Race 2 Win: Busch Series Race Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Zippo 200 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

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

Kyle Krisiloff was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the August 4 NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Montreal, Canada). Krisiloff scored a sixth-place finish, his second top-10 effort of the season, and took top rookie honors for the second time in 2007.

DID YOU KNOW? At least one Raybestos® Rookie has scored a top-10 finish in each of the last three consecutive Busch Series races.

David Ragan leads Ambrose by 19 points (198-179) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the August 11 Zippo 200 at The Glen at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

DID YOU KNOW? At least two Raybestos® Rookies have been in the top-10 in the NASCAR Busch Series championship standings for EIGHT 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 46 points behind fourth-place Jason Leffler and leads sixth-place Bobby Hamilton Jr. by 88.

Ambrose is eighth in the standings, 69 points behind seventh-place Stephen Leicht.

Ambrose led the NAPA Auto Parts 200 twice for 37 laps, earning WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors for the second time this season. He also won the award earlier this season at 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.

John Andretti was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Zippo 200, scoring a fifth-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? Greg Biffle owns the best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie at Watkins Glen. Biffle finished second in 2001, 2.462 seconds behind race winner Ron Fellows.

Curtis Markham was the first Raybestos® Rookie to score a top 10 finish at Watkins Glen, claiming an eighth-place finish in 1995.

DID YOU KNOW? Ron Hornaday holds the record for most laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie at Watkins Glen. Hornaday led the 2000 race once for 11 laps.

DID YOU KNOW? The most Raybestos® Rookies to finish inside the top-10 in a Busch race at Watkins Glen is THREE in 2000.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Watkins Glen:
2000: Kevin Harvick, third
2001: Greg Biffle, second
2006: John Andretti, fifth

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Watkins Glen:
1995: Curtis Markham, eighth
1997: Steve Park, sixth
1999: Hank Parker Jr., 10th
2000: Kevin Harvick, third
2000: Jay Sauter, eighth
2000: P.J. Jones, ninth
2001: Greg Biffle, second
2006: John Andretti, fifth

Raybestos® Rookies that have led a lap at Watkins Glen:
1997: Steve Park (once for one lap)
2000: Ron Hornaday (once for 11 laps)
2000: P.J. Jones (once for seven laps)
2001: Greg Biffle (four times for 10 laps)
2001: David Donohue (once for one lap)

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 198
Marcos Ambrose 179
Kyle Krisiloff 163
Juan Pablo Montoya 162 
Brad Keselowski 118 
Brad Coleman 114
Robert Richardson Jr. 84
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