Race 2 Win: Busch Series Race Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Kroger 200 - 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 July 21 Busch 250 at Gateway (Madison, Ill.) International Raceway. Ragan finished fifth, his third top-five and fifth top-10 finish of the season. He claimed Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the seventh time this season.

Ragan leads Marcos Ambrose by 17 points (194-171) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the July 28 Kroger 200 at O’Reilly (Indianapolis, Ind.) Raceway Park.

DID YOU KNOW? At least two Raybestos® Rookies have been in the top-10 in the NASCAR Busch Series championship standings for SIX consecutive races, dating back to Kentucky (race No. 16).

Ragan is fourth in the Busch Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie. He is 87 points behind third-place Kevin Harvick and leads fifth-place Jason Leffler by 14.

Ambrose is 10th in the standings, 60 points behind ninth-place Clint Bowyer.

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 and Kentucky, race No. 16), Marcos Ambrose (Las Vegas, race No. 4) and Juan Pablo Montoya (Mexico City, race No. 3).

DID YOU KNOW? TWO Raybestos® Rookies have won pole positions this season: David Ragan at Texas (race No. 8) and Brad Coleman at Talladega.

Danny O’Quinn Jr. was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Kroger 200, posting a sixth-place finish. O’Quinn Jr. claimed 2006 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year honors by one point over John Andretti. DID YOU KNOW? At least one Raybestos® Rookie has scored a top-10 finish in the last THREE consecutive Kroger 200 races at ORP.

DID YOU KNOW? Reed Sorenson (2005) and Jason Leffler (2000) are the only Raybestos® Rookies to win pole positions for the Kroger 200.

DID YOU KNOW? Kyle Busch (2004) and Ron Hornaday (2000) are the only Raybestos® Rookies to win the Kroger 200 since the program was created in 1989 (17 races).

DID YOU KNOW? Busch is the most recent Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap at O’Reilly Raceway Park. He led once, covering the final 44 laps.

Only twice since 1989 has a Raybestos® Rookie led the most laps in the Kroger 200. Greg Biffle led 107, the most ever by a first-year driver, in 2001 while Scott Riggs held the top spot for 94 laps in 2002.

The most Raybestos® Rookies to finish inside the top-10 at O’Reilly Raceway Park is three in 2000: Ron Hornaday (first), Jason Leffler (fourth), and Kevin Harvick (eighth).

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at O’Reilly Raceway Park:
1993: Tim Fedewa, fifth
1994: Dennis Setzer, fourth
2000: Ron Hornaday, FIRST
2000: Jason Leffler, fourth
2001: Greg Biffle, second
2002: Johnny Sauter, fourth
2004: Kyle Busch, FIRST
2005: Reed Sorenson, third

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at O’Reilly Raceway Park:
1990: Dave Mader III, 10th
1991: Troy Beebe, 10th
1993: Tim Fedewa, fifth
1994: Dennis Setzer, fourth
1995: Jeff Fuller, 10th
1997: Steve Park, eighth
1999: Tony Raines, 10th
2000: Ron Hornaday, FIRST
2000: Jason Leffler, fourth
2000: Kevin Harvick, eighth
2001: Greg Biffle, second
2002: Johnny Sauter, fourth
2004: Kyle Busch, FIRST
2005: Reed Sorenson, third
2005: Denny Hamlin, sixth
2006: Danny O’Quinn Jr., sixth

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY

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

Danny O’Quinn Jr. narrowly edged John Andretti to win the 2006 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year title in the NASCAR Busch Series. O’Quinn Jr. finished one point higher than Andretti in the final standings, the closet margin in NASCAR national series history. He also became the second driver in series history to win the award without completing the full schedule. The 2006 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year title was the second consecutive and third overall for Roush Fenway Racing in the Busch Series.

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 194
Marcos Ambrose 171
Juan Pablo Montoya 162
Kyle Krisiloff 152
Brad Keselowski 106 
Brad Coleman 95
Robert Richardson Jr. 76 
Justin Diercks 51 

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
Federated Auto Parts 300 Ragan, seventh
Meijer 300 presented by Oreo Coleman, second
AT&T 250 Coleman, fourth
Camping World 200 Ragan, 18th 
Winn-Dixie 250 Krisiloff, 20th 
USG DUROCK 300 Keselowski, 14th 
Busch 250 Ragan, fifth