Race 2 Win: Auto Club 500 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Winston Cup Series

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Auto Club 500 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Jamie McMurray and Greg Biffle are tied for the lead in the Raybestos® Rookie Standing entering the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. Both drivers have 89 points, nine more than third place Casey Mears. They are the only drivers to claim Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors in more than one race this season. Biffle and McMurray have each been the top qualifying rookie in four races entering the Auto Club 500.

Biffle was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the Virginia 500 at Martinsville, claiming an 18th place finish. He took highest finishing rookie honors for the fourth time this season.

Biffle ranks 22nd in Winston Cup points, best of any Raybestos® Rookie. He and McMurray are the only members of this year's class to score a top-five finish. Each has one top-five entering the California event. McMurray has two top-10 finishes, more than any other Raybestos® Rookie.

DID YOU KNOW? Five different rookies have earned Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors this season: Biffle (4), McMurray (2), Jack Sprague (1), Casey Mears (1), and Tony Raines (1).

McMurray was the highest qualifying Raybestos® Rookie at Martinsville, taking the 11th starting position. He is the only Raybestos® Rookie to start all nine 2003 Winston Cup races without using a provisional. Mears, Jack Sprague, and Tony Raines are the other first-year drivers that have qualified for all nine races entering the Auto Club 500.

The Subway 400 at North Carolina Speedway is the only race this season where all six Raybestos® Rookies qualified for the race AND all six were running at the finish of the race.

Raybestos® Rookie Jimmie Johnson scored his first career Winston Cup victory in the 2002 NAPA Auto Parts 500 at California Speedway. Johnson led the race four times for 62 laps including the final 14. He scored the win by .620 second over Kurt Busch. The win came in Johnson's 13th career Winston Cup start.

Johnson's win gave the Raybestos® Rookie class a clean sweep at California Speedway. 2002 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Ryan Newman won the pole for the race with a lap of 187.432 mph, a track record for the 2.5-mile speedway. Newman led the race once for three laps and finished 14th.

Raybestos® Rookie Shawna Robinson had a tough day in her Dodge. She started 43rd and sidelined by an accident early in the race. She was credited with a 42nd place finish.

A Raybestos® Rookie has posted multiple victories five times in NASCAR Winston Cup history: Davey Allison (two wins in 1987), Tony Stewart (three wins in 1999), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two wins in 2000), Kevin Harvick (two wins in 2001), and Jimmie Johnson (two wins in 2002).

A Raybestos® Rookie Contender has won at least one race in each of the last four seasons dating back to Tony Stewart's win at Richmond in September, 1999. Other freshman drivers to win: Earnhardt Jr. (Richmond, 2000), Matt Kenseth (Charlotte, 2000), Harvick (Atlanta, 2001), Newman (New Hampshire 2002), and Johnson (Charlotte and both 2002 Dover races). The record for most wins by a Raybestos® Rookie is held by Stewart, who won three races in 1999.

A Raybestos® Rookie has won at least one pole position in each of the past seven consecutive seasons, dating back to 1996. The record for most poles in a rookie season is held by Ryan Newman, who won six in 2002.

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER                POINTS
Jamie McMurray          89
Greg Biffle             89
Casey Mears             80
Jack Sprague            78 
Tony Raines             71
Larry Foyt              38
Hideo Fukuyama           7

HIGHEST FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIES BY RACE

EVENT                       HIGHEST FINISHING ROOKIE
Daytona 500                 Jack Sprague, 14th 
Subway 400                  Jamie McMurray, fifth
UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400    Casey Mears, 15th 
Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500     Greg Biffle, 13th 
Carolina Dodge Dealers 400  Greg Biffle, 12th 
Food City 500               Greg Biffle, fifth
Samsung/RadioShack 500      Jamie McMurray, 10th 
Aaron's 499                 Tony Raines, 16th 
Virginia 500                Greg Biffle, 18th

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