Race 2 Win: Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Nextel Cup Series

News and Results | Point Standings | 2004 Schedule | 2004 Teams | 2003 Schedule and Results

Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Kasey Kahne was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kahne finished third, his third consecutive finish of third or better in the last three races. He padded his lead in the Raybestos® Rookie standings by 23 points over Scott Wimmer (65-42).

Kahne enters the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway fourth in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, 123 behind leader Matt Kenseth. He is 33 points behind third place Dale Earnhardt Jr. and holds a seven-point advantage over fifth place Jeff Gordon. Kahne is the only Raybestos® Rookie in the top-20 in NEXTEL Cup points.

Kahne and Scott Wimmer are the only Raybestos® Rookies to score a top-five and a top-10 finish. Kahne has three top-fives and three top-10s while Wimmer has one top-five and one top-10.

Johnny Sauter and Brendan Gaughan are the only Raybestos® Rookies that have been running at the finish of all four races this season.

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1975, the best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in the spring race at Darlington is fifth, by Ryan Newman in 2002. During that same time span, the best qualifying effort by a Raybestos® Rookie was third, which is shared by Newman and Kevin Harvick (2001).

A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top-10 in each of the last SIX NEXTEL Cup races: Tony Raines (sixth at Rockingham, November 2003), Jamie McMurray (ninth at Homestead, November 2003), Scott Wimmer (third at Daytona, February, 2004), and Kasey Kahne (second at Rockingham, February 2004, second at Las Vegas in March of 2004, and third at Atlanta in March 2004).

The Atlanta race was the fourth consecutive event where a Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top-three. Scott Wimmer was third at Daytona and Kahne finished second at Rockingham and Las Vegas plus third at Atlanta.

Since 1987, SEVEN Raybestos® Rookies have posted a top-five finish in the spring race at Atlanta: Harvick, Jimmie Johnson (third in 2002), Dick Trickle (third in 1989), Jeff Burton (fourth in 1994), Davey Allison (fifth in 1987), and Kenny Irwin (fifth in 1998).

Kahne and Scott Riggs are the only Raybestos® Rookies to lead a lap this season. Kahne has led twice in one race for 43 laps while Riggs led once on one race for one lap. Both freshman drivers led the same race: Las Vegas.

Wimmer was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the Daytona 500, grabbing a third place finish. He scored the best finish by a first-year driver since Jeff Gordon placed fifth in 1993 and was the only Raybestos® Rookie to place inside the top-15.

DARLINGTON RAYBESTOS ROOKIE TIDBITS

The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap in the spring race at Darlington is Matt Kenseth. Kenseth led once for three laps on his way to a sixth place finish in 2000.

Since 1980, TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top-10 in the spring race at Darlington only twice: Lake Speed (eighth) and Jody Ridley (10th) in 1980 and Newman and Jimmie Johnson (sixth) in 2002.

From 1979 until 2000, only five Raybestos® Rookies led a lap in Darlington's spring race: Kenseth, Mike Skinner (once for eight laps in 1997), Jeff Gordon (once for one lap in 1993), Bob Schact (once for two laps in 1992), and Dale Earnhardt (once for four laps in 1979). Raybestos® Rookies have led back to back spring races at Darlington just once in the sport's modern era (1992 and 1993).

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY

The way to the NASCAR NEXTEL championship is to win Raybestos® Rookie of the Year. Since 1979, six Raybestos® Rookie of the Year drivers have won the title: Dale Earnhardt (1979), Rusty Wallace (1984), Alan Kulwicki (1986), Jeff Gordon (1993), Tony Stewart (1999), and Matt Kenseth (2004).

A Raybestos® Rookie has 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), Newman (New Hampshire 2002), and Jimmie Johnson (California and both 2002 Dover races), and Greg Biffle (Pepsi 400 at Daytona 2003). The record for most wins by a Raybestos® Rookie is three, shared by Johnson (2002) and Stewart (1999).

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER           POINTS
Kasey Kahne      65
Scott Wimmer     42
Johnny Sauter    34
Brian Vickers    34
Brendan Gaughan  33
Scott Riggs      30
   
HIGHEST FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIES BY RACE

EVENT                   HIGHEST FINISHING ROOKIE
Daytona 500             Scott Wimmer, third
Subway 400              Kasey Kahne, second
UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Kasey Kahne, second
Golden Corral 500       Kasey Kahne, third

News and Results | Point Standings | 2004 Schedule | 2004 Teams | 2003 Schedule and Results