Race 2 Win: Aaron’s 499 - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Nextel Cup Series

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Aaron’s 499 - 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 April 22 Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Bowyer finished fifth, his first top-five in nine career NEXTEL Cup Series starts. He led for the first time in his NEXTEL Cup Series career, holding the top spot three times for 21 laps. Bowyer took top rookie honors for the second time this season. Bowyer qualified eighth at Phoenix, the best qualifying effort of his NEXTEL Cup career.

Bowyer took the lead in the Raybestos® Rookie standings over Denny Hamlin at Phoenix. He enjoys an eight-point lead (85-77) over Hamlin entering the April 30 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway,

Bowyer scored the best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in two spring races at Phoenix. A Raybestos® Rookie has now scored two consecutive top-10 finishes in the spring race at Phoenix. Kyle Busch finished eighth in 2005.

DID YOU KNOW? The Subway Fresh 500 is the second consecutive race where TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies led at least one lap: Bowyer and J.J. Yeley, who led once for one lap.

DID YOU KNOW? Yeley is the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap in THREE consecutive races this season. In addition to Phoenix, Yeley led once for one lap in the DIRECTV 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and once for two laps in the Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The Subway Fresh 500 marked the second consecutive race where THREE Raybestos® Rookies qualified in the top-10: Bowyer, Denny Hamlin (sixth), and Martin Truex Jr. (ninth). This is the career-best start for Bowyer.

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.

The late Davey Allison is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega. He won the 1987 event by .78 second over Terry Labonte. Allison also led the most laps in the race, holding the top spot six times for 108 of the 178 laps (the event was shortened by 10 laps due to darkness). Allison remains the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead the most laps in the Aaron’s 499 and holds the record for most laps led by a rookie in the spring race at Talladega.

Since Allison’s win in 1987, a Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top-five in the Aaron’s 499 just twice: Tony Stewart (fifth in 1999) and Kurt Busch (third in 2001).

DID YOU KNOW? Only one Raybestos® Rookie has won the pole position in 35 previous Aaron’s 499 races at Talladega Superspeedway: Jimmie Johnson (2002). Johnson won the second pole of his career and posted a seventh place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? At least one Raybestos® Rookie finished in the top-10 in four consecutive Aaron’s 499 races at Talladega from 1979 through 1982: Joe Millikan (fifth) and Terry Labonte (ninth) in 1979, Lake Speed (seventh) and Jody Ridley (tenth) in 1980, Tim Richmond (sixth) in 1981, and Mark Martin (tenth) in 1982.

DID YOU KNOW? Only once since 1969 have TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top-10 in consecutive spring races at Talladega: Joe Millikan (fifth) and Terry Labonte (ninth) in 1979, Lake Speed (seventh) and Jody Ridley (tenth) in 1980.

Top-five finishes by a Raybestos® Rookie in the Aaron’s 499 (since 1975):
1979: Joe Millikan, fifth
1987: Davey Allison, first
1999: Tony Stewart, fifth
2001: Kurt Busch, third

Top-10 finishes by a Raybestos® Rookie in the Aaron’s 499 (since 1975):
1977: Sam Sommers, 10th
1979: Joe Millikan, fifth
1979: Terry Labonte, ninth
1980: Lake Speed, seventh
1980: Jody Ridley, 10th
1981: Tim Richmond, sixth
1982: Mark Martin, 10th
1984: Phil Parsons, seventh
1987: Davey Allison, first
1994: Steve Grissom, 10th
1996: Johnny Benson, 10th
1999: Tony Stewart, fifth
2001: Kurt Busch, third
2002: Jimmie Johnson, seventh

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 85
Denny Hamlin 77
Martin Truex Jr. 74
J.J. Yeley 70
Reed Sorenson 66 
David Stremme 55
Brent Sherman 38 

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

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