Race 2 Win: Subway 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

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Subway 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Jack Sprague was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Sprague finished 14th in his first career Winston Cup start at Daytona.

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

Mears was the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap in the Daytona 500. He led once for one lap (lap 65).

McMurray was the highest qualifying Raybestos® Rookie for the Daytona 500. McMurray started 19th and was the only freshman driver to start inside the top 20.

Ryan Newman was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2002 Subway 400 at North Carolina Speedway. He started 23rd and finished 14th and on the lead lap. Jimmie Johnson was the highest qualifying rookie, claiming the 11th starting position.

Newman was the only Winston Cup Raybestos® Rookie to lead at least one lap in 2002 at Rockingham. He led twice for 41 laps in November's Pop Secret 400. No rookie led a lap in the Subway 400.

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
Jack Sprague             11
Greg Biffle              10
Casey Mears               9
Jamie McMurray            8
Tony Raines               7
Larry Foyt                1
 
HIGHEST FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIES BY RACE

EVENT                           HIGHEST FINISHING ROOKIE
Daytona 500                     Jack Sprague, 14th

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