NHRA Reveals Six Rookie Of The Year Contenders

Spencer Hyde is one of the leading NHRA rookie-of-the-year contenders this season. (NHRA photo)

INDIANAPOLIS – NHRA officials have announced the six Mission Foods Drag Racing Series competitors who are in contention for the NHRA Rookie of the Year Award.

The competitors vying for this year’s award include Funny Car drivers Hunter Green and Spencer Hyde; Pro Stock’s Stephen Bell, Cody Coughlin and Matt Latino; and Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Brayden Davis.

Pro Stock newcomer Chris Vang has competed in three races so far this year, and will become the seventh driver eligible with his scheduled appearances in Dallas and the fall race in Las Vegas.

Green, son of Gainesville Funny Car winner Chad Green, has three quarterfinal appearances in 2025. He’s qualified for all nine events he attended, including a career-best third in Brainerd.

Hyde, who is eighth in points, made his Funny Car debut this season in Gainesville for Jim Head Racing. He won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge bonus race in Las Vegas and finished as the runner-up at both Epping and Sonoma, also qualifying second in Sonoma.

After clinching a spot in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, Hyde also collected a No. 1 qualifier in Reading with a run of 3.868 seconds at 330.07 mph.

Pro Stock driver Bell, who was previously a standout in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown ranks, has qualified for five events this season and advanced to the second round at the Charlotte playoff race.

Coughlin has one runner-up finish in his debut season, advancing to the finals in Reading. He also has a No. 1 qualifier from Epping when he went 6.537 at 210.28 and qualified second at both the spring Las Vegas race and Seattle.

Currently eighth in points, Coughlin joined KB Titan Racing this season after spending time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Latino, the son of veteran racer Eric Latino, has made six appearances thus far in 2025, also filling in as a replacement driver for his father at a handful of events.

He advanced to the final quad at the spring four-wide race in Las Vegas, and also made a semifinal appearance at the most recent race in St. Louis.

Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Davis joined the powerhouse Vance & Hines team this season, making his debut in Gainesville.

Since becoming a rider on a Vance & Hines Suzuki, Davis has collected No. 1 qualifiers in Bristol and Richmond and appeared in two final rounds, including most recently in St. Louis. He is sixth in points in the two-wheeled category.

Vang, who will reach the required five races later this month in Las Vegas, has made three appearances thus far, winning his first Pro Stock round of racing at the most recent race in St. Louis.

Last season, motorsports legend Tony Stewart was named the 2024 NHRA Rookie of the Year, following his first year in the Top Fuel ranks.

Other recent winners include Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Chase Van Sant, Pro Stock’s Camrie Caruso in 2022 and Dallas Glenn in 2021, and Top Fuel drivers Justin Ashley in 2020 and Austin Prock in 2019.

The NHRA Rookie of the Year award recognizes the top rookie competitor who also represents the future of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

The nation’s leading auto racing journalists select the winner through a voting system based on the following criteria: number of events competed in, performance on and off the racetrack, participation in NHRA promotions, and relationships with fans, sponsors and media.

This year’s rookie-of-the-year honoree will be announced Monday, Nov. 17 during the NHRA Awards Ceremony at Pechanga Resort Casino.