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Team Penske driver Austin Cindric started the 2022 NASCAR season with a victory in the season-opening Daytona 500. Cindric was officially named the Sunoco Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Cup Series for 2022 at the end of Sunday’s Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway.
The 24-year-old became the second driver in the history of Team Penske to win Rookie of the Year since dating back to Ryan Newman winning the award in 2002. Cindric winning this title also marks the third consecutive year that a Ford driver has fielded a top series newcomer following Cole Custer and Chase Briscoe winning the award in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
Cindric finished out the impressive 2022 season with a 11th place finish at Phoenix Raceway. His Rookie of the Year title was secured by virtue of his performances throughout the season, which saw him become the top-finishing rookie over ROTY contenders Harrison Burton and Todd Gilliland.
The #2 Ford driver’s Daytona 500 victory made him the very first driver to secure a spot in the playoffs and he later advanced into the Round of 12 in the playoffs. He has scored five top-5 and nine top-10 finishes, led 86 laps, and also won his first career pole at Auto Club Speedway in February. Austin Cindric also finished 12th in the final championship standings - the best finish for a rookie driver since 2016.
The series' other Rookie of the Year contenders are Wood Brother driver Harrison Burton and Front Row Motorsports driver Todd Gilliland. Burton finished 27th in the standings with a best finish of third place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Burton closed out the year with a 19th-place finish at Phoenix.
While Gilliland finished 28th in the standings with a best finish of fourth place at the Indy Road Course, and closed out the season with a 29th-place finish at Phoenix.
Who won the 2022 Rookie of the Year award at NASCAR’s Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series
Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Hill won the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year award with the help of his two victories at Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hill ended the season with a ninth-place finish in the season finale race at Phoenix Raceway and grabbed the ROTY title.
Driving the #51 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2022, Corey Heim clinched the Rookie of the Year Award with his impressive run of the season. Heim finished 211 points ahead of Lawless Alan for his rookie title win.
