Race 2 Win: Ameriquest 300 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Ameriquest 300 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

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

John Andretti was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the August 25 Food City 250 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, grabbing a 14th-place finish. Andretti took Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the eighth time this season and was the only first-year driver to finish on the lead lap.

Andretti leads Burney Lamar by six points (190-184) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the September 2 Ameriquest 300 at California Speedway.

Andretti is 12th in the Busch Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie. He is 20 points behind 11th-place Jason Leffler and 29 ahead of 13th-place Reed Sorenson.

Andretti runs with Raybestos® Brakes on his No. 10 Ford.

Todd Kluever was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in February’s Stater Bros. 300, posting a 12th-place finish.

Carl Edwards won the 2005 Ameriquest 300 at California Speedway, crossing the finish line 1.710 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Greg Biffle. Edwards was the only Raybestos® Rookie to finish in the top-10.

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top-10 in both September races at California. Kyle Busch finished ninth in the 2004 race.

DID YOU KNOW? The best qualifying effort by a Raybestos® Rookie in two September races at California is third by Reed Sorenson in 2005.

TWO Raybestos® Rookies have led a lap in the September race at California: Edwards (three times for 52laps) and Sorenson (once for six laps) in 2005.

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.

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 (Tenn.) Speedway, the Detroit Gasket 200 at Michigan International 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
John Andretti 190
Burney Lamar 184
Danny O’Quinn Jr. 178
Todd Kluever 173 
Mark McFarland 152
Tracy Hines 71 
Joel Kauffman 68
David Gilliland 64 
A.J. Foyt IV 39 
Jorge Goeters 16
Chris Wimmer 14 

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE
EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE
Hershey’s Kissables 300 Lamar, second
Stater Bros. 300 Kluever, 12th 
telcel-MOTOROLA 200 McFarland, 15th 
Sam’s Town 300 Kluever, 21st 
Nicorette 300 Lamar, eighth
Sharpie Mini 300 Andretti, ninth
O’Reilly 300 Andretti, 19th 
Pepsi 300 Lamar, seventh
Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 O’Quinn Jr., 14th 
Aaron’s 312 McFarland, seventh
Circuit City 250 Andretti, 19th 
Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Andretti, 15th 
CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 Kluever, ninth
Stonebridgeracing.com 200 Kluever, 18th 
Federated Auto Parts 300 O’Quinn Jr., 10th 
Meijer 300 Gilliland, FIRST
AT&T 250 O’Quinn Jr., seventh
Winn-Dixie 250 Andretti, 10th 
USG Durock 300 Kluever, 18th 
New England 200 McFarland, 11th 
Goody’s 250 Andretti, seventh
Busch Silver Celebration 250 Lamar, 12th 
Kroger 200 O’Quinn Jr., sixth
Zippo 200 Andretti, fifth
CARFAX 250 O’Quinn Jr., 20th 
Food City 250 Andretti, 14th