The 2014 NASCAR Rookie Class… 10 Years Later

The 2014 NASCAR rookie class is one of the many bright spots for the 2014 NASCAR season overall. After years of subpar rookie classes we had a large crop of young g drivers looking to make a name for themselves. Now in 2024, 10 years past their debut Cup season we can look back and see just how well or poorly they all panned out. This is the 2014 NASCAR rookie class… 10 years later.
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#nascar #motorsports #racing

[@TheIceberg]

What NASCAR rookie classes do you think had the greatest impact on the sport?

[@Christopherbellfan203]

1979

[@crystaljon]

'06, easily.

[@revrasheemstewart]

2002, 2000, 1998, 1993, and 2016 😊

[@revrasheemstewart]

@@Christopherbellfan203 true 👍

[@revrasheemstewart]

@@crystaljon good choice

[@seannolan9857]

Something to think about with Cole Whitt: After BK bought the #26, in the 20 races where he and Bowman were both running at the finish, he finished ahead of Bowman 18-2. Dude was seriously talented.

[@emmettm7482]

I can tell you why- Cole lived in the shop. I toured BK Racing in 2014 and they invited me in, gave me a free tour where I got to see literally everything (haulers, repairing a damaged car, offices). The person (pretty sure it was the owner) told me “if you guys stick around, I’m sure Cole Whitt is gonna stop by. He’s here nearly every day.” Within 5 minutes, Cole was talking to the crew about the car, pushing it towards to hauler for Daytona (the race where he T-boned and flipped Kyle Busch). Absolutely amazing experience, still have the hat (signed by the BK Racing drivers), shirt, and a Dr Pepper pit crew jersey. They might not have done NASCAR and sponsorship right, but they did shop tours right.

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Too bad he wasn't given a chance after BK folded entirely. Probably should've gotten a Truck ride just like Brett Moffit.

[@bighand1530]

I like the KFC car Rich Bickle drove.

[@anncase8673]

2004 and 1994 were also great classes too I'll say this, Larson having those off track problems and getting booted from Ganassi was probably the best thing that ever happened to him because he got a ride with Hendrick and had a phenomenal season in his first year back

[@Christopherjfarlow]

Spot on. I come from another timeline and Austin Cindric in the 5 just didn't have the same impact as your timeline.

[@bighand1530]

2021 is an underrated year. Kyle Larson isn’t a hype show. He is the real deal.

[@camillaquelladegliaggettiv4303]

​@@bighand1530 Man just qualified on the second row at the Indy 500 Yep, I think he's good

[@naparacingfan9275]

2014 was also the last year a driver attempted the Indy Coke double. Hopefully Larson can finish as well as or better than Kurt at Indy and actually finish the 600.

[@Suburban-United]

Kurt's motor let go in the 600. Otherwise, he would've had a pretty decent finish.

[@turbo_marc]

2014 was the year I started watching NASCAR. Crazy to think about how that was 10 years ago.

[@NASCARFAN93100]

2014 was a magical year for NASCAR

[@jaredwallace9181]

Honestly one of the best seasons to date. Dale literally won the championship in the old format

[@taylorbertrim7625]

You should keep going through rookie years and how they are doing now.

[@turbo_marc]

2014 was the year I started NASCAR, crazy to think about how that was 10 years ago.

[@romeoecho9947]

Best rookie class ever? 1979 without question. Earnhardt and Labonte combined for 9 championships. Add Gant to the mix and the amount of wins rise above the 100 mark.

[@zzz6valvoline]

I remember some thought Dillon was better than Larson back then. 😂

[@molahli_koketso22]

Right, and if you think about it RCR in 2014 was better than Ganassi

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

Nowadays…who knows about RCR. Maybe Kyle Busch is overdriving the equipment and Dillion is - instead of having a bad couple years - accurately representing where RCR is at.

[@7sins435]

Imagine what would’ve been of he doesn’t say the Nword, him and chastain at trackhouse? suarez probably goes to spire or xfinity, allgaier maybe goes to cup in the 5? etc

[@gnnascarfan2410]

8:50 I began watching in 2010 and remember how many hated this move in 2014 as well!

[@emmettm7482]

Context on Cole Whitt- he started his rookie campaign with Swan, then his team was bought by BK after Swan folded before the Richmond race. Later career- he elected to retire to spend time with family, slowly scaling to part time, splitting duties w/ Corey Lajoie I believe. He had already told his crew that the season was his last by August or September of his last year. Based on what I heard from the BK Racing employee (story above under Whitt’s stats against Bowman’s), Whitt put so much of himself into the cars and succeeding his choices seemed to be retire or not be as involved w/ a family, so he elected the family option.

[@isaiahmarker407]

I'd love to see him come back part time

[@hunternixonfishing2500]

I predicted in 2014 Larson would be the next Jeff Gordon and he would live up to the hype. And he hasn’t even reached his peak I don’t believe

[@nascarsteve]

Larson clearly outdrove his equipment at Ganassi.

[@zt5547]

​@@nascarsteveHis results at Ganassi weren't any better than Kurt Busch's.

[@bighand1530]

@@zt5547 Gotta give credit to Kurt Busch where it’s due. He was able to win in at least 1 race with each of the teams he was with.

[@Kartkid024]

He is a good driver, but I don't see him ever being the next Jeff Gordon. I think Cliff Daniels will for sure allow him to exceed expectations, but in the end I think he will end up on the same level as Kenseth or Earnhardt JR. Still very respectable though.

[@joshuapittman4663]

@@Kartkid024he’s already been better than Jr and Kenseth… He just doesn’t have as many wins yet. If he maintains the average number of wins he’s had since 2021, which so far he has, he will finish his career with 50-60 wins. Had he been in HMS equipment since 2014, it’s very possible that he could’ve caught Jeff in wins by the end of his career.

[@zero_one4056]

I think there should be a new series from you “in hindsight” and the hindsight of various rookie classes giving stats and ultimately how differently careers ended. Preferably starting with 2001 because that was the most recent rookie season to die out (i think)

[@ATK10155]

I remember being at the Bristol Night race in 2021 thinking wow, I think hendrick found their guy. He races Bristol like there weren’t walls on it

[@Billybob-ez6cx]

You said Parker was “not in a great situation” as he slides on his roof. Perfection lol

[@Chacason]

Great timing I was just about to rewatch this season

[@TanDawg58]

I had forgotten that PK was part of that class, but... 2014s Cup season. A year, as a Joe Nemechek fan, I choose to forget.

[@RacingFan48_]

I mean idk how you survived the years prior as a nemechek fan

[@blueredlover1060]

Why does Austin Dillon give me Jamie McMurray vibes?

[@Crussell04]

I don’t know. Jamie was actually good unlike dillon.

[@grasstocher1234]

​@@Crussell04Jamie always finished in top 20 and top 15 in standings and only finished outside of top 20 with dei and Austin dillon is never got a top 10 and now he is sitting 31st fr

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

I guess it's because he's sponsored by Bass Pro Shops.

[@ringoflatts6571]

I have a love hate relationship with the 2014 season. I loved seeing Jeff Gordon do well, but I also was enraged that he couldn’t even compete for the championship even though he was statistically the best car that year.

[@corbinselanne7990]

I think Cole Whitt's most memorable moment is from the Huge One at Daytona in the Coke Zero 400. As the guy who flipped Kyle Busch at the end of it. Kyle's response: "Just havin' a good ol' time over here. Just hangin' around."

[@jingles123456789ify]

Lmao of course Austin Dillon won the 500 20 years after Dale Sr did. Nascar loves their heavy handed storylines

[@Itsgamingtime11-co5kp]

I’m just watching All Star Open qualifying and, how did Austin Dillon make the pole?

[@need4speed5353]

Austin Dillon and Justin Haley is the front row of all time

[@Itsgamingtime11-co5kp]

@@need4speed5353 YEAH!!

[@jamesearl88]

Nope both starting in the 8th row..

[@kfizz21]

@@need4speed5353is a front row of time

[@diecastreviewracing]

this is the era where i started watching nascar, 10 years whew!

[@molahli_koketso22]

2016 Rookie class is also doing good hey, Buescher, Blaney and Elliot

[@jamesvecchio5918]

Whitt didn't run out of a sponsorship as much as he got tired of being a backend driver and wanted more time with his family.

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

Interesting. I think a lot of us don’t think about how absurdly long the NASCAR seasons are compared to other sports. And if you do any off-season testing, it’s basically 10.5-11 months of the year non-stop. I’m honestly surprised there aren’t more people that kind of burn out mentally/physically well before they run out of talent. (Not saying he did, but just generally)

[@mlptcb]

Definitely 2000! Dale Earnhardt Jr & Matt Kenseth- and they both won races in there rookie season

[@ethanbenfield2285]

I call 2014 the end of the silver era of nascar (2005-2014) with the golden era being 1979-2004). And if youre curious, I call 2015-2021 the dark ages, and 2022-now the resurgance.

[@tobiojo6469]

Awesome video

[@need4speed5353]

8:32 how dare you confuse Austin Dillon with our lord and savior Ty Dillon. Smh my head

[@alanluscombe8a553]

Lol

[@richardhogenson594]

Just think about it if it wasn’t for Covid he might not have been available for Hendrick Motorsports.

[@StarTheKid16]

His contract was up after 2020, so regardless of "the incident" he was going to HMS in 2021 IMO. The only difference is he'd be driving the 48 instead of the 5.

[@cito1101]

We all know who came out most successful after 2014.

[@brantbridges526]

Austin DILLON!!

[@cito1101]

@@brantbridges526 Love the sarcasm

[@bowmanfan9731]

i wonder where cole whitt is now, the 72 had some decent schemes in 2017 despite running 35th to last every race, those peak antifreeze cars looked lowkey awesome, it was the car i picked all the freaking time way back in nascar heat 2 and because its a nascar video game, i ran top 10 for most of the races i ran

[@kkmdew09]

I said as early as 2017 I think it was once he got a win with Chip Ganassi that if he were ever in top tier equipment he would likely win a championship, but when he joined HMS, even as an HMS fan since 2002 ish knowing HMS was a championship caliber team no one could never have called how huge he would become and a 10 win championship in his FIRST year in the HMS car.

[@rocksreviewsreactions337]

Jarret looks a lot like Austin Dillion.

[@JackCallSports]

Which Dylan Kwasnieski was one of them…

[@FireboltPrime]

Had Turner-Scott not been so dysfunctional, we may have seen him in either the 2015 or 2016 rookie class

[@blakedarst9053]

2000. Dale Jr and Matt Kenseth is the best rookie class I remember watching.

[@alanluscombe8a553]

I’ve always liked Larson but for the first few years he killed me cause he would be in a spot for a win or good finish and hit the damn wall running next to it. Yes he was fast next to the wall but Jesus he hit it so many times doing it. Thank god it’s gotten better

[@cjfastfoot]

2016 2 cup champions Chase Elliott and Blaney or 2006 Martin Truex jr and Denny Hamlin

[@user-qn8pp6nr6i]

William Byron hasn't won a championship

[@user-qn8pp6nr6i]

Neither has Hamlin

[@cjfastfoot]

@user-qn8pp6nr6i meant Blaney oops and Hamlin is a 3x Daytona 500 Champ

[@nascarsteve]

Clint Bowyer was in the 2006 rookie class as well.

[@cjfastfoot]

@@nascarsteve Oh yeah

[@jeremyrounds6821]

As a huge mark Martin fan I was looking for a new fave when he retired in 2013. Larson became that guy and I’m not disappointed in my choice

[@scottmoyershatbackwordsbel7095]

The 1979 rookie class of Dale Earnhardt, joe Milikikan, Terry Labonte and Harry Gant are the best statistical class.

[@TheSlothNerd64]

When you put the talent of Kyle Larson, with the Galactic Empire that of Hendrick Motorsports... NASCAR was screwed in terms of parody.

[@anonymousperson2981]

2000

[@MatthewHarding007]

I wonder if TNT will air NASCAR in the UK

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Thats interesting they probably will but TNT sports hasn't even advertised NASCAR on there KZbin channel yet. They only advertised that they will carry the FA Cup. Pfft

[@MatthewHarding007]

@@runrafarunthebestintheworld mind you there is still 12 months yet

[@nichzsporttv9057]

If TNT broadcasts live in the UK, I'm watching

[@Nascar332]

2000-2010 my personal opinion

[@nascarsteve]

Whitt was brought up through USAC with RedBull sponsorship, and I think they followed him to ARCA. If Allgaier wasn't driving for a garbage H-Scott team, he would probably still be in Cup. He has the talent and the sponsorship. Some of these guys I completely forgot about running Cup, Kligerman was rushed too soon, glad he's found a home in XFinity. Annett was only sponsorship dollars, Bowman outperformed his equipment and Ryan Truex was rushed and it kinda ruined his career, and like Parker, glad to see him land some wins in XFinity. Talented rookie class, crazy it's already been 10 years!

[@cmoore185]

Billionaire car owners rarely make bad business decisions. Look at Hailie Deegan and it is plain that marketability is more important than talent.

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

Ryan Truex may have been rushed but he wasn't given good equipment either.

[@JayStephens8]

Where has the time gone like what the hell

[@hunterhensley5740]

Bowman is still one of the most consistant drivers even at hendrick

[@eldiablort1461]

The power needs to come back. 900hp should be a thing, if not 1k. And with hybrid tech.

[@tarheelsfan93]

1979 greatest rookie class of all time

[@wasp_hive_library]

I think Kyle Larson was also p1 in Indy 500 practice yesterday

[@Dartingleopard]

He qualified P5, not bad considering his lack of IndyCar experience. That is better than Kyle Busch, who started 12th.

[@KidLatin27]

2014 2000 and 2005.😊

[@SmashGuyROA]

Cole Whitt was the man! He deserved better.

[@jamesearl88]

That 5 is bad fast

[@Atari2600Gamer]

Kevin Conway

[@bighand1530]

What does the Batman voice actor gotta do with this vid?

[@wpflesh6510]

The 1979 Rookie class aint nothin to sneeze at with names like Earnhardt,Gant,Labonte and Bodine

[@seannolan9857]

Bodine debuted in '79, but he didn't run enough to lose his eligibility. Came back and won ROTY in '82.

[@xavierjuno4572]

​@@seannolan9857kinda sucks he had to beat Mark Martin though considering MM needed the money more

[@Nascar23]

Bubba Wallace ❤ I think he’s made a impact

[@adgibson82]

Best class has to be 1979. IYKYK.

[@k-trainproductions6517]

I think the 2020 class as a whole is better

[@horsepowercowboy3698]

1999 rookie class or 2002

[@zt5547]

Bowman is at Hendrick only because Ally wants him.

[@seanschadegg1133]

Yeah because winning races at HMS, being able to lead points, and currently has the most top 10s and is top 3 in top 5s this year means nothing. Idiot

[@Neon12814]

yeah not like Mr H resigned him or anything lol.

[@zt5547]

@@Neon12814 He resigned him because Ally keeps paying for him to race. It's not like Rick resigned him for his amazing driving abilities lol.

[@Neon12814]

@@zt5547 he’s won every year he’s been healthy aside from his first season at HMS the dude literally broke his back last year and he’s the most consistent driver this season.

[@zt5547]

@@Neon12814 He has only 7 wins in 7 seasons with Hendrick. When you're driving for Hendrick you're supposed to win multiple races every year. Even this year he's the only Hendrick driver who hasn't won. His sponsorship with Ally is one of the largest in NASCAR - that's really the only reason Rick is keeping him in that #48.

[@kevinkenyon3431]

The way you pronounce Jr motorsports gives me a headache its junior yk like dale jr the owner of the team

[@Official_Dream]

Austin Dillion doesn’t deserve to drive the 3 car

[@S.K.R.E.Inc.]

For all we know, the rookies from 2015 onwards are all paper-thin in personality and racing. Gone are the rookies that ACTUALLY BROUGHT SOMETHING TO THE TABLE. From standing out in looks (Gordon), making a niche of their own instead of being in the shadow of a great (Jr, Harvick), or when a new guy takes another new guy under his wing (Johnson). Neither around are the troublemakers (Busch, Keslowski, Logano, Hamlin), or insane gamblers staking it all on a move (Chastain), or those changing an entire points system because of how they performed (Kenseth, Newman). They're all gone, all that's left is just generic drivers with racing similar to the 100s cars in the EA NASCAR games and no personality that leans in EITHER direction (like Kyle Larson being portrayed as a saint, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch embracing their evil side, or Chastain that can go in either direction depending on how he feels that day). It's sad to a point

[@alanluscombe8a553]

The biggest thing for me is that the new drivers today aren’t relatable like they used to be. Davey Allison worked in his dad’s shop and a ton of those guys worked really hard and now we have people like Ty Gibbs and it’s only about money. New drivers have also gotten younger and younger which I get but it’s hard for a 35 year old to look up to or relate to an 18 year old rich kid

[@corwintipper7317]

I mean saying n***** on live tv has got to count for something

[@xavierjuno4572]

​@@alanluscombe8a553Ya with the economy nowadays, it's hard for a driver to rise up the ranks through sheer grit alone, not unless their uber talented and a top team picks them up as soon as possible

[@fortunemotorsports97]

Larson won that class no doubt

[@xavierjuno4572]

Ya it's not exactly hard to see the #1 in this class

[@NASCARFAN4EVER]

W Kyle Larson!

[@thomasturner9524]

I dont think that they should have brought the 3 back. im sorry, but that was Dale's number, and it should have been retired with his death there should be a rule in nascar about that same with richard petty when he dies if anything it should be jrs option to do with as please and sorry but austin Dillon has not lived up to that numbers reputation thanks to dale

[@Ka_Gg]

Mark my words. KYLE LARSON WILL BE A BUST. *Checks notes* I mean busting at the seams fat off all the success

[@loganpinner5212]

I am new to Nascar, I’m done with stick and ball sports pretty much completely. I love NASCAR and the IMSA series a lot as well as motocross. Thank you for teaching me about the sport that I am just getting into 🫡

[@eldiablort1461]

The power needs to come back. 900hp should be a thing, if not 1k. And with hybrid tech.