Samsung/Radio Shack 500 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

· Scott Wimmer was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Wimmer finished 13th and took top rookie honors for the second time this season. He closed to within 19 points (82-63) of Kasey Kahne in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

· Johnny Sauter led the Bristol race once for one lap (.53 mile), the first time he has led a lap in 11 career NEXTEL Cup Series starts. Kahne has led more laps and more miles than any other Raybestos® Rookie. He has led six times in two races for a total of 67 laps (97.28 miles). Other freshman drivers to lead at least one lap this season: Scott Wimmer once in one race (for five laps (12.50 miles) and Scott Riggs (once in one race for one lap (1.50 miles).

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

· The Bristol race marked the second time this season three Raybestos® Rookies started inside the top-10: Kahne (fifth), Gaughan (seventh), and Sauter (10th).

· Kahne has more top-fives (three) and more top-10s (three) than any other Raybestos® Rookie this season. Wimmer is the only other Raybestos® Rookie with a top-five (one) and top-10 (one) finish.

· DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top-five in four of the six NEXTEL Cup Series races entering the Texas event.

· Kahne won the pole in his first ever start at the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway. This was his second career Bud Pole in only five career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races, becoming just one of five drivers in NASCAR history to accomplish the feat. No other driver has won more than two. He joins Mark Martin, Dick Hutcherson, Bob Burdick, and John Kieper and became the eighth different Bud Pole winner in the last eight qualifying sessions at Darlington.

· Kahne enters the race at Texas 11th in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, five behind tenth place Sterling Marlin. He leads 12th place Jeff Gordon by one point.

TEXAS RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE TIDBITS

· Jamie McMurray was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the 2003 Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. He placed 10th completing all 500 miles of the race. McMurray was the only Raybestos® Rookie to finish in the top-20.

· DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top-10 at Texas in each of the last FIVE consecutive races: 1999 (Tony Stewart, sixth, and Elliott Sadler, 10th), 2000 (Dale Earnhardt Jr., first), 2001 (Kurt Busch, fourth, and Kevin Harvick, seventh), 2002 (Jimmie Johnson, sixth), and 2003 (McMurray).

· TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top-10 at Texas just twice: Tony Stewart (sixth) and Elliott Sadler (10th) in 1999 and Kurt Busch (fourth) and Kevin Harvick (seventh) in 2001.

· TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies have led the same race just once at Texas (Earnhardt Jr. and Scott Pruett in 2000).

· Only once in seven races at Texas Motor Speedway has a Raybestos® Rookie won the race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored his first career NEXTEL Cup Series win by 5.920 seconds over Jeff Burton. Earnhardt Jr. led six times for six times for 106 laps, more than any other driver.

· Earnhardt Jr. is the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead the most laps in a NEXTEL Cup race at Texas.

· The best start by a Raybestos® Rookie is fourth (Kenny Irwin in 1998 and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2000).

· One or more Raybestos® Rookies have led at least a lap in four of the seven NEXTEL Cup races that have been held at Texas: 1997, Mike Skinner (once for 10 laps); 1999, Elliott Sadler (once for one lap), 2000, Earnhardt Jr. (six times for 106 laps) and Scott Pruett (once for 13 laps); and 2002, Ryan Newman (once for one lap).

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      82
Scott Wimmer     63
Johnny Sauter    52
Brian Vickers    50
Brendan Gaughan  49
Scott Riggs      44
   
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