The 2009 season for the NASCAR Camping World Series East featured arguably the best rookie class in history as four first-year drivers finished in the top 10 in the standings and nearly two-thirds of the checkered flags were captured by cars with a yellow stripe.
Heading the class was Ryan Truex, who not only earned Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors, but captured the 2009 Camping World Series East championship as well. Only current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rising star Joey Logano had accomplished that feat prior to Truex.
Truex, from Mayetta, N.J., won three races in his first season as a development driver for Michael Waltrip Racing. For the son of Martin Truex Sr. and younger brother of Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. – both former competitors in the Camping World Series East – the season didn’t get off to a roaring start. A stellar mid-season run and strong finish, however, was enough to edge veteran Eddie MacDonald by 34 points for the title.
Three races into the season, Truex had recorded an average finish of 21st, but the turnaround was dramatic. In the fourth race of the season, Truex captured his first 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Light at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and finished third in the race for his first career top five. That effort began a streak of seven straight podium finishes – highlighted by wins at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway and Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn. – that moved him from 12th in the standings to just one race away from the title.
Heading to the season finale at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, Truex maintained a slim 30-point margin on MacDonald, but when the checkered flag flew, the former crossed the line one position ahead of the latter and the trophy was in hand.
In the season finale at Dover, Truex wasn’t the only standout rookie celebrating. Brett Moffitt of Grimes, Iowa, dominated at the “Monster Mile” for the second win of his rookie campaign. Driving for Camping World Series East veteran Andy Santerre, Moffitt won the pole in his series debut and went on to register six top fives and nine top 10s, good enough for third place in the season standings.
Joe Gibbs Racing development driver Matt DiBenedetto made a big splash as well in 2009. The Grass Valley, Calif., native had an average finish of 6.7 in just seven starts with a win at Tri-County Motor Speedway in Hudson, N.C., and a last-lap battle with Truex in June at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., that resulted in another victory. DiBenedetto earned a series-high three 21 Means 21 Pole Awards presented by Coors Light and led more laps than any driver despite participating in just two-thirds of the races.
While Truex, Moffitt and DiBenedetto were perhaps the most prominent, the 2009 rookie class also had depth. Alan Tardiff registered eight top 10s – including a season-best third place at Tri-County – and finished seventh in points despite not competing in one race. Alex Kennedy’s respectable season resulted in a 10th-place finish in the standings with three top 10s, highlighted by a career-best finish of fourth at Lime Rock.
Matt Kurzejewski made nine starts and was 15th in the standings while Jarit Johnson, the younger brother of three-time defending Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson, finished 17th in points with seven starts.
A host of other up-and-coming racing talents also had impressive efforts in spot starts in 2009. Richard Childress Racing’s Ryan Gifford had an average finish of 6.3 in four starts while Childress’ grandson, Ty Dillon, had a pair of top 10s in three outings. Max Gresham, who split time in the JGR No. 18 with DiBenedetto, also recorded two top 10s in three events. Noted road racer Patrick Long had an average finish of ninth in four outings and nearly won at Watkins Glen while dirt racers Kevin Swindell and Josh Richards showed plenty of asphalt talent in their six combined starts.