Race 2 Win: Federated Auto Parts 300 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Busch Series

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Federated Auto Parts 300 - 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 June 4 MBNA RacePoints 200 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. He finished second, two seconds behind race winner Martin Truex Jr, scoring his sixth top-five and eighth top-10 finish in 14 races. Sorenson took top rookie honors for the seventh time in 2005.

Sorenson chopped 13 points off Carl Edwards’ lead in the Raybestos® Rookie standings. Edwards leads Sorenson by 11 points (200-189) entering the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway.

Sorenson is second in the Busch Series championship standings, 74 points behind leader Edwards.

STREAK STAYS ALIVE: A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top 10 in every Busch Series race this season.

DID YOU KNOW? Two or more Raybestos® Rookies have ranked in the top 10 in Busch Series championship standings after each of the 14 races this year.

DID YOU KNOW? Sorenson has racked up more earnings ($556,377) than any other Busch Series driver this season.

The 2005 Raybestos® Rookie class has three victories this season. The record for most victories by a rookie class is FIVE (2001 and 2004).

Entering the Federated Auto Parts 300, THREE Raybestos® Rookies rank inside the top 10 in Busch Series points: Edwards, Sorenson, and Hamlin (eighth).

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

Sorenson has led more miles than any other Raybestos® Rookie in 2005. He has led six times in three races for 311.60 miles (232 laps).

Edwards and Sorenson are tied for most top-five finishes by a Raybestos® Rookie this season. Edwards is tied with Greg Biffle for most top 10s (10) in the series.

Five Raybestos® Rookies have started all 14 Busch Series races this season: Edwards, Sorenson, Hamlin, Wood, and Michel Jourdain Jr.

Raybestos Rookies at Nashville:

Sorenson scored his first career Busch Series win in the Pepsi 300 March 26 at Nashville. He won in impressive style, leading the most laps (three times for 197 laps) and winning by 14.417 seconds over Kenny Wallace. Sorenson became the first driver in eight races at Nashville to win from the pole position.

A Raybestos® Rookie has led the most laps in the last three races at Nashville. The others: Clint Bowyer (four times for 104 of the 225 laps in 2004 Pepsi 300) and Kyle Busch (once for 60 laps in the 2004 Federated Auto Parts 300).

The best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in the Federated Auto Parts 300 (June race) at Nashville is third by David Stremme in 2003. The best start: second by Casey Mears in 2002.

Bowyer was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2004 Federated Auto Parts 300, grabbing a third-place finish.

Sorenson and Shane Hmiel are the only Raybestos® Rookies to win a pole in eight races at Nashville. Hmiel took the top starting spot for the 2002 Pepsi 300.

Sorenson holds the record for laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie in a Busch race at Nashville. He led three times for 197 laps, breaking Biffle’s mark of five times for 133 laps in 2001.

One or more Raybestos® Rookies have led at least one lap in six of the eight races at Nashville.
2001 Pepsi 300: Biffle (five times for 133 laps)
2001 Pepsi 300: Scott Wimmer (once for two laps)
2002 Pepsi 300: Scott Riggs (once for 47 laps)
2002 Pepsi 300: Hmiel (once for one lap)
2003 Pepsi 300: Chad Blount (once for 28 laps)
2004 Pepsi 300: Bowyer (four times for 104 laps)
2004 Pepsi 300: Busch (once for six laps)
2004 Federated 300: Busch (once for 60 laps)
2005 Pepsi 300: Sorenson (three times for 197 laps)
2005 Pepsi 300: Wood (once for one lap)
2005 Pepsi 300: Hamlin (once for 15 laps)

The Pepsi 300 at Nashville was only the second time eight races at Nashville where TWO Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top-five. In 2001, Biffle won the race while Wimmer placed third.

One or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top-five in six of the eight races at Nashville:
2001 Pepsi 300: Biffle (first), Scott Wimmer (third)
2002 Pepsi 300: Riggs (first)
2003 Federated 300: Stremme (third)
2004 Pepsi 300 Bowyer (fourth)
2004 Federated 300: Bowyer (third)
2005 Pepsi 300: Sorenson (first) and Edwards (fourth)

One or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top-10 in all eight races at Nashville:
2001 Pepsi 300: Biffle (first),Wimmer (third)
2002 Pepsi 300: Riggs (first), Kerry Earnhardt (eighth)
2002 Federated 300: Hmiel (ninth), Casey Mears (10th)
2003 Pepsi 300: Stremme (seventh), Chad Blount (eighth)
2003 Federated 300: Stremme (third)
2004 Pepsi 300 Bowyer (fourth), Kyle Busch (sixth)
2004 Federated 300 Bowyer (third), J.J. Yeley (eighth)
2005 Pepsi 300 Sorenson (first), Edwards (fourth) and Hamlin (ninth).

Season Tidbits

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

Sorenson’s 14.417-second margin of victory at Nashville is the largest ever by a Raybestos® Rookie driver 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.

The Aaron’s 312 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway was the FOURTH race this season where THREE Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top 10: Wood (second), Brent Sherman (ninth), and Kertus Davis (10th). The Pepsi 300 at Nashville, Sharpie Professional 250 at Bristol (Tenn.), and the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix (Ariz.) were the others.

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).

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.

Hermie Sadler was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win a race, at Rougemont N.C., in 1993.

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS
DRIVER POINTS
Carl Edwards 200
Reed Sorenson 189
Denny Hamlin 139 
Jon Wood 120 
Michel Jourdain Jr. 95
Brent Sherman 70
Kertus Davis 66
Tyler Walker 42 
Ryan Hemphill 40
Paul Wolfe 37 
Blake Feese 19
Boston Reid 15
A.J. Fike 14
Brandon Miller 13
Kevin Conway 11 
Donnie Neuenberger 10
Kim Crosby 9 

HIGHEST FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE
EVENT HIGHEST FINISHING ROOKIE
Hershey’s TAKE 5 300 Sorenson, ninth
Stater Bros. 300 Sorenson, fifth
Telcel/Motorola Mexico 200 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 Wood, second
Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Hamlin, seventh
Funai 250 Edwards, first
CARQUEST 300 Sorenson, fifth
MBNA RacePoints 200 Sorenson, second

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