The Top of the Heap
Denny Hamlin, and Martin Truex Jr. both finished in the top five in the final 2005 Busch series standings. Both drivers are moving up into quality teams that know how to win, and know how to support a young driver. Each driver has plusses and minuses which make this a very tough selection process.
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin moves into the Joe Gibbs Racing #11 that he drove for seven races at the end of 2005. Hamlin was extremely impressive in those seven races managing three top tens and one pole.
Clearly Denny Hamlin can get the job done. Given that one of his teammates is the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Champion there is a lot of wisdom on the team that he will be able to draw from. I would not be surprised to see Denny Hamlin in Victory Lane in 2006.
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr. will move up to the NEXTEL Cup Series after winning the last two Busch Series Championships. Truex will move into the #1 car but will have the 2005 car owner points from Michael Waltrip's #15 team. This will help him early in the season if qualifying doesn't go well.
After winning two Busch titles there is little doubt about whether or not Martin Truex Jr. can be successful in NASCAR. There is doubt however about whether or not Dale Earnhardt Inc. has the resources to provide Truex with winning cars and nurture a rookie through his first year.
The Final Prediction
This year the Raybestos Rookie of the Year battle will be as hotly contested as I have ever seen. Any one of the top five drivers could walk away with the crown. However, in my mind it comes down to two drivers, Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin.
There are plusses and minuses for both drivers. It's very hard not to pick the two-time defending Busch Series Champ but I have serious reservations about his team. At the same time can Joe Gibbs Racing provide enough support to help both of their two rookies through the 2006 campaign? Truex has more experience but Hamlin performed better in his seven 2005 NEXTEL Cup races. This is a nailbiter.
Both drivers are future superstars but I can only pick one. I'm going to call Denny Hamlin the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year.
