Pepsi 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

· Jamie McMurray was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race at the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. McMurray finished 20th and took top rookie honors for the sixth time this season. He padded his lead to eight points (173-165) over Greg Biffle in the Raybestos® Rookie standings.

· McMurray's teammate and fellow Raybestos® Rookie Casey Mears (26th) also finished on the lead lap. They were the only first-year drivers that completed all 110 laps at Sonoma.

· DID YOU KNOW? Tony Stewart has the best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in the five most recent Pepsi 400 races at Daytona International Speedway. Stewart finished sixth in the 1999 event.

· A Raybestos® Rookie has led at least one lap in three of the past five Pepsi 400 races: 1998 (Kenny Irwin once for 15 laps), 1999 (Elliott Sadler once for one lap), and 2001 (Kevin Harvick twice for two laps).

· Jack Sprague was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the season opening Daytona 500. He finished 14th, his best finish this season.

· Mears led once for one lap in the Daytona 500, the only time he has led a Winston Cup race in 2003.

· All five Raybestos® Rookies that qualified for the 2003 Daytona 500 finished on the lead lap: Sprague, Biffle (21st), Mears (27th), McMurray (31st), and Tony Raines (33rd).

· Jimmie Johnson was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2002 Pepsi 400, claiming an eighth place finish. He was the only first year driver to finish in the top-10. Johnson was also the top qualifying Raybestos® Rookie, earning the 16th starting position in time trials.

· McMurray was also the top Raybestos® Rookie qualifier at Sonoma, earning the 26th starting position in time trials.

· Hideo Fukuyama made his second start of the 2003 season at Sears Point. He finished 43rd after his car suffered rear end problems.

· McMurray ranks 22nd in Winston Cup points, best of any Raybestos® Rookie. He is 62 points ahead of Dave Blaney, who is 23rd in the series standings.

· 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          173
Greg Biffle             165
Casey Mears             146
Jack Sprague            141 
Tony Raines             135
Larry Foyt               77
Hideo Fukuyama           17

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            

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