· Greg Biffle was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the Pocono 500 at
Pocono Raceway. Biffle placed 19th and took top finishing rookie honors for the
sixth time in 2003, the most of any Raybestos® Rookie this season. He closed
to within just two points of leader Jamie McMurray (151-149) in the
Raybestos® Rookie standings.
· Larry Foyt led a NASCAR Winston Cup race for the first time his career in
the Pocono 500. Foyt led the race once for five laps (12.50 miles) and
becomes the third Raybestos® Rookie to lead a race in 2003. The other first-year
drivers to lead a lap this season are Jamie McMurray (six times for 41 laps in
one race, 82.00 miles) and Casey Mears (once for one lap in one race, 2.50
miles).
· Biffle ranks 23rd in Winston Cup points, best of any Raybestos® Rookie.
He is 28 points ahead of Jamie McMurray, who is 24th in the series standings.
· Jack Sprague was the top qualifying Raybestos® Rookie at Pocono, grabbing
the 18th starting position. He took top qualifying rookie honors for the
third time this season and twice in the last three races.
· DID YOU KNOW? Kevin Lepage owns the best qualifying run for a Raybestos®
Rookie in the last five Sirius Satellite Radio 400 races (June events) at
Michigan International Speedway. Lepage started fifth in the 1998 Miller Lite
400.
· 2002 Raybestos® Rookies Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson are the only
Raybestos® Rookies to lead at least one lap in the five most recent Sirius
Satellite Radio 400 races at Michigan, dating back to June 1998. Newman led last
year's race twice for 10 laps while Johnson led the event once for 25 laps.
· 2002 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year Ryan Newman was the top rookie
finisher in last year's Sirius Satellite Radio 400 at Michigan International
Speedway. Newman finished third and was the only first year driver to place inside
the top-10. He also led the race twice for a total of 10 laps and was also the
highest qualifying Raybestos® Rookie, earning the sixth starting position in
time trials.
· Jimmie Johnson also finished on the lead lap last year in the Sirius
Satellite Radio 400, coming away with a 14th place finish. Johnson led the race
once for 25 laps, more than any other Raybestos® Rookie.
· 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 151
Greg Biffle 149
Casey Mears 127
Jack Sprague 124
Tony Raines 119
Larry Foyt 77
Hideo Fukuyama 11
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