Federated Auto Parts 300 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

· Kyle Busch was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the MBNA America 200 June 7 at Dover International Speedway. Busch finished fifth, his sixth top-five of the 2004 season and ninth of his 21-race career. He has finished 10th or better in each of the last 10 races dating back to the Sharpie 250 March 27 at Bristol. Busch took Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the 13th time in 14 races this season and stretched his lead to 94 points over Paul Menard (233-139) entering the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway. Busch leads Martin Truex Jr. by 13 points in the Busch Series championship standings.

· A Raybestos® Rookie has now led the most laps in four of the 14 races this season. Busch has led the most laps in three races (Richmond, Texas and Charlotte) while Clint Bowyer led the most laps at Nashville.

· Busch owns the record for most poles by a Raybestos® Rookie in the Busch Series. Entering the race at Nashville, Busch has captured four poles: Nazareth, Texas, Darlington, and Richmond. Kenny Wallace, who won three poles in 1989, held the previous mark.

· Busch won the Funai 250 at Richmond International Raceway from the pole, becoming the first Raybestos® Rookie ever to win from the Bud Pole since the program was established in 1989.

· A Raybestos® Rookie has led the most laps in four of the 14 races this season. Busch has led the most laps in three races this season (Richmond, Texas, and Charlotte). Bowyer led the most laps at Nashville.

· Entering Saturday's race at Dover, Busch has led the most miles and laps of any Raybestos® Rookie. He has led 19 times for 579 laps (660.19 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: Busch and Menard.

NASHVILLE RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE TIDBITS

· David Stremme was the Raybestos® Rookie in the 2003 Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway. Stremme scored a third place finish and was the only first year driver to finish in the top-10.

· Clint Bowyer was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the spring race at Nashville, scoring a career best fourth place finish.

· Two Raybestos® Rookies have led the most laps in the six Busch Series races at Nashville. Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer. Biffle holds the record for most laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie in a Busch race at Nashville. He led five times for 133 of the 225 laps in 2001. Bowyer led the spring race at Nashville four times for 104 laps.

· A Raybestos® Rookie has won two of the five Busch Series races at Nashville Superspeedway. In fact, they won the first two races held at the 1.333-mile Tennessee speedway: Greg Biffle won the inaugural Pepsi 300 in 2001 while Scott Riggs won the 2002 race.

· Shane Hmiel is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole in the five races that have been run at Nashville. He took the top starting spot in the 2002 Pepsi 300, which was won by Riggs.

· One or more Raybestos® Rookies have led at least one lap in three of the five races at Nashville. Ironically, all three races were the spring event, the Pepsi 300: Biffle and Scott Wimmer in 2001, Riggs and Hmiel in 2002, Chad Blount in 2003, and Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch in 2004.

· Only once in the six races at Nashville have TWO Raybestos® Rookies finish in the top-five. In 2001, Biffle won the race while Riggs placed third.

· One or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top-five in three of the five races at Nashville:
2001 Pepsi 300: Greg Biffle (first), Scott Riggs (third).
2002 Pepsi 300: Scott Riggs (first).
2003 Federated 300: David Stremme (third).
2004 Pepsi 300: Clint Bowyer (fourth).

· One or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top-10 in all six races at Nashville:
2001 Pepsi 300: Greg Biffle (first), Scott Riggs (third).
2002 Pepsi 300: Scott Riggs (first), Kerry Earnhardt (eighth).
2002 Federated 300: Shane Hmiel (ninth), Casey Mears (10th).
2003 Pepsi 300: David Stremme (seventh), Chad Blount (eighth).
2003 Federated 300: David Stremme (third).
2004 Pepsi 300 Clint Bowyer (fourth) and Kyle Busch (sixth)

· Two Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top-10 in each of the past four Pepsi 300 races.

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 by 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 233
Paul Menard 139
J.J. Yeley 78
Clint Bowyer 62
Donnie Neuenberger 55
Billy Parker 53
Stan Boyd 48
Travis Geisler 25
Rick Markle 19

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
Goulds Pumps 200 Kyle Busch, tenth
Carquest Auto Parts 300 Kyle Busch, first
MBNA America 200 Kyle Busch, fifth