Race 2 Win: Aaron's 499 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Nextel Cup Series

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Aaron's 499 - 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 April 23 Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway. Busch finished eighth, scoring his second top-10 in 14 career NEXTEL Cup Series starts. He has racked up more top-10 finishes than any other Raybestos® Rookie this season. Busch led the race once for eight laps, the only first-year driver to lead a lap at Phoenix. He has taken top rookie honors five times in eight races this season.

Busch stretched his lead to 11 points over Travis Kvapil (97-86) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the May 1 Aaron’s 400 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Busch is the only Raybestos® Rookie to score a top-five finish this season. He placed second to race winner Jimmie Johnson in the March 13 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Busch is also the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole position this season. He took the top starting spot for the Feb. 27 Auto Club 500 at California Speedway.

Kvapil has led more miles (13.50) than any other Raybestos® Rookie this season. He has led twice in one race for nine laps. Busch has led three times in two races for 10 laps (12.00 miles).

Busch became the first Raybestos® Rookie to top $1 million in earnings this season. He has earned $1,052,653 in just eight races this season.

Raybestos® Rookies at Talladega

The late Davey Allison is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega. He won the 1987 event by .78 of a second over Terry Labonte. Allison also led the most laps in the race, holding the top spot six times for 108 of the 178 laps (the event was shortened by 10 laps due to darkness).

Since Allison’s win in 1987, a Raybestos® 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? Only one Raybestos® Rookie has won the pole position in 35 previous Aaron’s 400 races at Talladega: Jimmie Johnson (2002). Johnson won the second pole of his career and posted a seventh place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? At least one Raybestos® 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 have TWO or more Raybestos® 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 Raybestos® 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 Raybestos® 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

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 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       97
Travis Kvapil    86
Stanton Barrett  23
Eric McClure     11 

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIES BY RACE

EVENT HIGHEST FINISHING ROOKIE
Daytona 500              Travis Kvapil, 19th 
Auto Club 500            Kyle Busch, 23rd 
UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400  Kyle Busch, second
Golden Corral 500        Kyle Busch, 12th 
Food City 500 Travis     Kvapil, seventh
Advance Auto Parts 500   Travis Kvapil, 27th 
Samsung/RadioShack 500   Kyle Busch, 21st 
Subway Fresh 500         Kyle Busch, eighth

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