NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year revealed
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www.on3.comHere’s the latest on NASCAR Rookie of the Year status, focusing on Cup Series ROY as of May 2026.
Brief answer
- The latest widely recognized NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year (ROY) award went to Carson Hocevar for the 2024 season. There isn’t a different Cup ROY recipient announced for 2025 in the top-tier category, as the 2025 season progressed with other drivers, but the official 2024 ROY remains the most recent completed year publicly confirmed. If you’re looking for updates on a specific ROY title in a different series (Xfinity, Truck) or for the 2025 season, I can dig into that specifically.
Context and details
- Cup Series ROY history: The ROY title recognizes the top rookie in the NASCAR Cup Series each season and is decided after the season’s final race. Carson Hocevar was named the 2024 Cup Series ROY, finishing the season with a notable rookie campaign that included a podium at Watkins Glen and consistency across multiple top-10 finishes. This marked him as the third Michigan-born driver to win the Cup ROY, following Johnny Benson and Erik Jones.[1][2]
- Notable contemporaries in 2024 ROY race: The 2024 rookie class included drivers like Josh Berry, Zane Smith, and Kaz Grala, who were competitors for the ROY honors in that season’s close race. The ROY race typically pits a small group of rookies across Cup teams against each other in a multi-month points battle, culminating after the finale at Phoenix or the season-end race.[8][1]
What I can do next
- If you want, I can pull the latest updates on:
- 2025 Cup Series ROY status and whether a new ROY was crowned after the 2025 season.
- ROY winners in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series for 2025 or 2026.
- Any official statements or press releases from NASCAR or teams announcing ROY honors for the current year.
- I can also compare Cup ROY winners across the last 5–10 years in a simple table (driver, team, season, notable results) if that would help.
Notes on sources
- The 2024 Cup Series ROY announcement and details around Carson Hocevar’s season are reported by multiple outlets, including CBS Sports and On3, noting Hocevar’s ROY title and season performance. Additional historical context about other Michigan ROY winners comes from the same coverage.[2][1]
If you’d like, tell me whether you’re interested in:
- The latest 2025-2026 ROY status for Cup, Xfinity, or Trucks
- A year-by-year summary table of ROY winners in Cup for the last decade
- A quick lookup of where Carson Hocevar stands today in relation to ROY history