Race 2 Win: Busch Series Race Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Emerson Radio 250 - 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 September 1 Camping World 300 at California Speedway. Ragan scored a 10th-place finish, his seventh top-10 of the 2007 season. He grabbed top rookie honors for the ninth time this season and for the second consecutive race.

Ragan stretched his lead to 27 points (212-185) over Marcos Ambrose in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the September 7 Emerson Radio 250 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has scored a top-10 finish in SIX of the last SEVEN Busch Series races.

DID YOU KNOW? At least two Raybestos® Rookies have been in the top-10 in the NASCAR Busch Series championship standings for 12 consecutive races, dating back to Kentucky (race No. 16).

Ragan is fifth in the Busch Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie. He is 67 points behind fourth-place Jason Leffler and leads sixth-place Bobby Hamilton Jr. by 171.

Ambrose is eighth in the standings, 14 points behind seventh-place Stephen Leicht.

Ambrose has captured WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors twice this season: Montreal (race No. 23) and Las Vegas (race No. 4). Other Raybestos® Rookies to capture the honor: Brad Coleman (Talladega, race No. 10 and Kentucky, race No. 16) 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.

Juan Pablo Montoya was the top Raybestos® Rookie in the May race at Richmond, grabbing an 11th-place finish.

Danny O’Quinn Jr. was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Emerson Radio 250 at Richmond, posting a 14th-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has finished inside the top-10 in two of the past three fall races at Richmond.

DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie driver to lead a lap in the fall race at Richmond is Kevin Harvick, who led once for one lap in the 2000 event.

DID YOU KNOW? Only TWO Raybestos® Rookies have won the September race at Richmond: Bobby Hamilton edged Tommy Ellis by two car lengths in 1989 while Steve Park crossed the finish line 1.432 seconds ahead of Randy LaJoie in 1997.

DID YOU KNOW? Andy Santerre is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole for the Emerson Radio 250 at Richmond (18 races).

DID YOU KNOW? Only once in the past 18 fall races have TWO Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top-five at the fall race in Richmond. In 1989, Bobby Hamilton won while Kenny Wallace finished third.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Emerson Radio 250:
1989: Bobby Hamilton, first
1989: Kenny Wallace, third
1993: Hermie Sadler, third
1997: Steve Park, first
2004: Kyle Busch, fifth

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at the Emerson Radio 250:
1989: Bobby Hamilton, first
1989: Kenny Wallace, third
1993: Elliott Sadler, third
1993: Joe Bessey, eighth
1994: Johnny Benson, sixth
1997: Steve Park, first
1998: Andy Santerre, 10th
2004: Kurt Busch, fifth
2005: Reed Sorenson, seventh

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 212
Marcos Ambrose 185
Kyle Krisiloff 167
Juan Pablo Montoya 165 
Brad Coleman 150 
Brad Keselowski 142 
Robert Richardson Jr. 90
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
Kroger 200 Keselowski, 10th 
NAPA Auto Parts 200 Krisiloff, sixth
Zippo 200 at The Glen Coleman, fifth
CARFAX 250 Keselowski, 13th 
Food City 250 Ragan, sixth
Camping World 300 Ragan, 10th