Race 2 Win: Busch Series Race Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Federated Auto Parts 300 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

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

Marcos Ambrose was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the June 2 Dover 200 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. Ambrose finished sixth, his best finish in 14 Busch Series races and racked up his third top-10 finish of the season. His best finish prior to the race at Dover was an eighth-place effort at Mexico City (race No. 3). Ambrose took Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the fourth time this season and for the second consecutive race.

Ambrose and David Ragan are tied for the lead in the Raybestos® Rookie standings (139-139) entering the June 9 Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.

Ambrose is eighth in the Busch Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie. He is nine points behind seventh-place Casey Mears and leads ninth-place Bobby Hamilton Jr. by three.

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).

Brad Coleman was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2007 Pepsi 300 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, scoring a 15th-place finish.

Danny O’Quinn Jr. was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Federated Auto Parts 300, scoring a 10th-place finish.

Todd Kluever won the pole for the 2006 Federated Auto Parts 300. Kluever became the third Raybestos Rookie to win a pole at Nashville. The others:
2002: Shane Hmiel (Pepsi 300)
2005: Reed Sorenson (Pepsi 300)

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

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 12 previous Nashville races at Nashville have TWO Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top-five
2001 Pepsi 300: Greg Biffle (first) and Scott Wimmer (third).
2005 Pepsi 300: Reed Sorenson (first) and Carl Edwards, (fourth)

Top-five finishes by Raybestos Rookies 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 11 of the 12 Busch Series 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)
2006 Federated 300: Danny O’Quinn Jr. (10th)

THREE Raybestos® Rookies have led the most laps in 12 Busch Series races at Nashville.
2001: Greg Biffle (Pepsi 300)
2004: Clint Bowyer (Federated 300)
2005: Reed Sorenson (Pepsi 300) 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
Marcos Ambrose 139
David Ragan 139
Juan Pablo Montoya 137 
Kyle Krisiloff 119
Brad Keselowski 80
Brad Coleman 50 
Justin Diercks 39
Sam Hornish Jr. 35
Robert Richardson Jr. 29
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 
CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 Ambrose, 20th 
Dover 200 Ambrose, sixth