Race 2 Win: UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Winston Cup Series

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UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Jamie McMurray was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the Subway 400 at North Carolina Speedway. McMurray finished fifth and scored his third top-10 in his eight-race Winston Cup career. He collected his first top five at North Carolina Speedway. The finish was the best for McMurray since the NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway race last October where he finished seventh. He was the only Raybestos® Rookie to finish on the lead lap.

McMurray enjoys a five point lead over Greg Biffle (25-20) in the Raybestos® Rookie of the Year standings entering the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

McMurray was the highest qualifying Raybestos® Rookie for the Subway 400. He started seventh and scored his first top-10 start in 2003. It was his second top-10 start in two races at North Carolina Speedway.

The Subway 400 at Rockingham was the first race this season where all six Raybestos® Rookies qualified for the same Winston Cup race and all six were running at the finish of the race.

No Raybestos® Rookie led a lap at Rockingham. Casey Mears is the only first year driver that has led a lap this season entering the Las Vegas event. He led once for one lap in the Daytona 500.

None of the six Raybestos® Rookies entered at Las Vegas competed in last year's Winston Cup race at the 1.5-mile Nevada superspeedway.

2002 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year Ryan Newman was the highest finishing rookie in last year's UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Newman finished fourth and was the only Raybestos® Rookie to finish in the top-five. Newman led three times for 49 laps, more than any other Raybestos® Rookie, and was also the highest qualifying rookie at Las Vegas. He claimed the second starting position in time trials, just behind pole winner Todd Bodine.

Jimmie Johnson also had a strong run at Las Vegas, scoring a sixth place finish. Johnson led the race once for six laps. Even more impressive was the fact that Johnson had to rally from his 25th starting position to score a top-10 finish.

Newman and Johnson became the third pair of Raybestos® Rookies to win in their rookie season. They joined Morgan Shepherd (Martinsville) and Ron Bouchard (Talladega) in 1981 and Matt Kenseth (Charlotte) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Texas and Richmond) in 2000.

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          25
Greg Biffle             20
Jack Sprague            19
Casey Mears             18 
Tony Raines             13
Larry Foyt               8
 
HIGHEST FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIES BY RACE

EVENT                         HIGHEST FINISHING ROOKIE
Daytona 500                   Jack Sprague, 14th 
Subway 400                    Jamie McMurray, fifth

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