Race 2 Win: Nationwide Series Race Notes

Nationwide Series

Corona Mexico 200 - Raybestos Rookies Notes

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

Dario Franchitti was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the April 11 Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway. Franchitti scored an 11th-place finish and claimed top Raybestos® Rookie honors for the fifth time this season.

Franchitti holds a 28-point lead (80-52) over Bryan Clauson in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the April 20 Corona Mexico 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Mexico.

Juan Pablo Montoya won the 2007 Corona Mexico 200, crossing the finish line .750 seconds ahead of second-place Denny Hamlin. Montoya became the first Raybestos® Rookie to win at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the first to lead the most laps (four times for 42 of the event’s 82 laps). Montoya is also the only Raybestos Rookie to lead a lap at the 2.518-mile course.

The best qualifying effort by a Raybestos® Rookie in three races at Mexico City is third by Montoya.

DID YOU KNOW? The 2007 race also marked the first time in three races that TWO or more Raybestos® Rookie finished in the top-10 in the same race. Marcos Ambrose joined Montoya in the top-10, scoring an eighth-place finish.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Mexico City:
2005: Carl Edwards, third
2007: Juan Pablo Montoya, FIRST

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Mexico City:
2005: Carl Edwards, third
2007: Juan Pablo Montoya, FIRST
2007: Marcos Ambrose, eighth

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS
DRIVER POINTS
Dario Franchitti 80
Bryan Clauson 52
Brian Keselowski 38
Cale Gale 34
Chase Miller 20
Landon Cassill 17

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE
EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE
Camping World 300 Clauson, sixth
Stater Bros. 300 Franchitti, 24th
Sam’s Town 300 Franchitti, sixth
Nicorette 300 Gale, 20th
Sharp Mini 300 Franchitti, 22nd
Pepsi 300 Gale, eighth
O’Reilly 300 Franchitti, 11th
Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Franchitti, 11th

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY

DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a Nationwide Series race is Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya captured the 2007 Corona Mexico 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (Mexico City, Mexico), crossing the finish line .750 seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin (40 races).

DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole position in the Nationwide Series is David Ragan. Ragan captured the top starting spot for the 2007 Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway (eight races).

David Ragan captured 2007 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Ragan edged Marcos Ambrose by 27 points (272-245) for the honor. Ragan finished the season with two poles, four top-five and nine top-10 finishes. His best finish of the season was a third-place effort in the Sam’s Town 250 at Memphis (Millington, Tenn.) Motorsports Park (race no. 32). Ragan was fifth in the Nationwide Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie.

The most recent streak for at least two Raybestos® Rookies to rank inside the top-10 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship standings is 21 consecutive races (2007 race at Kentucky Speedway, race No. 16, through 2008 Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, race No. 1).

Roush Fenway Racing has won THREE consecutive Raybestos® Rookie of the Year titles in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and FOUR since 2001.
2007: David Ragan
2006: Danny O’Quinn Jr.
2005: Carl Edwards
2001: Greg Biffle

Danny O’Quinn Jr. narrowly edged John Andretti to win the 2006 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year title in the NASCAR Nationwide 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.

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 Nationwide 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 Greg Biffle), most top fives (tied with Greg 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. Stremme scored 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 Nationwide Series 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 Nationwide 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.