Aaron’s 499 - RaybestosŪ Rookie Notes

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

· Brian Vickers was the RaybestosŪ Rookie of the Race in the Advance Auto Parts 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Vickers placed 13th and took top Raybestos Rookie honors for the first time this season. He and Brendan Gaughan (17th) were the only RaybestosŪ Rookie to finish on the lead lap.

· Gaughan scored the best finish of his eight-race NEXTEL Cup Series career at Martinsville. His previous best effort was a 19th place finish in the Daytona 500. Gaughan was the top qualifying RaybestosŪ Rookie, grabbing the 11th starting position in time trials.

· Kasey Kahne led once for one lap at Martinsville, the first RaybestosŪ Rookie to lead a lap in the spring race there since Ron Hornaday led once for 24 laps in 2001. Kahne holds a 34-point lead (111-77) over Scott Wimmer in the RaybestosŪ Rookie standings entering the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

· Kahne has led more miles and laps than any other RaybestosŪ Rookie and has led at least one lap in each of the last two races. Entering the Aaron's 499, Kahne has led 13 times in four races for a total of 319.81 miles (216 laps). Other freshman drivers to lead at least one lap this season: Scott Wimmer (once in one race for five laps, 12.50 miles), Johnny Sauter (twice in two races for two laps 2.03 miles), and Scott Riggs (once in one race for one lap, 1.50 miles).

· Kahne is the only RaybestosŪ Rookie to lead the most laps in a NEXTEL Cup Series race this season. He led the Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (two races ago) six times for 148 laps.

· Kahne enters the race at Talladega ninth in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, 160 behind leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. He is three points behind eighth place Rusty Wallace and 44 behind seventh place Jeff Gordon. No other RaybestosŪ Rookie ranks in the top 20.

· Johnny Sauter is the only RaybestosŪ Rookie that has been running at the finish of all seven races this season.

TALLADEGA RAYBESTOSŪ ROOKIE TIDBITS

· Tony Raines was the RaybestosŪ Rookie of the Race in the 2003 Aaron's 499 at Talladega. Raines finished 16th, completing all 188 laps of the race. No RaybestosŪ Rookie led a lap in the race.

· The late Davey Allison is the only RaybestosŪ Rookie to win the Aaron's 499 at Talladega. He won the 1987 event by .78 second over Terry Labonte. Allison also led the most laps in the race, leading six times for 108 of the 178 laps (the event was shortened by 10 laps due to darkness). He the only RaybestosŪ Rookie to lead the most lap in the April race and holds the record for most laps led by a rookie in the April race at Talladega.

· Since Allison's win in 1987, a RaybestosŪ Rookie has finished in the top-five in the Aaron's 499 just twice: Tony Stewart (fifth) in 1999 and Kurt Busch (third) in 2001.

· DID YOU KNOW? At least one RaybestosŪ Rookie finished in the top-10 in four consecutive Aaron's 499 races at Talladega from 1979 through 1982: Joe Millikan (fifth) and Terry Labonte (ninth) in 1979, Lake Speed (seventh) and Jody Ridley (tenth) in 1980, Tim Richmond (sixth) in 1981, and Mark Martin (tenth) in 1982.

· Only once since 1969 has TWO or more RaybestosŪ Rookies finished in the top-10 in consecutive spring races at Talladega: Joe Millikan (fifth) and Terry Labonte (ninth) in 1979, Lake Speed (seventh) and Jody Ridley (tenth) in 1980.

· Top-five finishes by a RaybestosŪ Rookie in the Aaron's 499 (since 1975):
1979: Joe Millikan, fifth
1987: Davey Allison, first
1999: Tony Stewart, fifth
2001: Kurt Busch, third

· Top-10 finishes by a RaybestosŪ Rookie in the Aaron's 499 (since 1975):
1977: Sam Sommers, 10th
1979: Joe Millikan, fifth
1979: Terry Labonte, ninth
1980: Lake Speed, seventh
1980: Jody Ridley, 10th
1981: Tim Richmond, sixth
1982: Mark Martin, 10th
1984: Phil Parsons, seventh
1987: Davey Allison, first
1994: Steve Grissom, 10th
1996: Johnny Benson, 10th
1999: Tony Stewart, fifth
2001: Kurt Busch, third

RAYBESTOSŪ ROOKIE HISTORY

· The way to the NASCAR NEXTEL championship is to win RaybestosŪ Rookie of the Year. Since 1979, six RaybestosŪ 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 (2000).

· A RaybestosŪ 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 RaybestosŪ Rookie is three, shared by Johnson (2002) and Stewart (1999).

RAYBESTOSŪ ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER POINTS
Kasey Kahne 111
Scott Wimmer 77
Brian Vickers 71
Johnny Sauter 66
Brendan Gaughan 65
Scott Riggs 61

HIGHEST FINISHING RAYBESTOSŪ 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