The 2010 season has provided both ups and downs for the five drivers that make up the Nationwide Series' 2010 rookie class. Of course the the season is only three races old and some ups and downs are to be expected the first year out.
So far into the young season, things have been mostly up for rookie of the year candidate James Buescher. He started off his 2010 campaign with a strong top-10 run that resulted in an eighth-place finish in the season-opener at Daytona. He did fall victim to an on-track accident in his most recent race, last weekend's Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but he's still just outside the top-10 in points, holding down the 11th spot on the strength of that Daytona top-10 and his 13th-place finish a week later in Fontana.
Buescher hopes he can continue to ride the wave of momentum his Daytona finish started, despite his Las Vegas mishap, all the way to rookie of the year honors.
“It’s (momentum) definitely important especially towards the Raybestos Rookie of the Year thing," he said. "I started off the season bad at Daytona last year (in the Camping World Truck Series) with the wreck and never rallied back, never led the rookie of the year points."
Brian Scott is the one other rookie joining Buescher in the top-20 in points, sitting in the 17th position. Like Buescher, Scott got his rookie campaign off to a good start with a top-10 finish at Daytona, claiming the 10th-spot.
The season hasn't gotten off to such a good start, though, for the other three rookies, including the Roush Fenway Racing rookie duo of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Colin Braun and Parker Kligerman. Things have been mostly down for Stenhouse and Kligerman, especially.
Stenhouse has been caught up in on-track incidents in all three race so far. He was able to make it back on track after repairs at Las Vegas last Staurday for his first finish of the season, though.
Through the shaky start that sees him in the 36th spot in points, Stenhouse is trying to remain positive.
"We didn’t get a DNF so that’s a positive," he said following the Vegas race.
Meanwhile, Kligerman was unable to race at Daytona after his team withdrew, finished an unstellar 22nd at Fonatana a week later, and fell out of the race early due to transmission problems in Vegas last weekend.
Braun, unlike Kligerman, was able to race at Daytona but posted a 34th after an accident knocked him out of contention. He did bounce back a week later to finish inside the top-20 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana with an 18th-place showing, but he, like fellow-rookies Buescher and Scott, fell victim to on-track contact for a DNF -- the second in three races.
These five Nationwide Series rookies, along with the rest of the Nationwide Series regulars will get the next couple of weekends off before heading into Thunder Valley for the March 20 event at Bristol Motor Speedway. Bristol is often a game of survival, but at the same time, it's short track racing, the kind of racing these drivers cut their teeth on.
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