Race 2 Win: Channellock 250 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Busch Grand National Series

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Channellock 250 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Coy Gibbs was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the darlingtonraceway.com 200 at Darlington Raceway. Gibbs finished 14th and took top rookie honors for the third consecutive race. He leads Chad Blount by three points (42-39) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the Channellock 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

WOULD YOU BELIEVE? Gibbs has finished 14th in each of the last three Busch Series races.

All four Raybestos® Rookies that entered the Darlington event qualified for the race and all four were running at the finish: Gibbs, Blount (18th), Regan Smith (19th) and Chris Bingham (26th).

The best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie is 14th by Coy Gibbs while the best start is ninth by Chad Blount.

No Raybestos® Rookie has led a lap in any of the four Busch Series races entering Saturday's event at Bristol.

Entering the Bristol race, Blount has been the top qualifying Raybestos® Rookie in both races this season where time trials were held. Qualifying for the Sam's Town 300 and darlingtonraceway.com 200 were rained out.

2002 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year Scott Riggs won his first career pole position at last year's Channellock 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The pole came in Riggs' fifth career Busch Series start. Riggs backed up his good qualifying run with a solid day in the race, leading once for five laps on his way to a ninth place finish. He was the only freshman driver to lead a lap at Bristol.

Shane Hmiel also had a good run at Bristol. Hmiel started 20th but worked his way up to a 10th place finish. Brian Vickers also had a good day at Bristol, logging a 14th place finish on the lead lap. Hmiel, Riggs, and Vickers were the only first year drivers that completed all 250 laps of the race.

Six of the seven Raybestos® Rookies that started the Bristol event were running at the finish of the race: Riggs, Hmiel, Vickers, Casey Mears (23rd), Kerry Earnhardt (28th), and Kasey Kahne (32nd). The lone exception was Johnny Sauter, who was involved in an accident after completing 207 laps and was credited with a 35th place finish.

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER                  POINTS
Coy Gibbs                   42
Chad Blount                 39
Regan Smith                 25
Chris Bingham               23 
Damon Lusk                  20  
Chase Montgomery             8
  
HIGHEST FINISHING RAYBESTOS®  ROOKIE BY RACE

EVENT                       HIGHEST FINISHING ROOKIE
Koolerz 300                 Chad Blount, 11th  
Rockingham 200              Coy Gibbs, 14th 
Sam's Town 300              Coy Gibbs, 14th 
Darlingtonraceway.com 200   Coy Gibbs, 14th

News and Results | Point Standings | 2003 Schedule | 2002 Schedule and Results | 2001 Schedule and Results