Race 2 Win: Ford 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Ford 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 November 12 Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway. Hamlin finished third, his seventh top-five and 19th top-10 finish of the 2006 season. He took Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors for the 17th time in 35 races.

Hamlin is fourth in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, 90 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. He is 27 behind second-place Matt Kenseth and leads fifth-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 25.

THE STREAK STAYS ALIVE: A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top 15 in all 35 races this season.

DID YOU KNOW? Hamlin and Jeff Gordon are the only Chase drivers to score six top-10 finishes in the nine races in the Chase.

Hamlin leads Clint Bowyer by 60 points (294-234) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the Nov. 19 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.

DID YOU KNOW? Hamlin and Jeff Gordon are the only Chase drivers to score six top-10 finishes in the nine races in the Chase.

DID YOU KNOW? Tony Stewart is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a NEXTEL Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He won the inaugural Ford 400 in 1999 by 5.289 seconds over Bobby Labonte. Stewart led the race four times for 44 laps.

WIX Filters is an associate sponsor for Joe Gibbs Racing. WIX Filters and Raybestos brand brakes are members of the Affinia family of brands.

DID YOU KNOW? The only other Raybestos® Rookie to score a top-five finish in six previous races at Homestead is Casey Atwood, who finished third in 2001.

DID YOU KNOW? The most laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie at Homestead is 52 by Atwood in 2001.

DID YOU KNOW? The only Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole in six NEXTEL Cup races at Homestead is Jamie McMurray. McMurray won his first-career pole at the 2003 Ford 400 on his way to claiming Raybestos® Rookie of the Year honors. McMurray finished ninth in the race, his 13th top-10 finish of the 2003 season.

The most Raybestos® Rookies to finish inside the top-10 at Homestead are THREE in 2001: Atwood, Kevin Harvick (seventh), and Jason Leffler (10th). Harvick led the race three times for 47 laps.

The only other race where TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies finished inside the top-10 was the 2002 Ford 400. Ryan Newman finished sixth while Jimmie Johnson grabbed an eighth-place finish.

The 2002 race is also the most recent event where at least one Raybestos® Rookie has led a lap. Newman led once for 28 laps while Johnson held the top spot one time for 27 laps.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway: 1999: Tony Stewart, first 2001: Casey Atwood, third

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway: 1999: Tony Stewart, first 2000: Dave Blaney, ninth 2001: Casey Atwood, third 2001: Kevin Harvick, seventh 2001: Jason Leffler, 10th 2002: Ryan Newman, sixth 2002: Jimmie Johnson, eighth 2003: Jamie McMurray, ninth 2004: Brendan Gaughan, sixth

Raybestos® Rookies that have led at least one lap in the Ford 400: 1999: Tony Stewart (four times for 44 laps) 2001: Casey Atwood (twice for 52 laps) 2001: Kevin Harvick (three times for 47 laps) 2002: Ryan Newman (once for 28 laps) 2002: Jimmie Johnnson (once for 27 laps)

DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to lead the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings is Jimmie Johnson in 2002. He led after the Kansas event (race No. 28).

DID YOU KNOW? Tony Stewart owns the best points finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in the sport’s modern era (post 1971), placing fourth in the championship standings in 1999. James Hylton holds the best points finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in the sport’s history, a second-place effort in 1966.

DID YOU KNOW? The most recent race where multiple Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top five occurred at Chicagoland Speedway on July 14, 2002. Jimmie Johnson finished fourth, just ahead of fifth-place Ryan Newman.

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 Matt Kenseth (2000).

At least one Raybestos® Rookie has won a Bud Pole in each of the last 11 years (1996-2006).

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 Tony Stewart (1999) and Jimmie Johnson (2002).

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), Jimmie Johnson (three) and Newman (2002).

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS
DRIVER POINTS
Denny Hamlin 294
Clint Bowyer 234
Martin Truex Jr. 198
Reed Sorenson 197
J.J. Yeley 186 
David Stremme 162

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
Neighborhood Excellence 400 Hamlin, 11th 
Pocono 500 Hamlin, FIRST
3M Performance 400 Sorenson, fifth
Dodge/Save Mart 350 Hamlin, 12th 
Pepsi 400 Bowyer, 10th 
USG Sheetrock 400 Sorenson, seventh
Lenox Industrial Tools 300 Hamlin, sixth
Pennsylvania 500 Hamlin, FIRST
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Bowyer, fourth
AMD at the Glen Hamlin, 10th 
GFS Marketplace 400 Sorenson, eighth
Sharpie 500 Hamlin, sixth
Sony HD 500 Bowyer, third
Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Bowyer, 12th 
Sylvania 300 Hamlin, fourth
Dover 400 Truex Jr., sixth
Banquet 400 Bowyer, ninth
UAW-Ford 500 Truex Jr., fifth
Bank of America 500 Stremme, 15th 
Subway 500 Hamlin, second
Bass Pro Shops 500 Hamlin, eighth
Dickies 500 Bowyer, fifth
Checker Auto Parts 500 Hamlin, third