Race 2 Win: Pennsylvania 500 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Pennsylvania 500 - 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 July 16 Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Hamlin finished sixth, scoring his seventh top-10 of the season and took Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the 10th time in 19 races. Hamlin led the New Hampshire race once for one lap, the seventh race he has led in 2006.

Hamlin enjoys a 34-point lead over Clint Bowyer in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the July 23 Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono (Long Pond, Pa.) Raceway.

Hamlin scored his first NEXTEL Cup Series win in the June 11 Pocono 500. Hamlin won by 1.328 seconds over Kurt Busch. He became the first Raybestos® Rookie to win in 57 races at Pocono Raceway.

Hamlin also led the most laps in the race to win the WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race award. He held the top spot six times for 83 laps and is the only Raybestos Rookie to lead the most laps in a race this season. Hamlin has led more laps (186) and more miles (349.108) than any other Raybestos Rookie in 2006.

Hamlin is 12th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, 18 points behind 10th-place Greg Biffle. Hamlin leads 13th-place Carl Edwards by 128 points and 14th-place Kurt Busch by 188.

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

David Stremme posted an 11th-place finish at New Hampshire, his best in 22 career NEXTEL Cup Series starts.

Reed Sorenson led the New Hampshire race once for 31 laps, the most laps that he’s led in a race this season. Sorenson has led at least one lap in each of the last three consecutive events.

THE STREAK STAYS ALIVE: A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top-15 in all 19 races this season.

DID YOU KNOW? FOUR Raybestos® Rookies led a lap in the July 1 Pepsi 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (race number 17), the most to lead a race this season:
Martin Truex Jr., once for three laps
Stremme, twice for two laps
Sorenson, once for one lap
J.J. Yeley, once for one lap.

DID YOU KNOW? The most Raybestos® Rookies to finish in the top-10 this season is THREE in the July 9 USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland (Joliet, Ill.) Speedway: Sorenson (seventh), Bowyer (ninth) and J.J. Yeley (10th).

The best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in the Pennsylvania 500 is second by Ward Burton in 1994.

The 1994 Pennsylvania 500 had THREE Raybestos® Rookies place inside the top-five, the best performance by a rookie class in 57 previous NEXTEL Cup races at Pocono. Three rookies finished in the top-five: Burton, Joe Nemechek (third) and Jeff Burton (fourth).

Top-Five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Pennsylvania 500:
1987: Davey Allison, fifth
1994: Ward Burton, second
1994: Joe Nemechek, third
1994: Jeff Burton, fourth
1996: Johnny Benson, fifth
1999: Tony Stewart, fourth
2000: Matt Kenseth, fifth
2002: Ryan Newman, fifth

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Pennsylvania 500:
1982: Mark Martin, 10th
1984: Rusty Wallace, sixth
1987: Davey Allison, fifth
1994: Ward Burton, second
1994: Joe Nemechek, third
1994: Jeff Burton, fourth
1996: Johnny Benson, fifth
1997: Mike Skinner, sixth
1999: Tony Stewart, fourth
2000: Matt Kenseth, fifth
2002: Ryan Newman, fifth

Raybestos® Rookies who have led a lap in the July race at Pocono:
1982: Mark Martin (once for one lap)
1984: Rusty Wallace (once for one lap)
1986: Michael Waltrip (once for one lap)
1989: Dick Trickle (once for seven laps)
1993: Bobby Labonte (once for one lap)
1994: Ward Burton (twice for six laps)
1994: Jeff Burton (once for 16 laps)
1994 John Andretti (once for one lap).
1995: Ricky Craven (once for two laps)
1996: Johnny Benson (twice for five laps)
2002: Jimmie Johnson (once for two laps)
2003: Casey Mears (once for eight laps)

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 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 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 208
Clint Bowyer 174
Reed Sorenson 165
Martin Truex Jr. 151
J.J. Yeley 149 
David Stremme 126
Brent Sherman 41 

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