Race 2 Win: Neighborhood Excellence 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Nextel Cup Series

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Neighborhood Excellence 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

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

Denny Hamlin was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the May 28 Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s (Concord, N.C) Motor Speedway. Hamlin finished ninth, scoring his fifth top-10 of the 2006 season and third consecutive. He grabbed top rookie honors for the sixth time in 12 races and for the third consecutive race.

Reed Sorenson posted a 10th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600, his second top-10 in 14 career NEXTEL Cup Series starts.

Hamlin holds a 13-point edge over Clint Bowyer (132-119) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the June 4 Neighborhood Excellence 400 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

STAYING CLOSE TO THE CHASE: Hamlin enters the Dover race 12th in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, 64 points behind 10th-place Kevin Harvick. Fellow Raybestos® Rookie Bowyer remains in contention for a spot in the top 10, trailing Harvick by 139. The top 10 drivers and any within 400 points of the leader will qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.

DID YOU KNOW? At least one of the Raybestos® Rookie of the Year contenders has scored a top-15 finish in all 12 races this season.

DID YOU KNOW? Hamlin has racked up two top-five finishes this season, more than any other freshman driver.

THREE Raybestos® Rookies rank among the top-20 in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings: Hamlin (12th), Bowyer (15th) and Sorenson (20th).

Kyle Busch was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2005 Neighborhood Excellence 400 at Dover. Busch finished second, 4.281 seconds behind winner Greg Biffle. Busch also led the race twice for 90 laps

DID YOU KNOW? At least one Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top-five in three of the past four spring races at Dover.

DID YOU KNOW? Only two Raybestos® Rookies have won the spring race at Dover: Jimmie Johnson and Davey Allison, who both scored their second career wins at Dover. Johnson won the 2002 race while Allison captured the 1987 event.

Only three Raybestos® Rookies have led the most laps in the spring race at Dover: Johnson (four times for 187 laps), Allison (six times for 212 laps), and Tony Stewart in 1999 (three times for 127 laps).

DID YOU KNOW? The most Raybestos® Rookies to finish in the top-10 in the MBNA 400 at Dover is THREE in 1979: Dale Earnhardt (fifth), Terry Labonte (sixth), and Joe Millikan (eighth).

At least two Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top-10 in Dover’s spring race THREE other times: 2000: Matt Kenseth (second) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (10th). 2002: Jimmie Johnson (first) and Ryan Newman (fifth) in 2002. 2004: Scott Riggs (fifth) and Scott Wimmer (ninth).

DID YOU KNOW? The best start by a Raybestos® Rookie in the spring race at Dover is second by Morgan Shepherd in 1981.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the spring race at Dover (since 1975):
1979: Dale Earnhardt, fifth
1982: Mark Martin, fifth
1987: Davey Allison, first
1999: Tony Stewart, fourth
2000: Matt Kenseth, second
2002: Jimmie Johnson, first
2002: Ryan Newman, fifth
2004: Scott Riggs, fifth
2005: Kyle Busch, second

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the spring race at Dover (since 1975):
1975: Bruce Hill, eighth
1979: Dale Earnhardt, fifth
1979: Terry Labonte, sixth
1979: Joe Millikan, eighth
1980: Jody Ridley, sixth
1981: Morgan Shepherd, sixth
1983: Sterling Marlin, 10th
1985: Ken Schrader, 10th
1987: Davey Allison, first
1992: Jimmy Hensley, eighth
1997: Mike Skinner, ninth
1999: Tony Stewart, fourth
2000: Matt Kenseth, second
2000: Dale Earnhardt Jr., 10th
2002: Jimmie Johnson, first
2002: Ryan Newman, fifth
2004: Scott Riggs, fifth
2004: Scott Wimmer, ninth
2005: Kyle Busch, second

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, 2005) and 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).

Ryan Newman holds the all-time Raybestos® Rookie record for most poles (6), most top-fives (14) and most top-10s (22).

Kasey Kahne holds the record for most earnings by a Raybestos® Rookie ($5.4 million in 2004).

The record for most wins by a Raybestos® Rookie is three, shared by Stewart (1999) and Jimmie Johnson (2002).

Johnson also holds the best ever points finish by a Raybestos® Rookie, placing fifth in the championship standings in 2002.

A Raybestos® Rookie has posted multiple victories SIX times in NASCAR Winston Cup history: Davey Allison (two wins in 1987), Stewart (three wins in 1999), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two wins in 2000), Kevin Harvick (two wins in 2001), Johnson (three wins in 2002), and Kyle Busch (two wins in 2005).

More than one Raybestos® Rookie has posted victories in their rookie season only three times: Morgan Shepherd and Ron Bouchard (one each in 1981), Earnhardt Jr. (two) and Kenseth (2000), Johnson (three) and Newman (2002).

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS
DRIVER POINTS
Denny Hamlin 132
Clint Bowyer 119
J.J. Yeley 104
Martin Truex Jr. 103
Reed Sorenson 103 
David Stremme 83
Brent Sherman 39 

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE
EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE
Daytona 500 Bowyer, sixth
Auto Club 500 Yeley, eighth
UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Hamlin, 10th 
Golden Corral 500 Sorenson, 10th 
Food City 500 Hamlin, 14th 
DIRECTV 500 Sorenson, 12th 
Samsung/RadioShack 500 Hamlin, fourth
Subway Fresh 500 Bowyer, fifth
Aaron’s 499 Yeley, 11th 
Crown Royal 400 Hamlin, second
Dodge Charger 500 Hamlin, 10th 
Coca-Cola 600 Hamlin, ninth

News and Results | Point Standings | 2006 Schedule | 2006 Teams | 2005 Schedule and Results