NASCAR Nextel Cup 2004 Rookie Report

Scott Riggs, who took over for Johnny Benson in the No. 10 Valvoline Chevy at MBV Motorsports, has a Fifth Place finish at Dover in June to show for the first 15 races. Ironically, it was in this race a year ago that Benson also finished Fifth in the same car. He's 31st in the points after Michigan, and Riggs and crewchief Doug Randolph have had a tough time replicating their success in the Busch Series at MBV.

Exceeding Expectations
Every year, there are rookies who head into Daytona with the weight of tremendous expectations on their shoulders. Stewart, Johnson, Newman, and Matt Kenseth have done so in the past, and this season it appears that Kahne has already joined that elite group.

True, his team was already established, and yes, he had plenty of experience in the Busch Series, but climbing in a car and making it work without all the myriad other components is exceedingly rare. Kahne seems to possess the natural talent of a Stewart or a Newman, which makes sense given the fact that all three come from open-wheel racing. He also has shown he can be patient-something with which all young racers seem to have trouble.

Given his talent and patience, it is a forgone conclusion that at some point this season, he will cease being a bridesmaid and walk down the aisle to Victory Lane.

Disappointments
Sauter's release-he is still under contract with Richard Childress Racing but with no full-time Cup ride-was a big disappointment. He has the brashness that NASCAR so desperately needs-if for nothing else than to draw attention away from the control tower at the end of a race. Sauter has a flair for the dramatic, and he's a talented young driver with an unlimited future should he learn when to hold it and when to fold it.

Another disappointment thus far is the performance of Riggs in a car that won a race in 2002. Despite the Fifth at Dover, which was aided somewhat by the late-race free-for-all that left 18 cars in a smoking pile, Riggs has finished 30th or worse five times and better than 20th only three times. His average finish is 23.2.

A Class For The Ages?
This will likely not be a rookie class that is remembered in the same breath as that of 2000, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth duked it out for the Raybestos trophy. Nor will it likely be remembered as anything close to 2002, when Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman were racing for the same honor. But this class will be known for producing Kahne, one of the hotter properties in the sport at the moment, and probably little else.

That is not to say that the members of this class will not author solid careers in the sport. Each one has his talents and strengths, and it's a little unfair to hold rookies to the standards of veterans, even though it is done all the time. Kahne seems to be the real deal after 15 races, and so does Vickers. Son of CV Products founder Clyde Vickers, the youngster grew up at the highest levels of the sport and seems to have the talent and the flair to make quite a career for himself.

Gaughan, Wimmer, and Sauter can all have productive careers and may soon blossom into legitimate stars in their own right. Gaughan has already mastered the old Winston West and Southwest Tour divisions of NASCAR, and Sauter blazed a title-winning trail through the fertile birthplace of NASCAR champions, the American Speed Association, setting a single-season victory record on the way. Wimmer is also an ASA grad, and he set that series on its ear in 2000 with two victories in the first three races.

At this moment, only Kahne seems to have the entire package put together this season. He has remained unflinching in the face of stiff competition and might have had two victories already had it not been for Elliott Sadler at Texas and Newman at Michigan. Sadler beat Kahne to the finish line by a half car length at Texas, and Kahne was coming like a house afire after Newman when P.J. Jones slammed the wall on the white-flag lap at Michigan.