Auto Club 500 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

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

Travis Kvapil was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Kvapil finished 19th and was the only Raybestos® Rookie to finish on the lead lap. He leads Kyle Busch by one point (11-10) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway.

Brendan Gaughan was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2004 Auto Club 500. Gaughan finished sixth and was the only Raybestos® Rookie to finish in the top-10.

DID YOU KNOW? Only two Raybestos® Rookies have scored top-five finishes in the Auto Club 500: Tony Stewart (fourth in 1999) and Jimmie Johnson (first in 2002).

DID YOU KNOW? Ryan Newman is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win the pole for the Auto Club 500. Newman grabbed the top starting spot for the 2002 race.

Kasey Kahne holds the record for number of laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie in the Auto Club 500. Kahne led five times for 77 laps in the 2004 race. The most Raybestos® Rookies to lead at least one lap in the Auto Club 500 is three in 2004: Kahne, Brendan Gaughan (once for one lap), and Brian Vickers (once for one lap).

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Auto Club 500:
1997: Jeff Green, seventh
1999: Tony Stewart, fourth
2002: Jimmie Johnson, first
2004: Brendan Gaughan, sixth

Raybestos® Rookies that have led at least one lap in the Auto Club 500:
1999: Tony Stewart (once for one lap)
2001: Kevin Harvick (twice for two laps)
2002: Ryan Newman (once for three laps)
2002: Jimmie Johnson (four times for 62 laps)
2004: Kasey Kahne (five times for 77 laps)
2004: Brendan Gaughan (once for one lap)
2005: Brian Vickers (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 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).

At least one Raybestos® Rookie has won a Bud Pole in each of the last nine years. (1996-2004). There has been a first-time Bud Pole winner in each of the last 18 years (1987-2004).

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS
DRIVER POINTS
Travis Kvapil 11
Kyle Busch 10
Eric McClure 0

HIGHEST FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIES BY RACE
EVENT HIGHEST FINISHING ROOKIE
Daytona 500 Travis Kvapil, 19th