Chad McCumbee is considered the biggest suprise of the season. (Marc Serota/Getty Images Photo) » More Photos

Voda points out Erik Darnell having a less-than-stellar year.

“Currently 13th in points with one top 10, it’s not like Erik Darnell is having a terrible year,” she said. “But I had pretty high expectations for him this year. So, until he's back in the top ten, he claims the dubious disappointment award.”

Never disappointing is winning the championship or simply being on the short list of contenders capable of achieving every team’s goal.

“It looks like a battle between Ron Hornaday, Johnny Benson and Todd Bodine for the 2008 NCTS title,” Dunlap listed. “The biggest question for me is whether Skinner and Sprague can overcome shaky starts and get back into contention. Rick Crawford is always a top-five driver but has not shown the stamina to fight for the crown. It is still way too early to guess, but the Rick Ren-led No. 33 Chevy looks very hard to beat.”

“Hornaday has set the pace but I think the 2008 season will mirror 2007 in that Kevin Harvick Inc. will have to out-duel a Bill Davis-owned truck,” Voda stated. “The difference this year will be Johnny Benson clawing at Hornaday down the stretch.”

Every rookie aspires to one day be labeled a threat for the championship and claiming rookie-of-the-year honors is a solid stepping stone toward that goal.

“If history plays out, Colin Braun should be a lock for Raybestos Rookie of the Year this season,” Dunlap predicted. “The ‘Roushkateers’ have won five of these awards (Biffle, Busch, Edwards, Kluever and Darnell). Braun hasn’t had great finishes yet but continues to run up front and that will pay off eventually.”

“Not only do I think Colin Braun will contend for rookie-of-the-year honors, I think he could win a race,” Alexander stated. “He has a great deal of talent and crew chief Mike Beam’s leadership is big for him.”