Race 2 Win: Dickies 500 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Nextel Cup Series

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Dickies 500 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

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

Kyle Busch was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the October 30 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He grabbed a 12th-place finish and took Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the 22nd time in 33 races.

Busch led the Atlanta race once for four laps and was the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap in the event. He has led 18 times in nine races this season for 299 laps (454.66 miles). Busch has led more times in more races for more miles than any other Raybestos® Rookie this season.

Busch maintains a comfortable lead in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the Nov. 6 Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, leading Travis Kvapil by 77 points (304-227).

Busch is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a race this season, capturing the September 4 Sony HD 500 at California Speedway. He became the youngest race winner (20 yrs., 4 mos. and 2 days) in NEXTEL Cup history. Busch edged Greg Biffle at the finish line by .554 seconds to win in his 31st career start.

Busch is also the only Raybestos® Rookie to score a top-five finish this season. He has racked up eight top fives in 33 starts entering the Dickies 500.

Busch became the youngest pole winner in NASCAR’s premier series (19 yrs., 9 mos. and 24 days) when he grabbed the No. 1 qualifying spot for the February 27 Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. He is also the most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole and is the only first-year driver to win a pole in 2005.

Busch is the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead the most laps in a race this season. He led the Sony HD 500 five times for 95 laps, the most he has led in a single race in his NEXTEL Cup career.

Raybestos® Rookies at Texas Motor Speedway:

This will be the first fall NEXTEL Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Busch was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas April 17 (race No. 7) grabbing a 21st-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top 10 at Texas in six of the track’s past seven 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), 2003 (Jamie McMurray), and 2004 (Kasey Kahne, second).

TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top 10 just twice: Stewart (sixth) and Sadler (10th) in 1999, Kurt Busch (fourth) and 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 eight races at Texas has a Raybestos® Rookie won the race. Earnhardt Jr. scored his first career NEXTEL Cup Series win by 5.920 seconds over Jeff Burton in 2000. Earnhardt Jr. led six times for six times for 106 laps, more than any other driver.

Earnhardt Jr. and Kahne are the only Raybestos® Rookies to lead the most laps in a NEXTEL Cup race at Texas.

The best start by a Raybestos® Rookie at Texas is third (Kahne in 2004).

One or more Raybestos® Rookies have led at least a lap in five of the nine NEXTEL Cup races that have been held at Texas:
1997: Mike Skinner (once for 10 laps)
1999: Sadler (once for one lap)
2000: Earnhardt Jr. (six times for 106 laps)
2001: Pruett (once for 13 laps)
2002: Ryan Newman (once for two 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: Earnhardt (1979), Rusty Wallace (1984), Alan Kulwicki (1986), Jeff Gordon (1993), Stewart (1999) and Matt Kenseth (2000).

At least one Raybestos® Rookie has won a Bud Pole in each of the last 10 years (1996-2005). There has been a first-time Bud Pole winner in each of the last 19 years (1987-2005).

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS 
DRIVER POINTS
Kyle Busch 304
Travis Kvapil 227 

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIES BY RACE
EVENT HIGHEST FINISHING ROOKIE
Daytona 500 Kvapil, 19th 
Auto Club 500 Busch, 23rd 
UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Busch, second
Golden Corral 500 Busch, 12th 
Food City 500 Kvapil, seventh
Advance Auto Parts 500 Kvapil, 27th 
Samsung/RadioShack 500 Busch, 21st 
Subway Fresh 500 Busch, eighth
Aaron’s 499 Kvapil, 18th 
Dodge Charger 500 Busch, 23rd 
Chevy American Revolution 400 Busch, fourth
Coca-Cola 600 Busch, 25th 
MBNA RacePoints 400 Busch, second
Pocono 500 Busch, fourth 
Batman Begins 400 Busch, ninth
Dodge/Save Mart 350 Kvapil, 21st 
Pepsi 400 Kvapil, 23rd 
USG Sheetrock 400 Busch, 14th 
New England 300 Busch, fourth
Pennsylvania 500 Mike Garvey, 34th 
Allstate 400 Busch, 10th 
Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen Busch, 33rd 
GFS Marketplace 400 Kvapil, 38th
Sharpie 500 Kvapil, 19th 
Sony HD 500 Busch, first
Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Busch, fourth
Sylvania 300 Busch, 27th 
MBNA RacePoints 400 Busch, second
UAW-Ford 500 Kvapil, 16th 
Banquet 400 Busch, 21st 
UAW-GM Quality 500 Kvapil, 17th 
Subway 500 Busch, ninth
Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 Busch, 12th

News and Results | Point Standings | 2005 Schedule | 2005 Teams | 2004 Schedule and Results