MBNA America 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

· Jamie McMurray was the top Raybestos® Rookie in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. McMurray placed 10th, his eighth top-10 finish of the 2003 season. He took top Raybestos® Rookie honor for the 13th time this season and has been the highest finishing rookie in six of the last seven races. McMurray adds to his lead in the Raybestos® Rookie standings for the third consecutive race. Entering the MBNA America 400 at Dover International Speedway, McMurray holds a 16-point advantage (249-233) over Greg Biffle.

· RAYBESTOS® ROOKIES LOVE DOVER: In the last nine Winston Cup races at Dover, the average finish of the top Raybestos® Rookie is 5.44. Since 1999, the highest finishing rookie at Dover has collected a total of five top-fives (including two wins by Jimmie Johnson in 2002) and seven top-10 finishes in nine races.

· A STREAK IN DANGER: A Raybestos® Rookie has won at least one pole position in each of the past seven consecutive seasons, dating back to 1996. Ryan Newman, who won six in 2002, holds the record for most poles in a rookie season. No Raybestos® Rookie has won a pole position this season entering the race at Dover.

· At least one Raybestos® Rookie has led a lap in 12 races this season, including two of the past three, entering the Dover race. Biffle has led more miles than any other Raybestos® Rookie entering the MBNA America 400: eight times in six races for 245.97 miles (136 laps).

· McMurray was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race at the MBNA Armed Forces Family 400 at Dover in June. McMurray finished 13th, the final car to complete 400-lap distance. No Raybestos® Rookie led a lap in the race.

· Larry Foyt scored his best career Winston Cup finish at Dover in June. Foyt had a solid day in his Dodge at the demanding one-mile Delaware speedway, collecting a 28th place finish.

· ONE YEAR AGO: Raybestos® Rookie Jimmie Johnson won the MBNA All American Heroes 400 at Dover. Johnson was the second rookie to win in as many weeks on the Winston Cup tour (Ryan Newman won the previous week at New Hampshire). Johnson led the most laps in the race (four times for 170). Even more impressive is the fact that Johnson didn't lead the race until lap 204 of the 400-lap event. Johnson also won the spring race at Dover and became the first Raybestos® Rookie in Winston Cup history to sweep both races at a single venue.

· With Biffle's win in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway, a Raybestos® Rookie has now won at least one race in each of the last five seasons dating back to Tony Stewart's win at Richmond International Raceway in September, 1999. Other freshman drivers to win: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Richmond, 2000), Matt Kenseth (Charlotte, 2000), Kevin Harvick (Atlanta, 2001), Ryan Newman (New Hampshire 2002), and Jimmie Johnson (California and both 2002 Dover races). The record for most wins by a Raybestos® Rookie is three, shared by Johnson (2002) and Stewart (1999).

· The way to the Winston Cup championship is to win Raybestos® Rookie of the Year. Since 1979, FIVE Raybestos® Rookie of the Year drivers have won the title: Dale Earnhardt (1979), Rusty Wallace (1984), Alan Kulwicki (1986), Jeff Gordon (1993), and Tony Stewart (1999).

· 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 (three wins in 2002).

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER               POINTS
Jamie McMurray          249
Greg Biffle             233
Casey Mears             184
Tony Raines             183 
Jack Sprague            158
Larry Foyt              127

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 
Auto Club 500                Jamie McMurray, fifth
Pontiac Excitement 400       Tony Raines, 14th 
Coca-Cola 600                Greg Biffle, 16th 
MBNA Armed Forces Family 400 Jamie McMurray, 13th 
Pocono 500                   Greg Biffle, 20th 
Sirius 400                   Jamie McMurray, 14th 
Dodge/Save Mart 350          Jamie McMurray, 20th            
Pepsi 400                    Greg Biffle, first
Tropicana 400                Jamie McMurray, eighth
New England 300              Greg Biffle, 20th 
Pennsylvania 500             Tony Raines, 16th 
Brickyard 400                Jamie McMurray, third
Sirius @ The Glen            Jamie McMurray, 22nd 
GFS Marketplace 400          Greg Biffle, fourth
Sharpie 500                  Jamie McMurray, third
Mountain Dew Southern 500    Jamie McMurray, fourth
Chevy Rock and Roll 400      Jamie McMurray, 19th 
Sylvania 300                 Jamie McMurray, 10th     

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