NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDERS – NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES
Denny Hamlin was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the April 9 Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Hamlin finished fourth, his best finish in 14 career NEXTEL Cup Series starts. He led the race three times for 41 laps, and took top rookie honors for the third time this season and for the second time in the last three races.
For the first time this season, Hamlin grabbed the lead in the Raybestos® Rookie standings. He leads Clint Bowyer by three points (71-68) entering the April 22 Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
Martin Truex Jr. finished eighth at Texas, his first top-10 finish of the 2006 season. The Samsung/RadioShack 500 was the first race this season where TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished inside the top 10.
The Samsung/RadioShack 500 is the only race this season where THREE or more Raybestos® Rookies led at least one lap in the same race: Hamlin, Truex Jr. (once for two laps) and J.J. Yeley (once for two laps).
DID YOU KNOW? Yeley is the only Raybestos Rookie to lead a lap in two consecutive races this season. In addition to Texas, Yeley led once for one lap in the DIRECTV 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
DID YOU KNOW? THREE Raybestos® Rookies rank inside the top 15 in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings: Bowyer (13th), Hamlin (14th) and Truex Jr. (15th).
DID YOU KNOW? The 2002 Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway is most recent NEXTEL Cup Series race where TWO Raybestos® Rookies finished inside the top five. Jimmie Johnson finished fourth ahead of Ryan Newman, who placed fifth.
Kyle Busch was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2005 SUBWAY Fresh 500 at Phoenix. He finished eighth after leading the race once for eight laps.
Busch and Tony Stewart are the only Raybestos® Rookies to win in 19 NEXTEL Cup races at Phoenix. Stewart won the 1999 Checker Auto Parts 500 from the pole, beating Mark Martin to the checkered flag by 2.081 seconds. Busch scored his second career NEXTEL Cup Series win when he captured the 2005 fall race at Phoenix by .609 seconds over Greg Biffle.
DID YOU KNOW? Stewart is the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead the most laps at Phoenix, leading the race three times for 150 laps in his 1999 win.
DID YOU KNOW? THREE Raybestos® Rookies have won pole positions at Phoenix, all coming in the October race: Stewart, Casey Atwood (2001) and Newman (2002).
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).
RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS
DRIVER POINTS
Denny Hamlin 71
Clint Bowyer 68
Martin Truex Jr. 64
Reed Sorenson 61
J.J. Yeley 61
David Stremme 47
Brent Sherman 31
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
