Race 2 Win: Salute to the Troops 250 presented by Dodge

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Salute to the Troops 250 presented by Dodge - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

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

Carl Edwards was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the July 16 New England 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Edwards finished second, his eighth top-five and 13th top-10 finish of the season. He took top rookie honors for the seventh time in 2005.

Denny Hamlin posted the best finish of his 21-race Busch Series career at New Hampshire, claiming a third-place finish. His previous best finish was sixth at The Milwaukee Mile on June 25.

The New Hampshire race marked the fourth event this season where two Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top-five. The others:
Pepsi 300 (Nashville): Reed Sorenson (first) and Edwards (fourth)
O’Reilly 300 (Texas): Sorenson (third) and Edwards (fourth)
Meijer 300 (Kentucky): Edwards (first) and Sorenson (fourth)

Hamlin was the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap at New Hampshire, holding the top spot once for 67 laps.

Edwards enjoys a 10-point lead in the Raybestos® Rookie standings (261-251) over Sorenson entering the July 23 ITT/Goulds Pumps Salute the Troops 250 at Pikes Peak (Colo.) International Speedway.

Sorenson is third in the Busch Series championship standings, 170 points behind leader Martin Truex Jr. Edwards is fourth, 220 behind Truex.

THREE Raybestos® Rookies rank in the top 10 in Busch Series points: Sorenson, Edwards and Hamlin, who is sixth in the standings.

THREE or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top 10 in six races 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 20 races this year.

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

Four Raybestos® Rookies have started all 20 Busch Series races in 2005: Edwards, Sorenson, Hamlin and Wood.

Raybestos® Rookies at Pikes Peak:

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has scored a top-five finish in each of the last two consecutive Busch Series races at Pike Peak: Clint Bowyer (fourth in 2004) and Joey Clanton (fifth in 2003).

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Pikes Peak:
2000: Ron Hornaday, ninth
2003: Joey Clanton, fifth
2004: Clint Bowyer, fourth

Four Raybestos® Rookies have led a lap since the Busch Series began competing at Pikes Peak in 1998:
2000: Jay Sauter (once for 19 laps)
2001: Greg Biffle (twice for 35 laps)
2003: Joey Clanton (once for two laps).
2004: Kyle Busch (twice for 16 laps)

Season Tidbits:

This is the first season 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: Greg Biffle’s 13.302-second margin of victory in the 2001 GNC Live Well 250 at The Milwaukee Mile.

Raybestos® Rookie Records

Kyle 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.

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 261
Reed Sorenson 251 
Denny Hamlin 190 
Jon Wood 144 
Michel Jourdain Jr. 110
Kertus Davis 90
Brent Sherman 85
Tyler Walker 64
Ryan Hemphill 59 
Paul Wolfe 47
Brandon Miller 29
Boston Reid 28 
Kim Crosby 26
A.J. Fike 23 
Blake Feese 21 
Donnie Neuenberger 12 
Jerry Robertson 7 

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
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

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