Noah Gragson and Ty Gibbs, entering their first full-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series, will compete for the series’ Rookie of the Year title.
Although Gragson, with 18 races, and Gibbs, with 15, ran in Cup competition last season, they will be officially considered rookies this year.
Gragson is moving into Cup with the Legacy Motor Club team, and Gibbs replaces Kyle Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing.
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Gragson and Gibbs were involved in several incidents last season in pursuit of the Xfinity Series championship, a title Gibbs eventually won.
Sammy Smith, driving for JGR, will compete with Parker Retzlaff of Jordan Anderson Racing for the Xfinity rookie title this year.
The Craftsman Truck Series has five rookie candidates: Rajah Caruth, Daniel Dye, Nick Sanchez, Jake Garcia and Bret Holmes.
There is the possibility other candidates will apply for rookie status.