Race 2 Win: Nicorette 300 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Nicorette 300 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

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

Todd Kluever was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the March 11 Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kluever finished 21st and took top rookie honors for the second time in 2006.

Burney Lamar enjoys an eight-point lead (48-42) over Kluever in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the March 18 Nicorette 300 at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway.

Lamar ranks 10th in the NASCAR Busch Series championship standings, 178 points behind leader Kevin Harvick. He trails ninth-place Jason Keller by one point and eighth-place Jon Wood by eight. Lamar leads 11th-place Reed Sorenson by seven points and is the only Raybestos® Rookie in the top 10 in the series standings. Lamar and has ranked inside the top 10 in points after each of the first four races this season.

Carl Edwards won the 2005 Nicorette 300 at Atlanta, scoring his first NASCAR Busch Series victory. Edwards scored the first victory by a Raybestos® Rookie in 14 Busch Series races at Atlanta. He is just the fourth Raybestos® Rookie to score a top-five finish at Atlanta. The others: Greg Biffle (second in 2001), Kyle Busch (second), and Scott Riggs (fourth).

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Atlanta:
2002: Scott Riggs, fourth
2004: Kyle Busch, second
2005: Carl Edwards, first

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Atlanta:
2002: Scott Riggs, fourth
2002: Johnny Sauter, 10th
2004: Kyle Busch, second
2004: J.J. Yeley, 10th
2005: Carl Edwards, first
2005: Michel Jourdain, 10th

Edwards is also the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole position in 14 previous races at Atlanta.

The 2005 Aaron’s 312 race was the third time in 14 Busch Series races where two Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top-10. In addition to Edwards’ win, Michel Jourdain Jr. placed 10th, his first top 10 effort in the Busch Series.

A Raybestos® Rookie has now led at least one lap in each of the past SIX consecutive Busch Series races at Atlanta.
2001: Greg Biffle (once for 38 laps)
2002: Scott Riggs (twice for 12 laps)
2002: Brian Vickers (twice for 12 laps)
2003: David Stremme (once for two laps)
2004: Kyle Busch (twice for 17 laps)
2005: Carl Edwards (three times for 47 laps)

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY

Kyle Busch posted a record-setting year on his way to the 2004 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year title. In 34 starts, Busch won five times, captured 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, he 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, 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.

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
Burney Lamar 48
Todd Kluever 42
Mark McFarland 33
Danny O’Quinn Jr. 32 
John Andretti 29
A.J. Foyt IV 25 
Tracy Hines 19 
Joel Kauffman 17
Chris Wimmer 4 

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE
EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE
Hershey’s Kissables 300 Burney Lamar, second
Stater Bros. 300 Todd Kluever, 12th 
telcel-MOTOROLA 200 Mark McFarland, 15th 
Sam’s Town 300 Todd Kluever, 21st