Race 2 Win: Crown Royal 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Nextel Cup Series

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Crown Royal 400 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

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

J.J. Yeley was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the May 1 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. Yeley finished 11th and took Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the second time this season. He was also the top freshman driver in the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. · Yeley’s No. 18 Chevrolet carries associate sponsorship from WIX Filters. Raybestos® and WIX Filters are corporate siblings in the Affinia Under Vehicle Group.

DID YOU KNOW? Yeley led once for one lap, the fourth consecutive race he has led at least one lap. Raybestos® Rookie Denny Hamlin also led once for one lap.

DID YOU KNOW? The Aaron’s 499 is the third consecutive race where TWO or more Raybestos® Rookie drivers have led a lap.

Clint Bowyer holds a four-point lead (91-87) over Denny Hamlin in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the May 6 Crown Royal 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Bowyer has led the standings in eight of the nine races this season.

DID YOU KNOW? Three Raybestos® Rookies are inside the top-20 in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings: Bowyer (18th), Hamlin (19th) and Martin Truex Jr. (20th).

Kyle Busch was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2005 Crown Royal 400 at Richmond, grabbing a fourth-place finish.

Brian Vickers won the pole for the 2004 Crown Royal 400, his first NEXTEL Cup Series pole position. Since 1975, Vickers and Morgan Shepherd (1981) are the only Raybestos® Rookies to win a pole for the spring race at Richmond.

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1980, just six Raybestos® Rookies have led a lap in the spring race at Richmond: 1980: Tommy Houston (10 laps) 1981: Morgan Shepherd (150 laps) 1989: Dick Trickle (one lap) 2000: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (31 laps) 2002: Ryan Newman (48 laps) 2004: Brian Vickers (32 laps)

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1975, only one Raybestos® Rookie has won the spring race at Richmond: Earharhardt Jr. in 2000. He led the race just once covering the final 31 laps and officially scored his second career win by .159 second over Terry Labonte.

DID YOU KNOW? Only once since 1975 have TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top-10 in the Crown Royal 400. In 1979, Joe Millikan finished sixth followed by Terry Labonte, who claimed an eighth place finish.

Only four Raybestos® Rookies that have scored top-five finishes in the Crown Royal 400 at Richmond (since 1975): 1981: Morgan Shepherd, fourth 2000: Dale Earnhardt Jr., first 2002: Ryan Newman, second 2005: Kyle Busch, fourth

Nine Raybestos® Rookies that have scored top-10 finishes in the Crown Royal 400 at Richmond (since 1975): 1979: Joe Millikan, sixth, and Terry Labonte, eighth 1989: Larry Pearson, sixth 1993: Jeff Gordon, sixth 1998: Kenny Irwin, ninth 2000: Dale Earnhardt Jr., first 2002: Ryan Newman, second 2004: Brian Vickers, eighth 2005: Kyle Busch, fourth

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
Clint Bowyer 91
Denny Hamlin 87
Martin Truex Jr. 81
J.J. Yeley 81
Reed Sorenson 75 
David Stremme 63
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

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