaukee, which immediately propelled him into the spotlight. His rookie campaign was a bitter disappointment, as he scored three top ten finishes and one pole award. Evernham replaced Atwood with veteran Jeremy Mayfield, and demoted Atwood to a third car partially owned by Jim Smith in 2002. The 2002 season was a debacle for Atwood as the team replaced him with Jason Leffler with two races left in the season. Atwood remained under contract with Evernham Motorsports in 2003 and drove the team’s third car at Pocono and Indianapolis. He moved on to FitzBradshaw Racing’s Nationwide Series team in 2004 before they replaced him with David Stremme. Since FitzBradshaw canned the Tennessee native, Atwood has virtually disappeared from the NASCAR radar. He started a couple of races for Brewco Motorsports and served as a backup driver at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2006. He left Bobby Hamilton Racing’s Craftsman Truck Series team after three races in 2005.
4. Jason Leffler- Leffler was a rising star in the Nationwide Series driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2000. Chip Ganassi Racing was able to lure him away to drive the Cingular Wireless Dodge in 2001. Leffler’s rookie season was a struggle, and winning the pole at the inaugural race at Kansas was the highlight of his rookie season. Ganassi replaced Leffler with Jimmy Spencer in 2002. Leffler accepted a ride in the Craftsman Truck Series with Ultra Motorsports and moved on to Haas CNC Racing in 2003, where he competed in ten Cup races. In 2005, Joe Gibbs Racing re-hired Leffler to drive the #11 Federal Express Chevrolet. However, his return to the organization that originally put him on the NASCAR map was short-lived. Due to lack of performance, Gibbs hired Terry Labonte, J.J. Yeley, and Denny Hamlin to take over the ride. Leffler returned to the Nationwide Series to drive for Braun Racing in 2005. Leffler still drives for Braun Racing, and gave Toyota their first win in the Nationwide Series at O’Reilly Raceway Park in August of 2007.
5. Ron Hornaday- Hornaday signed with A.J. Foyt Racing to drive the Conseco Pontiac. Unlike his rookie peers, Hornaday was no stranger to NASCAR. He was involved in the sport over a decade before his rookie season in 2001. The team was financially strapped and eventually, Foyt released him near season’s end. Hornaday returned to the Craftsman Truck Series where he has enjoyed most of his success. In 2003, he joined Richard Childress Racing’s Nationwide Series program where he finished third in the championship standings. He left RCR following the 2004 season, and signed with Kevin Harvick, Inc. In 2007, Hornday captured his third Craftsman Truck Series title, his first for Harvick.
6. Andy Houston- Cal Wells, III signed Houston as the second driver at PPI Motorsports with McDonald’s as the primary sponsor. His rookie season was a disaster and McDonald’s scaled back their sponsorship package with the team. the team would eventually disband. Houson has yet to appear in another Cup race. However, he has driven in various Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series races. Houston served as John Andretti’s spotter in the Nationwide Series in 2006. He is the cousin of Teresa Earnhardt.
