It’s award season here at Frontstretch, and after a long season with plenty of unexpected turns, there’s no better time than the holidays to hand out some flowers.
From the emergence of Sam Mayer to dominance from John Hunter Nemechek, Richard Childress Racing’s playoff meltdown to Cole Custer’s first NASCAR title, the NASCAR Xfinity Series was full of big names, big stories and big moments that defined 2023.
Much could be written about — and awarded — but here are a few of the top accolades to discuss from the past 10 months.
Driver of the Year: John Hunter Nemechek
Trophies don’t always mean someone was the best player or the best team all season — those winners were just better when the lights were brightest.
This is another one of those cases. Yes, Cole Custer won the 2023 championship, and yes, he had a fantastic season. However, when you look at the numbers, nobody dominated this past season quite like John Hunter Nemechek.
His seven wins on the season were nothing short of immaculate, and with a flurry of top fives (17) and 10s (24), his domination is impossible to ignore.
In fact, no driver came within three wins of Nemechek’s victory total, and only Austin Hill could match or nearly match him in the other categories. But while Hill was more of a model of consistency than dominance, Nemechek could actually seal the deal.
He won’t get a chance to repeat in this category next year, as Nemechek moves to the NASCAR Cup Series full time for Legacy Motor Club.
Rookie of the Year: Sammy Smith
Was there ever any doubt?
Sammy Smith drove his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to victory lane at Phoenix Raceway early in the season and set the tone for an impressive rookie showing.
If he hadn’t hit a rough patch a little after halfway through the season, we’re probably talking even higher of Smith than we already are, and that’s impressive in and of itself considering the hype that’s following him.
Now slated to jump ship and head to JR Motorsports next season to replace Josh Berry in the No. 8, Smith is aiming to improve upon a stellar rookie campaign in which he finished sixth in the final driver standings. Not a bad pull for Dale Earnhardt Jr., huh?
Breakout of the Year: Sam Mayer
Although Riley Herbst made a great case for this one with his late-season heroics, you can’t ignore the work Sam Mayer put in on and off the track.
The biggest jump that drivers usually…
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