Race 2 Win: Busch Silver Celebration 250

NASCAR Busch Series

Busch Silver Celebration 250 - 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 July 22 Goody’s 250 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Andretti scored a seventh-place finish, his third top-10 of the 2006 season, and took top rookie honors for the sixth time in 21 races.

Andretti trails leading Raybestos® Rookie Burney Lamar by just two points (172-170) entering the July 29 Busch Silver Celebration 250 at Gateway (Madison, Ill.) International Raceway.

Andretti is 12th in the NASCAR Busch Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie. He is 29 points behind 11th-place Jason Leffler and trails 10th-place Kenny Wallace by 76. Andretti leads 13th-place Reed Sorenson by 110 points.

Reed Sorenson won the 2005 Wallace Family Tribute 250 at Gateway, scoring the second win by a Raybestos® Rookie driver at the 1.25-mile Illinois speedway. Sorenson took the checkered flag by .710 seconds over Mike Wallace.

Kevin Harvick is the only other Raybestos® Rookie to win in nine previous Busch Series races at Gateway, capturing the 2000 CARQUEST Auto Parts 250 by 1.338 seconds over Jeff Purvis.

DID YOU KNOW? Carl Edwards finished third in the 2005 event, giving the Raybestos® Rookie class two top-five finishers in the same race at Gateway for the first time in nine events.

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has posted two consecutive top-five finishes at Gateway (Kyle Busch finished fourth in 2004).

DID YOU KNOW? Sorenson and Harvick are the only Raybestos® Rookies to lead the most laps in a race at Gateway. Harvick led five times for 110 laps in 2000 while Sorenson led twice for 60 laps in 2005.

Greg Biffle is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole position in nine races at Gateway, taking the top starting spot for 2001 race.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Gateway:
1998: Andy Santerre, fourth
2000: Kevin Harvick, FIRST
2001: Greg Biffle, fourth
2004: Kyle Busch, fourth
2005: Sorenson, FIRST
2005: Edwards, third

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Gateway:
1998: Santerre, fourth
1998: Dave Blaney, sixth
2000: Harvick, FIRST
2000: Ron Hornaday, sixth
2001: Biffle, fourth
2001: Scott Wimmer, 10th
2004: Busch, fourth
2005: Sorenson, FIRST
2005: Edwards, third

Laps led by Raybestos® Rookies at Gateway:
2000: Harvick, five times for 110 laps)
2000: Michael Ritch (once for five laps)
2000: Jason Schuler (once for two laps)
2001: Biffle (twice for 55 laps)
2002: Johnny Sauter (twice for five laps)
2002: Casey Mears (once for one lap)
2004: Busch (once for one lap)
2005: Sorenson (twice for 60 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.

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 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 172
John Andretti 170
Todd Kluever 164
Danny O’Quinn Jr. 155 
Mark McFarland 147
Tracy Hines 71 
Joel Kauffman 68
David Gilliland 44 
A.J. Foyt IV 39 
Jorge Goeters 16
Kevin Conway 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