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William H. "Blackie" Pitt, popularly known as Blackie Pitt, is the first NASCAR Rookie of the Year winner. The late NASCAR driver won the first-ever Rookie award in the top-tier stock car racing (Grand National Series then) in 1954 and put his name in history.
Pitt was born on March 8, 1925, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and died on March 28, 1992, at the age of 67. The cause of his death was cancer. Even though Pitt did not have an illustrious NASCAR career, his 1954 crown always brings his name to the forefront.
The late driver participated in 81 Cup Series races in over four years, where he registered 19 Top 10s. He made his debut in 1954 with the Wilkes County 160 at North Wilkesboro. Pitt entered the race with the #100 Oldsmobile entry and finished the race in 24th place.
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That year, Pitt participated in 17 more races, where he managed four Top 10s in Langhorne, Grand Rapids, Charlotte, and Corbin. His best finish in 1954 was sixth place finish in both Charlotte and Corbin.
After the season, Blackie Pitt won the 1954 Rookie of the Year for stellar performances in that year's Grand National Series. Lee Petty, the father of Richard Petty, grandfather of Kyle Petty, and the great-grandfather of the late Adam Petty, won the championship that year.
The driver from Ricky Mountain entered the 1955 race at Morristown, driving the #97-A Oldsmobile. He finished the first race in 20th place. He continued racing for three more years until 1958. Blackie Pitt ended his NASCAR Cup Series career in the 1958 Old Bridge Stadium race.
Jim Reed claimed the victory in the race, ahead of Eddie Pagan and Rex White. Blackie Pitt, however, had a disastrous outing as he finished the race in 27th place. The late driver suffered a DNF just after eight laps, and that was the end of his four-year NASCAR Cup Series career.
Who is the current NASCAR Rookie of the Year?
Carson Hocevar won the Rookie of the Year award in 2024. The driver from Portage, Michigan, bypassed the NASCAR Xfinity Series to join full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2024
He drove the #77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports, where he registered a Top 5, six Top 10s, and led 16 laps. Hocevar's average start position was 20.056 and his average finish position was 18.306.
The 21-year-old will continue to be with Spire Motorsports in 2025 and be in charge of the #77 Chevrolet. This will be his third year in the NASCAR Cup Series, and the inaugural race of the 2025 season, the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray at the Bowman Gray Stadium, is going to be the 46th Cup race of his career.
