Carquest Auto Parts 300 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

· David Stremme was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the Goulds Pumps 200 at Nazareth Speedway. Stremme finished sixth, his second top-10 finish of 2003 season and was the only first-year driver to finish in the top-10. He also led the race once for 32 laps before giving way to eventual race winner Ron Hornaday just 55 laps from the end of the event. Stremme has now earned Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in each of the last three consecutive races and has taken the honor four times in the past five events. He joins Coy Gibbs as the only freshman drivers to take top rookie honors in three consecutive events this season.

· Joey Clanton was the only other Raybestos® Rookie to finish on the lead lap Nazareth. He completed all 200 laps and finished 18th.

· All six Raybestos® Rookies that started the Nazareth race were running at the finish: Stremme, Clanton, Coy Gibbs (21st), Regan Smith (22nd), Jason White (26th), and Chris Bingham (30th).

· Gibbs leads the Raybestos® Rookie standings by five points (128-123) over Chad Blount entering the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He is the only Raybestos® Rookie that has started all 12 Busch Series races this season entering Saturday's race at Charlotte.

· DID YOU KNOW? A different driver has led the Raybestos® Rookie standings in six of the last seven races, dating back to the O'Reilly 300 at Texas Motor 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. Blount owns the best qualifying run by a Raybestos® Rookie this season, a seventh place effort at California Speedway.

· Stremme has led once for 32 laps (32 miles). He and Blount are the only Raybestos® Rookies to lead at least one lap this season.

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

· Gibbs is 15th in Busch Series points, best of any Raybestos® Rookie. He is 132 behind 14th place Mike Wallace and holds a 17-point edge over 16th place Kevin Grubb.

· 2002 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year Scott Riggs was the top rookie in last year's CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He finished third and was the only first-year driver to complete all 300 miles.

· Brian Vickers was the highest qualifying Raybestos® Rookie at Charlotte, grabbing the eighth starting position. He was the only freshman driver to start inside the top-10.

· All seven Raybestos® Rookies that qualified for the Charlotte race were running at the finish of the event: Riggs, Casey Mears (23rd), Dan Pardus (25th), Vickers (26th), Kerry Earnhardt (28th), Kasey Kahne (29th), and Shane Hmiel (31st).

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER           POINTS
Coy Gibbs           128
Chad Blount         123
Regan Smith          87
Chris Bingham        76
Chase Montgomery     60
David Stremme        57
Damon Lusk           41     
Joey Clanton         32
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  

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