Ford 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDERS - NASCAR WINSTON CUP SERIES

· Tony Raines was the top Raybestos® Rookie in the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at North Carolina Speedway. Raines finished sixth, his first top-10 Winston Cup finish in 41 career starts. He took Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the fourth time this season and for the first time since the July race at Pocono. Raines finished on the lead lap for the second consecutive race.

· Greg Biffle had a solid run at Rockingham, claiming an 11th place finish. He trails leader Jamie McMurray by 33 points (278-245) entering the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

· 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. No Raybestos® Rookie has won a pole position this season.

· Tony Stewart is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win at Homestead. He won the 1999 race over teammate Bobby Labonte by 5.289 seconds. Stewart is also the record holder for most laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie at the speedway (68).

· ROOKIE PERFORMANCE AT HOMESTEAD: A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top-10 in all four races at Homestead. Dave Blaney, ninth (2000); Casey Atwood, third, Kevin Harvick, seventh, and Jason Leffler, 10th (2001); and Ryan Newman sixth and Jimmie Johnson, eighth (2002).

· At least one Raybestos® Rookie has led a lap in three or the four previous races at Homestead: Tony Stewart (1999), Kevin Harvick (2001), Ryan Newman, and Jimmie Johnson (2002).

· TWO Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top 10 in two races this season: the Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (McMurray finished fourth and Biffle placed tenth) and the MBNA America 400 at Dover International Speedway (McMurray finished sixth and Biffle placed seventh).

· 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), 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 Stewart (1999).

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

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER           POINTS
Jamie McMurray      278
Greg Biffle         245
Tony Raines         199
Casey Mears         197 
Jack Sprague        158
Larry Foyt          146
  
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 
MBNA America 400             Jamie McMurray, sixth
EA Sports 500                Jamie McMurray, 16th 
Banquet 400                  Jamie McMurray, eighth
UAW-GM Quality 500           Jamie McMurray, seventh
Subway 500                   Jamie McMurray, eighth
Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500      Jamie McMurray, 15th 
Checker Auto Parts 500       Jamie McMurray, 12th 
Pop Secret 400               Tony Raines, sixth 

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