Sylvania 300 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

· Jamie McMurray was the top Raybestos® Rookie in the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway. McMurray placed 19th and stretched his lead to 13 over Greg Biffle (245-232) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings. McMurray took top rookie honors for the 12th time in 2003, more than any other first-year driver.

· Biffle was the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap at Richmond. He led the race once for two laps. He has led more miles than any other Raybestos® Rookie entering the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway: eight times in six races for 245.97 miles (136 laps).

· Biffle was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in July at New Hampshire. He finished 10th, the only first-year driver to finish inside the top-10. Casey Mears had a solid day in July, coming away with a 16th place finish on the lead lap. McMurray was the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap in the race: he held the top spot once for 13 laps.

· TOTAL DOMINANCE: 2003 Raybestos® Rookie Ryan Newman won the pole, led the most laps, and won last year's rain-shortened Sylvania 300. He beat the rain and Kurt Busch to the finish line to score his first Winston Cup win. Newman's qualifying lap of 132.241 mph (28.802 seconds) is the current track record.

· Biffle is the only member of this year's rookie class that started the 2002 Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire. He started fourth and recorded a 27th place finish.

· 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), Ryan 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 Tony Stewart (1999).

· 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 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          245
Greg Biffle             232
Casey Mears             181
Tony Raines             181 
Jack Sprague            158
Larry Foyt              127
  
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 

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