2014 Sprint Cup Series Odds and Predictions: Rookie of the Year Favorites, Dark Horses and Sleepers

2014 Sprint Cup Series Odds and Predictions: Rookie of the Year Favorites, Dark Horses and Sleepers: It has been a rough stretch for rookies in the Cup Series. Since Joey Logano won Rookie of the Year honors in 2009, Kevin Conway, Stephen Leicht and Andy Lally are all among the drivers that have won the award, and none of those three even have a steady ride in the Cup Series in 2014. Granted, last year’s Rookie of the Year Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has shown some promise, but his rookie campaign will be remembered more for his off-track romance with fellow driver Danica Patrick than for anything he did on the track. However, the lackluster rookie classes should come to an emphatic end in 2014 with a loaded group of first-year drivers set to join the Cup Series. Of course, only one of the highly-touted youngsters can come away with top honors, and here is a closer look at how the Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year contenders stack up in 2014.

The Favorites

After claiming the Truck Series title in 2011 and the Nationwide Series crown last year, Austin Dillon will make the jump to the Cup Series full time in 2014. As he has throughout his racing career, he will drive for his grandfather Richard Childress, which means he will continue to be behind the wheel of excellent equipment for a championship-caliber organization. Meanwhile, he managed a couple of top-15 finishes in some spot starts in the Cup Series last year. Dillon is the most accomplished of the rookies, and he will have the most resources at his disposal. As a result, his transition to the Cup Series should be somewhat smooth, giving him an opportunity to deliver consistent results and win Rookie of the Year honors in 2014.

He has surged through the ranks thanks to his ability to drive any type of car on any type of surface and win, and the hype Kyle Larson has been generating landed him a full-time ride with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2014. Larson is a former winner in the Truck Series, and he took home Rookie of the Year honors in the Nationwide Series last year. Perhaps most importantly, he showed top-15 potential in four Cup Series starts at the end of last season. Larson has a reputation for getting the most of his cars and pushing the limit. His style can result in some torn up cars, but it also results in some excellent finishes. It could be a bit of a rollercoaster ride, but Larson could easily pileup enough strong finishes to offset his poor outing and claim Rookie of the Year honors.

The Dark Horses

He has quietly been putting together strong seasons in the Nationwide Series for the past several years, and Justin Allgaier could sneak up and grab Rookie of the Year honors for a variety of reasons. For one, he has the most experience at the Nationwide level of any of the rookies, and he has finished sixth or better in the last six Nationwide seasons. Meanwhile, he will be joining a Phoenix Racing team that has undergone a serious overhaul during the offseason. New owner Harry Scott Jr. has spent plenty of money to upgrade the organization’s equipment, and he hired veteran crew chief Steve Addington to call the shots for Allgaier. Scott seems fully committed to making Phoenix Racing competitive, and Allgaier has enough seat time to hit the ground running.

Heading into the final month of last season, Parker Kligerman’s racing future was in jeopardy. Despite sitting in the top 10 in the Nationwide Series standings as a rookie, the impending shutdown of Kyle Busch Motorsports meant he would be out of a ride. However, Swan racing decided to give Kligerman a couple of starts in the Cup Series at the end of the year, and he responded with a pair of top-25 finishes, including a surprising 18th-place run in his debut. After overachieving in his two Cup starts, Swan Racing decided to give Kligerman a full-time ride in 2014, and after the organization landed some investors in the offseason, he should have even better equipment at his disposal this year. Kligerman is definitely inexperienced, but if his first two starts are a sign of things to come, he is going to adapt quickly.

The Sleeper

Until a couple of weeks ago, Ryan Truex didn’t even have a Cup ride for 2014. However, BK Racing decided to give Truex a full-time ride, and the former K&N East Series champ will finally get a chance to show his stuff. Truex has long been on the radar of NASCAR’s power teams, but a lack of sponsorship at the lower levels has limited him to spot starts. Granted, the equipment at BK Racing is not on par with what many of the other rookies will be working with, but Truex is widely considered to be as talented, if not more so, as any young driver in the sport today. If he really is the real deal, Truex could overcome his equipment disadvantage to make a surprise run at the Rookie of the Year Award.

Check the latest NASCAR Vegas Odds and Betting Lines from BOVADA below: