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2001 Schedule and Results
Virginia 500 - Raybestos Rookie Notes
" Jimmie Johnson was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the
Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Johnson finished sixth, his
fifth top-10 of the 2002 Winston Cup season. He leads the Raybestos® Rookie
standings by nine points (100-91) over Ryan Newman.
" Johnson is third in Winston Cup points, 49 behind second place Matt
Kenseth and 119 behind leader Sterling Marlin. Johnson is the only first
year driver in the top-10 in Winston Cup points.
" Three Raybestos Rookie started the Texas race: Johnson, Shawna Robinson
(36th) and Newman (40th). Robinson was running at the finish of the event
while Newman dropped out due to engine failure.
" Johnson was also the highest qualifying Raybestos® Rookie at Texas,
claiming the 13th starting position.
" Robinson qualified 16th for the Samsung/RadioShack 500, the best
qualifying run of her Winston Cup career. She made her fifth start of the
2002 season at Texas and has qualified on her speed for four of the five
starts she has made this season. All three Raybestos Rookie entered at Texas
made the race on their speed (Newman qualified 36th).
" Entering Sunday's Virginia 500 at Martinsville Speedway, the best finish
by a rookie is third by Jimmie Johnson at the MBNA America 500 in Atlanta
Motor Speedway.
" Johnson has completed 99.7 percent of the possible miles this season,
best among all Raybestos® Rookie Contenders. He has only 5.55 unfinished
miles entering Sunday's race at Martinsville.
" Newman has led more miles than any other Raybestos® Rookie entering the
Virginia 500. He has led six times in three races (67 laps) for a total of
101.10 miles. Fellow rookie Johnson has led once in one race (six laps) for
9.00 miles. Newman and Johnson are the only Raybestos® Rookies to lead at
least one lap this season.
" Andy Houston was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in last year's
Virginia 500 at Martinsville Speedway, completing all 500 laps and earning a
17th place finish. It was the only time in 2001 that Houston would be the
highest finishing rookie. Ron Hornaday, who finished 27th, was the only
rookie to lead a lap at Martinsville, holding the top spot twice for 24 laps.
" Casey Atwood (26th) was the highest qualifying rookie, taking the 14th
starting position in time trials. All five rookies that qualified for the
race were running at the finish. The rest of the class: Kurt Busch (33rd)
and Kevin Harvick (34th).
" DID YOU KNOW? Every Raybestos® Rookie Contender that started the
Virginia 500 and/or the Old Dominion 500 last season was running at the
finish. No rookie failed to finish either race at the tight .526-mile
Virginia speedway. Surprisingly, the Raybestos® Rookie that completed the
fewest number of laps in either race was 2001 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year
Kevin Harvick who logged 454 laps in the Virginia 500. The last rookie that
failed to finish a race at Martinsville was Stacy Compton who was sidelined
after 333 laps in the 2000 NAPA AutoCare 500 and was credited with a 39th
place finish.
" Three Raybestos® Rookies led a lap in last September's Old Dominion 500
at Martinsville, equaling the most rookies to lead in the same race in 2001.
Busch (once for 38 laps), Harvick (once for 20 laps), and Atwood (once for
one lap) all held the top starting spot during the race. Three Raybestos
Rookies also led the Talladega 500 in April.
" Both Johnson and Newman will be making their first Winston Cup starts at
Martinsville Speedway in the Virginia 500.
" Newman and Jimmie Johnson both led laps in the Las Vegas race, the first
time this season two or more Raybestos® Rookies have led at least one lap in
the same race. Newman led three times for 50 laps (second most of any driver
in the race), while Johnson held the top spot once for six laps, the first
time he led a lap in his Winston Cup career.
" In just 15 career NASCAR Winston Cup races, Newman has scored four
top-five and six top-10 finishes.
" In just 10 career NASCAR Winston Cup races, Johnson has one top-five and
five top-10 finishes.
" By winning the pole for the Daytona 500, Johnson joined Loy Allen (1994)
and Mike Skinner (1997) as the only drivers in their rookie season to win the
pole for the Daytona 500. He is also among an elite group of modern era
(since 1972) drivers who have won poles early in their careers. Johnson won
his first Winston Cup pole position in just his fourth career start. Ryan
Newman and Mark Martin both won a pole in their third career start, while
Johnny Benson won his first career pole in his fourth start.
" Newman made history by becoming the first Raybestos® Rookie to compete in
the Budweiser Shootout. Newman qualified for the special event reserved for
pole winners by capturing the top starting position for the 2001 Coca-Cola
600 at Charlotte. Newman started eighth and finished 15th, completing all 70
laps of the special event.
RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS DRIVER POINTS Jimmie Johnson 100 Ryan Newman 91 Shawna Robinson 46 Carl Long 3 HIGHEST FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIES BY RACE EVENT HIGHEST FINISHING ROOKIE Daytona 500 Ryan Newman, seventh Subway 400 Ryan Newman, 14th UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 Ryan Newman, fourth MBNA America 500 Jimmie Johnson, third Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 Ryan Newman, fifth Food City 500 Jimmie Johnson, seventh Samsung/RadioShack 500 Jimmie Johnson, fourth
2001 Schedule and Results
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