Race 2 Win: Ford 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

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Ford 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDERS - NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES

Kasey Kahne was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Kahne finished fifth, his 13th top-five and 14th top-10 finish of the 2004 season. He finished fifth for the third consecutive race and took top rookie honors for the 19th time this season and for the fourth consecutive race.

Kahne is the third consecutive Raybestos® Rookie to score a top-five finish in the Southern 500, joining Jamie McMurray who placed fourth here in 2003 and Ryan Newman who finished second in 2002.

Other Raybestos® Rookies to score top-five finishes in the Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington (since 1975):
1975: Bruce Hill, fifth
1979: Terry Labonte, third
1984: Rusty Wallace, fourth
2002: Ryan Newman, second
2003: Jamie McMurray, fourth

At least one Raybestos® Rookie has now finished inside the top-10 in each of the past FOUR consecutive Mountain Dew Southern 500 races at Darlington. The others:
2001: Kevin Harvick, eighth
2002: Ryan Newman (second) and Jimmie Johnson (ninth)
2003: Jamie McMurray (fourth) and Greg Biffle (10th)

Kasey Kahne enters the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway 12th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, 80 points better than 13th place Bobby Labonte and 102 better than 14th place Dale Jarrett.

Kahne maintains a comfortable lead in the chase for Raybestos® Rookie of the Year. He leads Brendan Gaughan by 115 points (346-231) entering the Ford 400.

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIES AT HOMESTEAD

Tony Stewart is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a NEXTEL Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Stewart won the inaugural Ford 400 in 1999 by 5.289 seconds over Bobby Labonte. Stewart led the race four times for 44 laps, and was the only Raybestos® Rookie driver to lead a lap in the first two NEXTEL Cup races at Homestead.

The only other Raybestos® Rookie to score a top-five finish in the Ford 400 is Casey Atwood. Atwood finished third in the 2001 event, after leading the race twice for 52 laps, the most laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie in five races at Homestead.

The most Raybestos® Rookies to finish inside the top-10 is THREE in 2001: Atwood, Kevin Harvick (seventh), and Jason Leffler (10th). Harvick led the race three times for 47 laps.

The only other race where TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies finished inside the top-10 was the 2002 Ford 400. Ryan Newman finished sixth while Jimmie Johnson grabbed an eighth-place finish. Newman led once for 28 laps while Johnson held the top spot one time for 27 laps.

The only Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole in five NEXTEL Cup races at Homestead Miami Speedway is Jamie McMurray. McMurray won his first-career pole at the 2003 Ford 400 on his way to claiming Raybestos® Rookie of the Year honors. McMurray finished ninth in the race, his 13th top-10 finish of the 2003 season.

Only two Raybestos® Rookies have scored top-five finishes in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
1999: Tony Stewart, first
2001: Casey Atwood, third

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
1999: Tony Stewart, first
2000: Dave Blaney, ninth
2001: Casey Atwood, third
2001: Kevin Harvick, seventh
2001: Jason Leffler, 10th
2002: Ryan Newman, sixth
2002: Jimmie Johnson, eighth
2003: Jamie McMurray, ninth

Raybestos® Rookies that have led at least one lap in the Ford 400:
1999: Tony Stewart (four times for 44 laps)
2001: Casey Atwood (twice for 52 laps)
2001: Kevin Harvick (three times for 47 laps)
2002: Ryan Newman (once for 28 laps)
2002: Jimmie Johnson (once for 27 laps)

MORE NOTES

Four Raybestos® Rookies led at least one lap in the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway, the most Raybestos® Rookies to lead a lap in a race this season: Scott Riggs (twice for 12 laps), Kahne, Scott Wimmer (once for three laps), and Brendan Gaughan (once for two laps).

Two or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top-10 in four races this season.
MBNA 400: Scott Riggs (fifth) and Scott Wimmer (ninth)
DHL 400: Kasey Kahne (second) and Brian Vickers (ninth)
Pop Secret 500: Kasey Kahne (second) and Scott Riggs (seventh)
Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500: Kasey Kahne (fifth) and Brian Vickers (seventh)

Kahne has led more miles and laps than any other Raybestos® Rookie. Entering the race at Homestead, Kahne has led 44 times in 17 races for a total of 1,051.71 miles (692 laps). Other freshman drivers to lead at least one lap this season:
---Brian Vickers (nine times in six races for 87 laps, 128.82 miles)
---Brendan Gaughan (six times in five races for 30 laps, 67.77 miles)
---Scott Riggs (five times in four races for 15 laps, 30.16 miles)
---Scott Wimmer (three times in three races for 10 laps, 23.82 miles)
---Johnny Sauter (twice in two races for two laps, 2.03 miles)

Kahne is the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead the most laps in a NEXTEL Cup Series race this season. He led the Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (six times for 148 laps) and the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway (four times for 207 laps).

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 gone on to win a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup title: Dale Earnhardt (1979), Rusty Wallace (1984), Alan Kulwicki (1986), Jeff Gordon (1993), Tony Stewart (1999), and Matt Kenseth (2000).

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), 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 346
Brendan Gaughan 231
Brian Vickers 229
Scott Wimmer 226
Scott Riggs 219 
Johnny Sauter 146

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
Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 Kasey Kahne, 13th 
Food City 500 Scott Wimmer, 13th 
Samsung/RadioShack 500 Kasey Kahne, second
Advance Auto Parts 500 Brian Vickers, 13th  
Aaron's 499 Brendan Gaughan, 13th 
Auto Club 500 Brendan Gaughan, sixth
Chevy American Revolution 400 Brian Vickers, eighth
Coca-Cola 600 Kasey Kahne, 12th
MBNA 400 "A Salute to Heroes" Scott Riggs, fifth
Pocono 500 Brian Vickers, 13th 
DHL 400 Kasey Kahne, second
Dodge/Save Mart 350 Brian Vickers, 22nd 
Pepsi 400 Brian Vickers, ninth
Tropicana 400 Brian Vickers, 14th 
Siemens 300 Kasey Kahne, eighth
Pennsylvania 500 Kasey Kahne, third
Brickyard 400 Kasey Kahne, fourth
Sirius at The Glen Kasey Kahne, 14th 
GFS Marketplace 400 Kasey Kahne, fifth
Sharpie 500 Scott Riggs, 17th 
Pop Secret 500 Kasey Kahne, second
Chevy Rock and Roll 400 Kasey Kahne, 24th 
Sylvania 300 Kasey Kahne, fourth
MBNA America 400 Brendan Gaughan, 22nd 
EA Sports 500 Brendan Gaughan, fourth
Banquet 400 Brendan Gaughan, 10th 
UAW-GM Quality 500 Brendan Gaughan, 23rd 
Subway 500 Kasey Kahne, 13th 
Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 Kasey Kahne, fifth
Checker Auto Parts 500 Kasey Kahne, fifth
Mountain Dew Southern 500 Kasey Kahne, fifth

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