Did William Byron take top rookie honors at New Hampshire? (Photo Credit: Josh Jones/TPF)
After each race, I will take a look at our two Rookie of the Year (ROTY) contenders and any other drivers deemed a “rookie,” such as the case for the Foxwoods 301
Like a professor, a grade will be provided for their performance on the track. All things considered, a high finish doesn’t necessarily mean a good grade, as a bad finish doesn’t always result in a bad grade.
Let’s take a look at how our two ROTY contenders fared following the Foxwoods 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Loudon was a bit of a grind for Bubba Wallace as he managed a 24th place finish. (Photo Credit: Josh Jones/TPF)
Bubba Wallace
It was a rough start to the Foxwoods 301 for Bubba Wallace. The No.43 was loose at the start of the race which made for a long first run for Wallace. At the first pit stop, Wallace was running 30th. After some major changes on pit road, Wallace started gaining spots but struggled to break into the top ranks all race.
The most exciting part of Wallace’s race was his run for the Lucky Dog spot. Besides that, his race was fairly boring and uneventful.
Wallace finished his day 24th and 2 laps down from race winner Kevin Harvick.
Foxwoods 301 Grade: C
Notes: At this time, Wallace sits 43 points behind fellow Rookie contender William Byron for the ROTY title.
Byron had one of his more solid performances at Loudon. (Photo Credit: Josh Jones/TPF)
William Byron
Byron had a decent run at New Hampshire in spite of the rain, even throwing up a great lap time in qualifying. Byron started the race 11th and kept himself in contention for a good and respectable finish at the end of 301 laps.
In the early laps, Byron had a fast car but struggled to pass and was tight in the center. Besides a short drop in the field, Byron mostly stayed in the top 20 after an adjustment on pit road.
Byrons day was uneventful, but he fought hard to stay in the top 20 and his hard work paid off. He finished 14th and on the lead lap.
Foxwoods 301 Grade: B+
Notes: Byron leads the Rookie standings with 358 points, but he shouldn’t get too comfortable. There is still plenty of racing left for Wallace to catch up and take the lead.
