Race 2 Win: Busch Series Race Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Carquest Auto Parts 300 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

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

David Ragan was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the May 11 Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington (S.C) Raceway. Ragan finished 13th and took top rookie honors for the fourth time this season.

Ragan holds a two-point edge over Juan Pablo Montoya (122-120) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the May 26 CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe’s (Concord, N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Ragan is sixth in the Busch Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie. He is 10 points behind fifth-place Matt Kenseth and leads seventh-place Bobby Hamilton Jr. by 18.

Montoya is ninth in the Busch Series championship standings, 11 points behind eighth-place Regan Smith.

Three Raybestos® Rookies have captured WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors in the Busch Series this season: Brad Coleman (Talladega, race No. 10), Marcos Ambrose (Las Vegas, race No. 4) and Montoya (Mexico City, race No. 3).

DID YOU KNOW? Montoya has led more laps than any other Raybestos® Rookie this season, holding the top spot five times in two races for a total of 51 laps.

DID YOU KNOW? TWO Raybestos® Rookies have won pole positions this season: David Ragan (O’Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway, race No. 8) and Brad Coleman (Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway, race No. 10).

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has won at least one race in each of the past FOUR consecutive seasons (2004-2007).

Todd Kluever was Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, grabbing a fifth-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? Kyle Busch won the 2004 CARQUEST 300 and is the only Raybestos® Rookie driver to win the spring Busch Series race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway since the rookie program was created in 1989 (18 races). He also led the most laps in the race (three times for 93 laps).

DID YOU KNOW? Greg Biffle holds the record for most laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie in the spring Busch Series race at Charlotte. Biffle led the 2001 race three times for 154 of the 200 laps on his way to a sixth-place finish. Kyle Busch and Biffle are the only Raybestos® Rookies to lead the most laps in the spring Busch race at Charlotte.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the spring race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (18 races):
2002: Scott Riggs, third
2004: Kyle Busch, FIRST!
2005: Reed Sorenson, fifth

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the spring race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (18 races):
2000: Kevin Harvick, eighth
2001: Greg Biffle, sixth
2002: Scott Riggs, third
2004: Kyle Busch, FIRST!
2005: Reed Sorenson, fifth

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, Todd 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
David Ragan 122
Juan Pablo Montoya 120
Marcos Ambrose 112 
Kyle Krisiloff 102
Brad Keselowski 64
Brad Coleman 50 
Justin Diercks 39
Sam Hornish Jr. 35
Robert Richardson Jr. 23
Alex Garcia 7
Bobby Santos 6 

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE
EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE
ORBITZ 300 Ambrose, 16th 
Stater Bros. 300 Peters, 17th 
Telcel-Motorola 200 Montoya, FIRST
Sam’s Town 300 Ambrose, 10th 
Nicorette 300 Montoya, eighth
Sharpie Mini 300 Ragan, 13th 
Pepsi 300 Coleman, 15th 
O’Reilly 300 Ragan, fifth
Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Montoya, 21st 
Aaron’s 312 Ragan, fourth
Circuit City 250 Montoya, 11th 
Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Ragan, 13th