Race 2 Win: Nationwide Series Race Notes

Nationwide Series

Nicorette 300 - Raybestos Rookies Notes

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

Dario Franchitti was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the March 1 Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Franchitti claimed a sixth-place finish, his best effort in seven NASCAR Nationwide Series races. He has claimed Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors in two of the three Nationwide Series races this season.

Franchitti holds a 12-point lead (37-25) over Bryan Clauson in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the March 8 Nicorette 300 at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway.

Franchitti is ninth in the Nationwide Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie. He leads 10th-place Brad Coleman by 15 points and trails eighth-place Mike Wallace by 13. Franchitti is 128 points behind leader Tony Stewart.

Carl Edwards won the 2005 Nicorette 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, scoring his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory. Edwards owns the only victory by a Raybestos® Rookie in 16 Nationwide Series races at Atlanta. He is one of just four Raybestos® Rookie to score a top-five finish at the 1.54-mile Georgia speedway.

Juan Pablo Montoya was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Nicorette 300, claiming an eighth-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top-10 in each of the last FOUR consecutive Nationwide Series races at Atlanta.

DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap in a Nationwide Series race at Atlanta is John Andretti in 2006 (once for one lap).

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Atlanta:
2002: Scott Riggs, fourth
2004: Kyle Busch, second
2005: Carl Edwards, first

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Atlanta:
2002: Scott Riggs, fourth
2002: Johnny Sauter, 10th
2004: Kyle Busch, second
2004: J.J. Yeley, 10th
2005: Carl Edwards, first
2005: Michel Jourdain, 10th
2006: Burney Lamar, eighth
2007: Juan Pablo Montoya, eighth

Edwards is also the only Raybestos Rookie to win a pole position in 16 races at Atlanta.

The 2005 Nicorette 300 was the third time in 16 Nationwide Series races at Atlanta where TWO Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top-10. In addition to Edwards’ win, Michel Jourdain Jr. placed 10th, his first top 10 effort in the Nationwide Series.

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS
DRIVER POINTS
Dario Franchitti 37
Bryan Clauson 25 
Brian Keselowski 20
Cale Gale 9

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

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY

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. The others:
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 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 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.