Goulds Pumps ITT Industries 200 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDERS - NASCAR BUSCH SERIES

· Raybestos® Rookie Kyle Busch scored his first career win in the Funai 250 at Richmond International Raceway. He won for the first time in his 18-race career and logged the first victory by a Raybestos® Rookie since Johnny Sauter won the 2002 Tropicana 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.

· Busch also won the pole at Richmond, the third pole of his career and second of the 2004 season. He also won the pole at Darlington in March.

· Busch is the first Raybestos® Rookie ever to win from the Bud Pole since the program was established in 1989. He is the first rookie to win the spring Busch Series race at Richmond, bettering Kevin Harvick's third place finish in 2000. He is also the youngest driver to win a race at Richmond (19 years old).

· Busch took the lead in the Busch Series championship standings. He enjoys a 15-point advantage over second place Martin Truex Jr. and 97 over third place David Green.

· Busch scored his fifth top-five and eighth top-10 finish of the season. He has been Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in 10 of the 11 races this season and enjoys a commanding 64-point lead over Paul Menard (174-110) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings.

· Busch led the most laps at Richmond, four times for 236 of the 250 laps. He has led the most laps in two races this season. A Raybestos® Rookie has led the most laps in three of the 11 races this season.

· Entering Sunday's race at Nazareth, Busch has led the most miles and laps of any Raybestos® Rookie. He has led 15 times for 432 laps (466.69 miles). Bowyer has held the top spot four times for 104 laps (138.32 miles). No other Raybestos® Rookie has led a lap this season.

· Only two Raybestos® Rookies have started every Busch Series race this season: Kyle Busch and Paul Menard.

NAZARETH RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE TIDBITS

· David Stremme was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2003 Goulds Pumps ITT Industries 200 at Nazareth Speedway. Stremme placed sixth, the only Raybestos® Rookie to finish inside the top-10. He led the race once for 32 laps, the first time in his career that Stremme led a Busch Series race.

· DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has won twice at Nazareth: Ron Hornaday in 2000 and Greg Biffle in 2001.

· DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has finished sixth or better in each of the last FOUR Busch Series races at Nazareth.
2000: Ron Hornaday, first
2001: Greg Biffle, first
2002: Scott Riggs, second
2003: David Stremme, sixth

· Hornaday is the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead the most laps at Nazareth. He led the 2000 race twice for 104 laps.

· Two or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top-10 in the last four races at Nazareth: 2000 (Hornaday and Jay Sauter, who finished 10th) and 2001 (Biffle and Jamie McMurray, who finished 10th).

· Jeff Gordon was the first Raybestos® Rookie to score a top-five finish at Nazareth, grabbing a fifth place finish in 1991.

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE RECORDS

· David Stremme was the 2003 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year. Stremme started just 18 of the 34 races, a record number for fewest starts for a driver to win Raybestos® Rookie of the Year. He was the top rookie finisher in 16 of those starts. He was the only Raybestos® Rookie to score three top-three finishes and had more top-10 finishes (seven) than any other first-year driver. He led six races for a total of 86 laps.

· 2001 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year Greg Biffle holds SEVEN all time records by the rookie of the year: most wins (five), most top-fives (16), most top-10s (21), most money won ($1,623,546), most points (4,509), most laps led (948), and most races led (19).

· The best championship finish by a Raybestos® Rookie: third place Steve Park (1997) and Kevin Harvick (2000).

· Hermie Sadler was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win a race, at Rougemont North Carolina, in 1993.

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER POINTS
Kyle Busch 183
Paul Menard 110
J.J. Yeley 59
Donnie Neuenberger 55
Clint Bowyer 53
Stan Boyd 40
Billy Parker 38
Travis Geisler 25
Rick Markle 19
Brian Conz 1

HIGHEST FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE

EVENT HIGHEST FINISHING ROOKIE
Hershey's Kisses 300 Kyle Busch, 24th
Goody's Headache Powder 200 Kyle Busch, seventh
Sam's Town 300 Kyle Busch, 15th
Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Kyle Busch, 17th
Sharpie Professional 250 Kyle Busch, third
O'Reilly 300 Kyle Busch, second
Pepsi 300 Clint Bowyer, fourth
Aaron's 312 Kyle Busch, fourth
Stater Bros. 300 Kyle Busch, seventh
Charter 250 Kyle Busch, fifth
Funai 250 Kyle Busch, first