via RotoWorld/Dan Beaver
On the heels of a great rookie battle between Chase Elliottand Ryan Blaney, NASCAR fans and fantasy owners are going to be rewarded with another pair of strong rookies in 2017. With the announcement that Ty Dillon will compete in the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet, Erik Jones will have some stiff competition and the two will spur one another to greater heights.
Just like last year’s contest between Elliott and Blaney, however, there will be a clear cut winner of the honor—and in all likelihood Jones will join teammate Martin Truex Jr. and corporate partners Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, and Denny Hamlin in the Chase.
The changing of the guard slowed considerably for a while. From 1999 through 2007, new blood was infused into NASCAR with frequency and Tony Stewart (1999 ROTY winner), Kenseth, (2000 ROTY), Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, (2001 ROTY), Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman (2002 ROTY), Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray (2003 ROTY), Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne (2004 ROTY), Kyle Busch (2005 ROTY), Denny Hamlin (2006 ROTY), Clint Bowyer, Truex, Juan Pablo Montoya (2007 ROTY), David Ragan, and AJ Allmendinger became permanent fixtures in the sport. These drivers made up nearly half the field in last year’s races, but there was no room at the top following that surge.
These drivers combined for 18 wins in the first full season of competition.
With the departure of some key contenders like Jeff Gordon and Stewart, NASCAR owners are starting to look around for their replacements and the current trend seems to be to develop the drivers in satellite teams. Jones owes his ride at Furniture Row to a partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing. Dillon has his Germain Racing ride because of an affiliation with Richard Childress Racing and sophomore Chris Buescher gets another year to develop at JTG-Daugherty Racing because of an agreement with Roush-Fenway Racing.
That puts these drivers in much better equipment than most of the rookie contenders from 2008 through 2012 and it is having an impact on fantasy players. Buescher was the first rookie to win a race in his freshman year since Logano in 2009 and that was only because of strategy. It was with some surprise that Elliott failed to win last year, however, and the odds are good that Jones is going to at least challenge for trophies. Getting that elusive first victory is difficult, however.
The best guess is that Jones will run well on the same venues that favored Elliott and Blaney in 2016. By that, we mean he is going to be a great dark horse on similarly-configured, 1.5-mile tracks because three of his six XFINITY victories came on this course type: one a Texas Motor Speedway and two and Chicagoland Speedway. Jones also won at Dover International Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Iowa Speedway, so he should be watched closely on fast short tracks.
2016
Erik Jones did not run any races
Recent ROTY Winners:
2016: Chase Elliott, (Ryan Blaney second)
2015: Brett Moffitt
2014: Kyle Larson, (Austin Dillon second)
2013: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., (Danica Patrick second)
2012: Stephen Leicht
2011: Andy Lally
2010: Kevin Conway
2009: Joey Logano
2008: Regan Smith
Just like last year’s contest between Elliott and Blaney, however, there will be a clear cut winner of the honor—and in all likelihood Jones will join teammate Martin Truex Jr. and corporate partners Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, and Denny Hamlin in the Chase.
The changing of the guard slowed considerably for a while. From 1999 through 2007, new blood was infused into NASCAR with frequency and Tony Stewart (1999 ROTY winner), Kenseth, (2000 ROTY), Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, (2001 ROTY), Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman (2002 ROTY), Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray (2003 ROTY), Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne (2004 ROTY), Kyle Busch (2005 ROTY), Denny Hamlin (2006 ROTY), Clint Bowyer, Truex, Juan Pablo Montoya (2007 ROTY), David Ragan, and AJ Allmendinger became permanent fixtures in the sport. These drivers made up nearly half the field in last year’s races, but there was no room at the top following that surge.
These drivers combined for 18 wins in the first full season of competition.
With the departure of some key contenders like Jeff Gordon and Stewart, NASCAR owners are starting to look around for their replacements and the current trend seems to be to develop the drivers in satellite teams. Jones owes his ride at Furniture Row to a partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing. Dillon has his Germain Racing ride because of an affiliation with Richard Childress Racing and sophomore Chris Buescher gets another year to develop at JTG-Daugherty Racing because of an agreement with Roush-Fenway Racing.
That puts these drivers in much better equipment than most of the rookie contenders from 2008 through 2012 and it is having an impact on fantasy players. Buescher was the first rookie to win a race in his freshman year since Logano in 2009 and that was only because of strategy. It was with some surprise that Elliott failed to win last year, however, and the odds are good that Jones is going to at least challenge for trophies. Getting that elusive first victory is difficult, however.
The best guess is that Jones will run well on the same venues that favored Elliott and Blaney in 2016. By that, we mean he is going to be a great dark horse on similarly-configured, 1.5-mile tracks because three of his six XFINITY victories came on this course type: one a Texas Motor Speedway and two and Chicagoland Speedway. Jones also won at Dover International Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Iowa Speedway, so he should be watched closely on fast short tracks.
2016
Erik Jones did not run any races
Recent ROTY Winners:
2016: Chase Elliott, (Ryan Blaney second)
2015: Brett Moffitt
2014: Kyle Larson, (Austin Dillon second)
2013: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., (Danica Patrick second)
2012: Stephen Leicht
2011: Andy Lally
2010: Kevin Conway
2009: Joey Logano
2008: Regan Smith
Track
|
3-Yr
Avg. Fin |
Career
Avg. Fin |
Best
Fin |
Career
Attempts |
Career
Top-10s |
Race 1
|
Race 2
|
Texas Motor Speedway
|
12.0
|
12.0
|
12
|
1
| |||
Phoenix International Raceway
|
19.0
|
19.0
|
19
|
1
| |||
Kansas Speedway
|
40.0
|
40.0
|
40
|
1
|
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