Race 2 Win: Samsung/Radio Shack 500 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Winston Cup Series

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Samsung/Radio Shack 500 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Greg Biffle took Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in fine style, scoring his best career Winston Cup finish. Biffle finished fifth, his best effort in 15 career starts in NASCAR's top series. He joins Jamie McMurray as the only Raybestos® Rookies to score a top-five finish this season. Biffle's previous best effort was 12th at Darlington Raceway in the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 on March 16.

Biffle took Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the third consecutive event, dating back to the Atlanta race on March 9. He is the only driver this season to claim Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors in more than one event.

Biffle's finish at Bristol places him second in the Raybestos® Rookie standings, one point behind leader Jamie McMurray (61-60) entering the Samsung/Radio Shack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Biffle ranks 24th in NASCAR Winston Cup points, best of all Raybestos® Rookie Contenders, 91 points behind 10th place Jeff Gordon. McMurray stands 26th, 29 points behind Biffle.

For the third consecutive week, Biffle made it a clean sweep, taking top qualifying and top finishing Raybestos® Rookie honors.

For the third consecutive race, Biffle was the top qualifying Raybestos® Rookie. Biffle started 15th in the Food City 500. He and McMurray have been the top qualifying Raybestos Rookie in three races entering the Samsung/Radio Shack 500.

DID YOU KNOW? McMurray's finish at Bristol (11th) was his best effort since he placed fifth at Rockingham on February 23.

Casey Mears is the only Raybestos® Rookie that has started all six races this season and has not posted a DNF.

Four different drivers have taken home Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors in the five Winston Cup races this season: Biffle (Atlanta, Darlington, and Bristol), Jack Sprague (Daytona), McMurray (Rockingham), and Mears (Las Vegas).

McMurray is the only Raybestos® Rookie to start all six 2003 Winston Cup races without using a provisional. Mears, Jack Sprague and Tony Raines are the other first-year drivers that have qualified for all six races entering the Samsung/Radio Shack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Entering Sunday's race at Texas, Mears is the only Raybestos® Rookie that has led a lap this season. He led once for one lap (2.5-miles) in the Daytona 500.

Four of the five Raybestos® Rookies that started the Food City 500 at Bristol were running at the finish of the race: Biffle, McMurray, Mears (32nd), and Sprague (35th). Tony Raines (42nd) was the only Raybestos® Rookie that did not finish the race. He completed 52 laps before parking his car with engine failure.

The Subway 400 at North Carolina Speedway is the only race this season where all six Raybestos® Rookies qualified for the race AND all six were running at the finish of the race.

Jimmie Johnson was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2002 Samsung/Radio Shack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Johnson started 13th and finished sixth, the only first year driver to complete all 500 miles of the event. He was also the highest qualifying Raybestos® Rookie.

2002 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year Ryan Newman was the only first year driver to lead a lap at Texas. He started 36th but led the race twice for two laps. He dropped out with engine failure after 252 laps and was credited with a 40th place finish.

Raybestos® Rookie Shawna Robinson had a good run in qualifying for the Texas event, claiming the 16th starting position. She was running at the finish of the race and was credited with a 36th place 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          61
Greg Biffle             60
Casey Mears             56
Jack Sprague            50 
Tony Raines             45
Larry Foyt              30
Hideo Fukuyama           7
 
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

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