Race 2 Win: Checker Auto Parts 500 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Checker Auto Parts 500 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

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

Clint Bowyer was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the November 5 Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Bowyer finished fifth, his fourth top-five and 10th top-10 of the 2006 season. He scored his first top-five finish since he placed third at California (race No. 25). Bowyer collected Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the eighth time this season.

Denny Hamlin finished 10th at Texas, his 18th top-10 finish of the 2006 season. Hamlin is fourth in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, 80 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson and two behind third-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hamlin leads fifth-place Kevin Harvick by 25 points.

Hamlin leads Clint Bowyer by 51 points (284-233) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the Nov. 12 Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway.

THE STREAK STAYS ALIVE: A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top 15 in all 34 races this season.

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

Raybestos® Rookies J.J. Yeley and David Stremme each led a lap at Texas. Yeley led once for three laps while Stremme held the top spot once for one lap.

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 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.

Kyle Busch won the 2005 Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix, crossing the finish line .609 seconds ahead of Greg Biffle.

DID YOU KNOW? Busch and Tony Stewart are the only Raybestos® Rookies to win at Phoenix in 20 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races. Stewart won from the pole in 1999, beating Mark Martin to the checkered flag by 2.081 seconds.

Bowyer was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in April’s race at Phoenix, scoring a fifth-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? Only FOUR Raybestos® Rookies have scored top-five finishes in 20 races at Phoenix:
1999: Tony Stewart, FIRST
2004: Kasey Kahne, fifth
2005: Kyle Busch, FIRST
2006: Clint Bowyer, fifth

DID YOU KNOW? Stewart is the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead the most laps at Phoenix, leading three times for 150 laps.

THREE Raybestos® Rookies have won pole positions at Phoenix: Stewart, Casey Atwood (2001) and Ryan Newman (2002).

DID YOU KNOW? TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished inside the top-10 TWICE at Phoenix
1989: Dick Trickle (seventh) and Jimmy Spencer (10th)
2005: Kyle Busch (first) and Travis Kvapil (10th)

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix:
1989: Dick Trickle, seventh
1989: Jimmy Spencer, 10th
1993: Bobby Labonte, eighth
1999: Tony Stewart, FIRST
2000: Dave Blaney, eighth
2004: Kasey Kahne, fifth
2005: Kyle Busch, FIRST

Raybestos® Rookies that have led a lap in the fall race at Phoenix:
1991: Stanley Smith (once for 12 laps)
1991: Bobby Hamilton (once for one lap)
1993: Jeff Gordon (led once for 48 laps)
1993: Bobby Labonte (once for two laps)
1995: Ricky Craven (once for one lap)
1999: Tony Stewart (three times for 150 laps)
2001: Casey Atwood (twice for 71 laps)
2002: Ryan Newman (three times for 14 laps)
2002: Jimmie Johnson (once for one lap)
2005: Kyle Busch (three times for 63 laps)

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 284
Clint Bowyer 233
Reed Sorenson 196
Martin Truex Jr. 195
J.J. Yeley 185 
David Stremme 159

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