This year’s Nextel Cup Series rookie class was touted as possibly one of the best ever.

So far, the original seven-member group has been successful, but not spectacular.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin became the first member of the class to earn a Cup win, taking a victory in June at Pocono Raceway, site of Sunday’s Pennsylvania 500. Hamlin also has two Busch Series wins this season.

So far, Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr., who won the Busch race at Talladega, Ala., are the only drivers of the class to earn any victories in NASCAR’s top three series in 2006.

It has been a bumpy but memorable season for most.

Brent Sherman, who started the year with BAM Racing, didn’t make it past the season’s eighth race. Hamlin, who grew up on the short tracks of Virginia, has been the surprise top performer, while all but David Stremme has at least one top-10 finish.

Hamlin is also the only rookie who appears in contention for a spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, the 10-race playoff that determines the series champion. Since his win last month at Pocono, he has flirted in and around the top 10 in points, which guarantees participation.

Nextel Cup rookie Denny Hamlin celebrates his victory in the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway.

“I think it’s tough because everyone who’s doing that in and out thing (of the top 10) every week, they’re running the same position every single week. So it’s just whoever is going to eliminate bad luck is going to get in there,” said Hamlin, 25.

“We’re trading spots every single week. I think in years past there’s kind of been a gap of the top-10 guys, then there is everybody else, 11th through 15th. There’s going to be a lot of good guys that are not going to make it.”

The rookies continue to make strides. Two weeks ago at Chicagoland, three rookies finished in the top 10 – Reed Sorenson (seventh), Clint Bowyer (ninth) and J.J. Yeley (10th) – for the first time this season.

Richard Childress Racing’s Bowyer, 27, and Sorenson, a 20-year-old native of Peachtree City, Ga., who drives for Chip Ganassi Racing, have been close on Hamlin’s heels.

Bowyer started the year with a sixth-place finish in the Daytona 500 and earned a career-best fifth at Phoenix. He has struggled in qualifying, with seven starts of 30th or worse.

“It’s been a lot of ups and downs, but we’re starting to get things smoothed out,” Bowyer said. “We’ve had a rough month-and-a-half where we ran good but just didn’t get a good finish.

“We’ve had the speed. It feels good to finally get things turned around in the last couple of weeks.”

Sorenson and his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Stremme, both appeared headed to strong finishes last weekend at New Hampshire utilizing new short-track cars.

Sorenson led 31 laps and was running third but ran out of fuel when a late-race caution forced a green-white-checkered overtime finish. Stremme finished 11th – his career best.

Both drivers say they have faced unexpected circumstances this season.

“I think the competition in Nextel Cup is kind of one of the things that is kind of an eye opener for me,” Sorenson said. “Each and every week if your car is not awesome you’re really struggling to get in the top 15 or top 10.”

Said Stremme: “Probably the biggest thing is how guys show lack of respect on the track but then they get out of the car and they’re like, ‘Oh, I’m sorry.’ I got wrecked at Martinsville and all of a sudden I’m turning right and I get told ‘I’m sorry.'”

Though J.J. Yeley’s has just two top-10s and a best finish of eighth at California, he has been in contention for several Busch Series wins this season.

Truex, a two-time Busch champion, has not been able to capitalize on the success enjoyed this season by Dale Earnhardt Jr., his teammate at Dale Earnhardt Inc. Truex’s best finish was eighth at Texas.