Third Start Winners/Rookie Winner UPDATE: Kevin Harvick becomes the fifth Winston Cup driver to win in his third Cup start. The others: Dan Gurney at Riverside in Jan 1963, Bill Norton at Carrell Speedway in Gardena, CA in Nov 1951; Johnny Mantz at Darlington in Sept 1950(he also started 43rd) and Bob Flock in 1949 at Occoneechee Speedway in Hillsboro, NC(this was the third ever race in NASCAR)(Fox Race Coverage and the Forty Years of Stock Car Racing – Vol 1)(3-11-2001) UPDATE:: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won in only his 12th Winston Cup start in 2000. Ron Bouchard won a Cup race in his 11th start in 1981 at Talladega, Mark Donohue won in his 5th Winston Cup start in 1973 at Riverside, the earliest in the ‘modern era'(1972 to present) of Winston Cup, he would only make one more Cup start. Others: Morgan Shepherd won in his 15th start (Martinsville) in 1981, but wasn’t named Rookie of the Year. Several other drivers won in their first year, but weren’t considered ROTY candidates: Dan Gurney at Riverside in 1963 in his third race and Mario Andretti at Daytona Beach in 1967 in his fifth start. When Kevin Harvik won at Atlanta on Sunday, he broke Bouchards ‘Modern Era’ mark, this is for a driver who is running a full season, not a one time or part time driver(3-12-2000)
