Race 2 Win: United Way 300 presented by Yellow and Sprint

Busch Series

News and Results | Point Standings | 2005 Schedule | 2004 Schedule and Results | 2003 Schedule and Results

United Way 300 presented by Yellow and Sprint - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

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

Reed Sorenson was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the September 24 Dover 200 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. He finished fourth, his 11th top-five finish in 29 starts this season. Sorenson has captured Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors 15 times, most of any freshman driver.

Sorenson trails Carl Edwards by just nine points (311-302) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the October 8 United Way 300 at Kansas Speedway.

For the third time this season, THREE Raybestos® Rookie rank among the top five in the NASCAR Busch Series championship standings: Sorenson (third), Edwards (fourth) and Denny Hamlin (fifth).

DID YOU KNOW? The closest point finish in the history of the Busch Series Raybestos® Rookie of the Year program came in 2000 when Kevin Harvick edged Ron Hornaday by just 20 points (334-314) to win the award.

DID YOU KNOW? Only once in the history of the Raybestos® Rookie program have two Raybestos Rookies finished in the top five in the final Busch Series championship standings. In 2000, Harvick placed third ahead of Hornaday, who finished fifth.

DID YOU KNOW? The 2005 Raybestos® Rookie class has racked up a total of six wins, the most since inception of the program in 1989.

TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies have ranked in the top 10 in the Busch Series championship standings after each of the 29 races this year.

Sorenson is one of just three Busch Series drivers to top $1 million in winnings this season. He has racked up $1,097,951 entering the United Way 300.

Edwards is the most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a Busch Series race. He won the 2005 Ameriquest 300 at California Speedway (race No. 27). Edwards finished 1.71 seconds ahead of Greg Biffle.

Sorenson is the most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole position for a Busch Series race, starting first for the Aug. 6 Kroger 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park (race No. 23). Sorenson logged a lap of 110.943 mph to win the top starting spot.

Season Tidbits:

This is the first season since 2002 that two or more Raybestos® Rookies have won in the same year.

Sorenson and Edwards are tied for most top fives (11) by a Raybestos® Rookie this season. Edwards has logged more top 10s (17) than any other Raybestos® Rookie.

A Raybestos® Rookie has led the most laps in FOUR races this season. Sorenson led the most laps at Gateway International Raceway in July and at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in March, while Edwards was dominant at Las Vegas and Kentucky.

Two or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top five on FIVE occasions: Wallace 250: Sorenson (first) and Edwards (third) New England 200: Edwards (second) and Hamlin (third) Pepsi 300: Sorenson (first) and Edwards (fourth) O’Reilly 300: Sorenson (third) and Edwards (fourth) Meijer 300: Edwards (first) and Sorenson (fourth)

THREE or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top 10 in SEVEN races this season.

Edwards, Sorenson and Jon Wood are the only Raybestos® Rookies to score a top-five finish this season.

Four Raybestos® Rookies have started all 29 Busch Series races in 2005: Edwards, Sorenson, Hamlin and Wood.

Sorenson’s 14.417-second margin of victory at Nashville earlier this year is the largest ever by a Raybestos® Rookie in the Busch Series. The previous record: Biffle’s 13.302-second margin of victory in the 2001 GNC Live Well 250 at The Milwaukee Mile.

Raybestos® Rookies at Kansas Speedway:

J.J. Yeley was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2004 Mr. Goodcents 300 at Kansas Speedway, claiming a sixth-place finish.

Paul Menard is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole position in four Busch Series races at Kansas. Menard won the pole for the 2004 race and posted a 17th-place finish.

The best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie is second by Kerry Earnhardt in 2002.

Scott Riggs is the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead the most laps in three races at Kansas. Riggs led once for 52 laps in the 2002 race.

The most Raybestos® Rookies to lead a race at Kansas is THREE in 2002: Riggs, Shane Hmiel (once for 16 laps) and Earnhardt (once for nine laps). Ironically, no Raybestos® Rookie has led a lap in any of the other three Busch Series races at Kansas.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the fall race at Kansas: 2001: Biffle, third 2002: Earnhardt, second

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the fall race at Kansas: 2001: Biffle, third 2002: Earnhardt, second 2004: Yeley, sixth

Raybestos® Rookies that have led a lap at Kansas: 2002: Riggs (once for 51 laps) 2002: Hmiel (once for 16 laps) 2002: Earnhardt (once for nine laps)

Raybestos® Rookie Records

Busch was the 2004 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year. In 34 starts, he won five races, five poles and scored 16 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes. His second-place finish in the Busch Series championship standings is a record for a Raybestos® Rookie. Other Raybestos® Rookie records Busch owns or shares: most starts (34), most wins (tied with Biffle), most top fives (tied with Biffle), most top 10s, most money won ($2,027,050), most championship points (4,943), most laps led (1,108) and most races led (21).

David Stremme holds the record for fewest starts by a driver to win Raybestos® Rookie of the Year. In 2003, Stremme started just 18 of the 34 races and 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.

David Green was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win a race, at Lanier, Ga., in 1991. Green captured the Nestle 200 by 1.58-seconds over Jeff Gordon, a fellow Raybestos® Rookie. A third Raybestos® Rookie, Todd Bodine, placed eighth in the race.

Dennis Setzer was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win TWO or more races in a season. In 1994, he won the Ford Credit 300 at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and The Pantry 300 at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Steve Park was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win THREE or more races in a season. In 1997, he won the BellSouth Mobility/Opryland 300 at Nashville Speedway, the Detroit Gasket 200 at Michigan Speedway and the Autolite Platinum 250 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

Kenny Wallace was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole in the Busch Series. Wallace grabbed the top starting spot for the 1989 Goody’s 300 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the first race in the history of the Raybestos® Rookie of the Year program.

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS
DRIVER POINTS
Carl Edwards 311
Reed Sorenson 302 
Denny Hamlin 221 
Jon Wood 178
Brent Sherman 131
Kertus Davis 119 
Michel Jourdain Jr. 118 
Tyler Walker 98
Ryan Hemphill 60 

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE
EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE
Hershey’s TAKE 5 300 Reed Sorenson, ninth
Stater Bros. 300 Sorenson, fifth
Telcel/Motorola Mexico 200 Carl Edwards, third
Sam’s Town 300 Sorenson, sixth 
Aaron’s 312 Edwards, first
Pepsi 300 Sorenson, first
Sharpie Professional 250 Sorenson, third
O’Reilly 300 Sorenson, third
Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Edwards, eighth
Aaron’s 312 Jon Wood, second
Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Denny Hamlin, seventh
Funai 250 Edwards, first
CARQUEST 300 Sorenson, fifth
MBNA RacePoints 200 Sorenson, second
Federated Auto Parts 300 Sorenson, third
Meijer 300 Edwards, first
SBC 250 Hamlin, sixth
Winn-Dixie 250 Hamlin, 14th 
USG Durock 300 Edwards, fourth
New England 200 Edwards, second
ITT/Salute to the Troops 250 Sorenson, seventh
Wallace Family Tribute 250 Sorenson, first
Kroger 200 Sorenson, third
Zippo 200 Edwards, 11th 
Domino’s Pizza 250 Edwards, third
Food City 250 Sorenson, 11th 
Ameriquest 300 Edwards, first
Emerson Radio 250 Sorenson, seventh
Dover 200 Sorenson, fourth

News and Results | Point Standings | 2004 Schedule | 2003 Schedule and Results | 2002 Schedule and Results