Race 2 Win: Federated Auto Parts 300 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Federated Auto Parts 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 June 3 Stonebridgeracing.com 200 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. Kluever finished 18th and took Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the fourth time this season.

Burney Lamar continues to lead the Raybestos Rookie standings, holding a 13-point edge over John Andretti (139-126) entering the June 10 Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.

Lamar is 13th in the NASCAR Busch Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie. He is 78 points behind 10th-place Jason Leffler and holds a nine-point edge over 14th-place Matt Kenseth. Andretti is 15th in the standings, 62 points behind Lamar.

Lamar was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway, grabbing a seventh-place finish.

A Raybestos® Rookie has won THREE Busch Series races at Nashville Superspeedway, all coming in the Pepsi 300 (spring race):
2001: Greg Biffle
2002: Scott Riggs
2005: Reed Sorenson

Shane Hmiel is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole in the five races that have been run at Nashville. Hmiel took the top starting spot in the 2002 Pepsi 300.

Reed Sorenson holds the record for most laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie in a Busch race at Nashville. Sorenson led three times for 197 laps in 2005.

Only TWICE in 10 previous Nashville races at Nashville have TWO Raybestos® Rookies finish in the top-five:
2001: Greg Biffle (first) and Scott Wimmer (third).
2005: Reed Sorenson (first) and Carl Edwards, (fourth)

One or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top-five in three of the five races at Nashville:
2001 Pepsi 300: Greg Biffle (first), Scott Wimmer (third).
2002 Pepsi 300: Scott Riggs (first).
2003 Federated 300: David Stremme (third).
2004 Pepsi 300: Clint Bowyer (fourth)
2004 Federated 300: Clint Bowyer (third)
2005 Pepsi 300: Reed Sorenson (first) and Carl Edwards (fourth)
2005 Federated 300: Reed Sorenson (third)

One or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top-10 in all six races at Nashville:
2001 Pepsi 300: Greg Biffle (first), Scott Riggs (third).
2002 Pepsi 300: Scott Riggs (first), Kerry Earnhardt (eighth).
2002 Federated 300: Shane Hmiel (ninth), Casey Mears (10th).
2003 Pepsi 300: David Stremme (seventh), Chad Blount (eighth).
2003 Federated 300: David Stremme (third).
2004 Pepsi 300 Clint Bowyer (fourth) and Kyle Busch (sixth)
2004 Federated 300 Clint Bowyer (third) and J.J. Yeley (eighth)
2005 Pepsi 300: Reed Sorenson (first), Carl Edwards (fourth) and Denny Hamlin (ninth)
2005 Federated 300: Reed Sorenson (third), Denny Hamlin (seventh) and Paul Wolfe (10th).
2006 Pepsi 300: Burney Lamar (seventh)

THREE Raybestos® Rookies have led the most laps in the 10 Busch Series races at Nashville.
2001: Greg Biffle (Pepsi 300)
2004: Clint Bowyer (Federated 300)
2005: Reed Sorenson (Pepsi 300)

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY

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 139
John Andretti 126
Todd Kluever 125
Mark McFarland 120 
Danny O’Quinn Jr. 115
Joel Kauffman 55 
Tracy Hines 50 
A.J. Foyt IV 39
David Gilliland 23
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