The ongoing 2024 Cup Series season features four rookie drivers: Josh Berry, Carson Hocevar, Zane Smith, and Kaz Grala. After 10 races into the calendar, NASCAR is nearly quarter-way there to the season finale in Phoenix making now a good time to assess the performance of these rookies. Adding more credibility to the assessment is the diversity of track-types that the grid has already traveled to.
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The biggest disappointment as far as rookies go this year has been Stewart-Haas Racing’s Berry. He has replaced Kevin Harvick in the iconic #4 Ford Mustang but failed to reach anywhere near the caliber that the position demands. He is yet to finish a race inside the top 10 and has a best finish of 11th place, which came in Richmond. He meddles at 28th spot on the points table.
24-year-old Zane Smith is employed by Spire Motorsports in alliance with Trackhouse Racing to pilot the #71 Chevrolet Camaro. The former Craftsman Truck Series champion hasn’t taken quite well to racing in the top tier, same as Berry. He hasn’t been able to figure out the way to a top 10 finish either and holds a best finish of 13th place (2024 Daytona 500).
Kaz Grala, driver of the #36 Front Row Motorsports Mustang and the #15 Rick Ware Racing Mustang, doesn’t shine much different. Save a couple of top-20 finishes, he has ended up outside the boundaries in pretty much every other race. He stands a step above Smith on the points table at 34th place.
Carson Hocevar leads the race for Rookie of the Year honors
While Berry, Smith and Grala have made it a task to even complete inside the top 20, Hocevar has been displaying exemplary promise. Driving the #77 Chevrolet Camaro for Spire Motorsports, he has five top-20 finishes and one top-10 finish. The top-10 result came in the Texas Motor Speedway and is his best result in the Cup Series. He’s the most consistent among this year’s rookies and stands 21st on the table.
One of the concerns about Hocevar getting into the season was his brashness behind the wheel. It’s safe to say that he has surprised many with his maturity. Coming up on the calendar are more challenging races in Kansas, Darlington, and other infamous venues. How the rookies hold up there will be a big factor in deciding who crosses the checkered flag in the best shape.
