Race 2 Win: Busch Series Race Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

O'Reilly Challenge - 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 October 27 Sam’s Town 250 at Memphis (Millington, Tenn.) Motorsports Park. Ragan posted a third-place finish, his fourth top-five and ninth top-10 in 2007. He claimed Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the 11th time in 32 races.

Ragan was joined in the top-five by fellow Raybestos® Rookie Marcos Ambrose. Ambrose scored a fourth-place finish, his best effort this season.

The Memphis race marked the second time this season TWO Raybestos® Rookies finished inside the top-five. The other race was the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (race No. 10) where Ragan finished fourth ahead of fifth-place Kyle Krisiloff.

Brad Keselowski finished ninth at Memphis, his fourth top-10 in 2007.

Ambrose won the pole at Memphis, his first in 32 Busch Series races. He becomes the THIRD Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole this season, joining Ragan (Texas, race No. 8) and Brad Coleman (Talladega).

Ragan leads Marcos Ambrose by 31 points (232-201) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the November 3 O’Reilly Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway.

THE STREAK CONTINUES: At least two Raybestos® Rookies have been in the top-10 in the NASCAR Busch Series championship standings for 17 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 59 points behind fourth-place Kevin Harvick and 151 ahead of sixth-place Bobby Hamilton Jr.

Ambrose is eighth in the standings, 51 points behind seventh-place Stephen Leicht and 16 ahead of ninth-place Greg Biffle.

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 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.

Ragan was the top Raybestos® Rookie in the April14 O’Reilly 300 at Texas, scoring a fifth-place finish.

Todd Kluever was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race at in the 2006 O’Reilly Challenge 300, scoring a 10th-place finish.

The best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in two fall races at Texas is third by Carl Edwards in the 2005 O’Reilly Challenge at Texas.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the fall race at Texas:
2005: Carl Edwards, third
2005: Reed Sorenson, fourth

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the fall race at Texas:
2005: Carl Edwards, third
2005: Reed Sorenson, fourth
2006: Todd Kluever, 10th

Reed Sorenson is the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap in two fall races at Texas. Sorenson led the 2005 O’Reilly Challenge once for three laps.

The best qualifying effort by a Raybestos® Rookie in the fall race at Texas is third by Stephen Leicht in 2006.

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 232
Marcos Ambrose 201
Kyle Krisiloff 178
Brad Keselowski 170
Juan Pablo Montoya 165 
Brad Coleman 163 
Robert Richardson Jr. 107
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 
Emerson Radio 250 Ambrose, 15th 
RoadLoans.com 200 Keselowski, seventh
Yellow Transportation 300 Krisiloff, 28th 
Dollar General 300 Ragan, sixth
Sam’s Town 250 Ragan, third