Five best NASCAR rookie classes of all time

This year's NASCAR Cup Series rookie class consists of only one driver in 19-year-old Connor Zilisch, but the sport has seen its share of legendary rookie fields over the years. Here are the five best rookie classes in Cup Series history. 

Note: Only notable drivers from these respective years are included.

5. 2001 (Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch)

Harvick and Busch each won a Cup Series title apiece, with the latter set to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday evening. Busch won 34 Cup Series races in his career, while Harvick won 60 races and will almost certainly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he is eligible for the first time. The 2001 rookie class also included Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr., though he was inducted largely for his success in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. 

4. 1993 (Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte)

Neither of these Hall of Famers need much introduction. Gordon won 93 Cup Series races and four championships during his 23-year career with Hendrick Motorsports, while Labonte won the 2000 championship with Joe Gibbs Racing and won 21 Cup races.

3. 2002 (Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman)

Johnson is one of only three drivers to win seven Cup Series championships. The Hall of Famer and current team co-owner of LEGACY Motor Club has won 83 Cup Series races, while Newman won 18 during a career that could one day end up putting him in the Hall of Fame as well.

2. 1959 (Richard Petty, Buddy Baker)

Petty is the winningest driver in Cup Series history with 200 victories. The seven-time champion and Hall of Famer had to battle Baker for plenty of those wins, and Baker snagged 19 wins of his own, including the 1980 Daytona 500.

1. 1979 (Dale Earnhardt, Terry Labonte, Harry Gant)

This rookie class bore nine Cup Series titles (seven for Earnhardt, two for Labonte) and 116 Cup Series wins. Earnhardt earned 76 of those in a Hall of Fame career tragically cut short after his fatal crash in the 2001 Daytona 500. Labonte was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016, while Gant, along with Kurt Busch, is scheduled to be inducted into the HOF on Friday evening.