Race 2 Win: Sharpie Mini 300 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Sharpie Mini 300 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

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

Burney Lamar was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the March 18 Nicorette 300 at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway. Lamar finished eighth, his second top-10 finish in fives races this season, and took top rookie honors for the second time in 2006.

Lamar leads Todd Kluever by 11 points (62-51) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the Mar. 25 Sharpie Mini 300 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Lamar is eighth in the Busch Series championship standings, eight points behind seventh-place Carl Edwards. Lamar holds a 10-point edge over ninth-place Jon Wood and 11 over 10th-place Greg Biffle.

Reed Sorenson owns the best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in the Sharpie Mini 300, a third-place effort on the lead lap.

DID YOU KNOW? For the first time since the Raybestos® Rookie program was created in 1989, THREE Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top-10: Reed Sorenson, Carl Edwards (seventh) and Denny Hamlin (ninth).

DID YOU KNOW? TWO Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top-10 in the spring race at Bristol just once. In 2002, Scott Riggs placed ninth just ahead of Shane Hmiel who came home 10th.

DID YOU KNOW? Scott Riggs is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a Busch Pole at Bristol Motor Speedway. Riggs won his first career pole at Bristol Motor Speedway in the 2002 Sharpie Mini 300 in just his fifth career start.

Carl Edwards was the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap in the 2005 spring race, holding the top spot three times for 16 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 62
Todd Kluever 51
Mark McFarland 43
Danny O’Quinn Jr. 39 
John Andretti 37
A.J. Foyt IV 30 
Tracy Hines 23 
Joel Kauffman 23
Chris Wimmer 5
Kevin Conway 4
Jorge Goeters 2 

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 
Nicorette 300 Burney Lamar, eighth