Race 2 Win: 1-800-PIT-SHOP.COM 300 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Busch Grand National Series

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1-800-PIT-SHOP.COM 300 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

David Stremme was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race at the Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway. Stremme scored an impressive seventh place finish in his first career Busch Series start.

Chad Blount finished eighth, his second top-10 in the past three races. Blount and Coy Gibbs each have two top-10 finishes, more than any other Raybestos® Rookie entering the Auto Club 300. Blount was also the highest qualifying rookie, taking the 12th starting position.

The Nashville race was the second time in the last three races where two Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top-10.

Blount used his good run at Nashville to take the lead in the Raybestos® Rookie of the Year chase. He leads Coy Gibbs by two points (87-85) entering the Auto Club 300 at California Speedway.

Blount led the Pepsi 300 once for 56 laps (74.48 miles). He is the first Raybestos® Rookie driver to lead at least one lap this season. Blount ranks 10th on the miles leader chart entering the California event.

DID YOU KNOW? There has been a different driver leading the Raybestos® Rookie standings after each of the last four races, dating back to Coy Gibbs at the Channellock 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Gibbs is 16th in Busch Series points, best of any Raybestos® Rookie. He is just two points behind 15th place Ashton Lewis and is 80 behind 10th place Brian Vickers.

Entering the Auto Club 300, Chad Blount is the only Raybestos® Rookie to score a top-five in the Busch Series this season. He finished fifth at the O'Reilly 300 at Texas.

Blount also owns the best qualifying run by a Raybestos® Rookie this season, a ninth place effort at Daytona.

2002 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year Scott Riggs won his second career Busch Series race in the 2002 Auto Club 300 at California Speedway. Riggs led the race just once covering the final 49 laps and scored the win by .991 second over second place finisher Jeff Green. The victory came in his ninth career Busch Series start.

Raybestos® Rookies Kasey Kahne (18th) and Kerry Earnhardt (21st) had solid days at California. Both drivers finished on the lead lap.

All six Raybestos® Rookies that entered the race qualified for the event and five were running at the finish: Riggs, Kahne, Earnhardt, Shane Hmiel (23rd), Casey Mears (29th). Johnny Sauter was sidelined by an accident after completing 48 laps and was credited with a 39th place finish.

 
RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER            POINTS
Chad Blount         87
Coy Gibbs           85
Regan Smith         48
Chas Montgomery     45
Chris Bingham       44
Damon Lusk          26
David Stremme       15   
  
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 
Channellock 250             Chase Montgomery, 22nd 
O'Reilly 300                Chad Blount, fifth
Aaron's 312                 Coy Gibbs, ninth
Pepsi 300                   David Stremme, seventh

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