Last year’s ARCA Menards Series Bounty Rookie Challenge winner Daniel Dye will receive his award on Friday, Feb. 17, in the lead-up to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
Dye will be joined by NASCAR Cup Series driver Chris Buescher, who won the ARCA rookie of the year award in 2011, the year before he earned the series championship.
Dye also joins a distinguished list of former rookies of the year, dating back to Bill Granger in 1957.
Since then, 64 others have earned the top rookie award including notables Charlie Glotzbach, former NASCAR Cup Series champion Benny Parsons, three-time series champion Dave Dayton, former series champions Lee Raymond and Bill Venturini, NASCAR Hall of Famer Davey Allison, 10-time series champion Frank Kimmel, 2021 Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell, NASCAR Cup Series stars Buescher and Alex Bowman, current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series contender Hailey Deegan, and reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Ty Gibbs.
“First off, earning a rookie-of-the-year honor in any level of sports is impressive, and to do it in this series where there’s so much young talent coming up through the ranks is a great accomplishment,” Buescher said. “If I think back to my time in the ARCA series, it was a fight to earn this trophy and ultimately the series title a year later. The things I learned very early on in my career have been invaluable in where I am today, and my congratulations goes out to Daniel on his success. I’m excited to see where the ARCA Series is headed in 2023.”
“The list of drivers who have been the rookie of the year in the ARCA Menards Series includes some of the most recognizable names in American stock car history,” said ARCA president Ron Drager. “We are proud of our long, rich history and the accomplishments of those who have made the ARCA Menards Series their racing home, and the drivers who have gone on to success in the NASCAR national touring series.
“Daniel Dye joins that exclusive club of drivers who have won the ARCA Menards Series Bounty Rookie of Year, and he did so in a season that saw him challenge for race wins and the overall series championship. His GMS Racing team, led by veteran crew chief Chad Bryant — who has guided Parker Kligerman, Dakoda Armstrong, Kyle Weatherman and Dalton Sargeant to rookie of the year honors as well — was solid all year.
“We look forward to watching Daniel’s career flourish and grow in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and beyond in the coming years.”