MBNA Armed Forces Family 200 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

· Coy Gibbs was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the CARQUEST 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Gibbs was credited with a 24th place finish at Charlotte, taking Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the sixth time this season. Gibbs maintains an 18-point advantage (140-122) over Chad Blount in the Raybestos® Rookie standings. Gibbs is 16th in Busch Series points, best of any first year driver. He is the only Raybestos® Rookie that has started all 13 Busch Series races this season entering the MBNA Armed Forces Family 200 at Dover International Speedway.

· All five Raybestos® Rookies that started the race at Charlotte were running at the finish of the race: Gibbs, Joey Clanton (26th), Damon Lusk (29th), Regan Smith (31st), and Chris Bingham (33rd). The Charlotte race marks the second consecutive event where every rookie that started the race was running at the finish.

· Damon Lusk took top qualifying rookie honors for the first time this season when he grabbed the 10th starting position at Charlotte, his career best.

· None of the 2003 Raybestos® Rookies in the Busch Series has made a Busch Series start at Dover International Speedway.

· Blount is the only Raybestos® Rookie to score a top-five finish this season, a fifth place effort in the O'Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. He has led more miles (once in one race for 56 laps, 74.48 miles) than any other Raybestos® Rookie. He and David Stremme are the only first year drivers that have led a lap in the Busch Series this season. Stremme has led once for 32 laps (32 miles).

· Blount owns the best qualifying run by a Raybestos® Rookie this season, a seventh place effort at California Speedway.

· Three Raybestos® Rookies have posted two top-10 finishes this season: Blount, Gibbs, and Stremme.

· 2002 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year Scott Riggs was the top rookie in last year's MBNA Platinum 200 at Dover International Speedway. Riggs finished 11th, the final car to complete all 200 laps of the event. He was also the top-qualifying rookie, grabbing the fifth starting position in time trials.

· Kerry Earnhardt had a good day at Dover, rallying from his 36th starting position to finish 16th. Kasey Kahne also turned in a solid performance, logging a 20th place finish in his first start at the one-mile Delaware speedway. Casey Mears (36th) was also running at the finish of the race. Accidents sidelined Shane Hmiel (33rd) and Johnny Sauter (40th).

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER            POINTS
Coy Gibbs            140
Chad Blount          122
Regan Smith           94
Chris Bingham         82
Chase Montgomery      62
David Stremme         58
Damon Lusk            50     
Joey Clanton          42
Jason White            7        
 
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
 californiaspeedway.com 300 Coy Gibbs, 13th 
Hardee's 250                David Stremme, 14th 
Charter Pipeline 250        David Stremme, 14th 
Goulds Pumps 200            David Stremme, sixth
CARQUEST 300                Coy Gibbs, 24th   

©Copyright 2003 Race 2 Win