Race 2 Win: AMD at the Glen - Raybestos® Rookie Notes

Nextel Cup Series

AMD at the Glen - 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 August 6 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Bowyer posted a fourth-place finish in the race, his best effort in 22 career NEXTEL Cup Series starts. His previous best was fifth earlier this season at Phoenix (race No. 8). This is Bowyer’s second top five and sixth top-10 finish of his career. Bowyer took Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the fourth time this season.

Denny Hamlin finished 10th at Indianapolis, his ninth top 10 of the season and third consecutive. Hamlin holds a 41-point edge over Bowyer in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the August 13 AMD at The Glen at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

Hamlin is seventh in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie. He is 64 points behind sixth-place Mark Martin and 21 ahead of eighth-place Jeff Gordon.

DID YOU KNOW? At least one Raybestos® Rookie has posted a top-10 finish in each of the last five races.

THE STREAK STAYS ALIVE: A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top 15 in all 21 races this season.

DID YOU KNOW? Hamlin is the first Raybestos® Rookie since Jimmie Johnson in 2002 to post a multiple-win season in the NEXTEL Cup Series. A Raybestos® Rookie has now posted multiple victories SEVEN times in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series history. The others: Davey Allison (two wins in 1987), Tony Stewart (three wins in 1999), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two wins in 2000), Kevin Harvick (two wins in 2001), Jimmie Johnson (three wins in 2002), and Kyle Busch (two wins in 2005).

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: Reed Sorenson (seventh), Bowyer (ninth) and J.J. Yeley (10th).

Hamlin is the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead the most laps in a race this season, capturing the WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race award in both events at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.

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

Hamlin has led 24 times in eight races for a total of 337 laps, 726.608 miles, best among the Raybestos® Rookie class.

DID YOU KNOW? FOUR Raybestos® Rookies led a lap in the July 1 Pepsi 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (race No. 17), the most to lead a race this season:
---Martin Truex Jr., once for three laps
---David Stremme, twice for two laps
---Sorenson, once for one lap
---Yeley, once for one lap.

Kyle Busch was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2005 race at Watkins Glen, posting a 33rd-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? The best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie at Watkins Glen is second by Ryan Newman in 2002. Only one other Raybestos® Rookie has scored a top-five finish at Watkins Glen: Robby Gordon, who placed fourth in 1997.

DID YOU KNOW? The best qualifying effort by a Raybestos® Rookie at Watkins Glen is second by Greg Biffle in 2003.

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has led a lap in three of the past four races at Watkins Glen:
2002: Newman (twice for 11 laps)
2003: Biffle (once for 23 laps)
2003: Jamie McMurray (once for one lap)
2004: Brendan Gaughan (once for seven laps)

Biffle holds the record for most laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie at Watkins Glen, holding the top spot once for 23 laps in 2003.

DID YOU KNOW? The most Raybestos® Rookies to finish inside the top 10 at Watkins Glen is THREE. In 1993, Bobby Labonte placed seventh, followed by P.J. Jones (eighth) and Kenny Wallace (ninth).

TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies have led the same race at The Glen only twice: In 1991, Ted Musgrave led once for one lap while Dorsey Schroeder led once for three laps. In 2003, Biffle (once for 23 laps) and McMurray each led a lap.

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Watkins Glen:
1993: Bobby Labonte, seventh
1993: P.J. Jones, eighth
1993: Kenny Wallace, seventh
1994: Joe Nemechek, eighth
1995: Ricky Craven, 10th
1997: Robby Gordon, fourth
1999: Tony Stewart, sixth
2000: Matt Kenseth, 10th
2001: Kevin Harvick, seventh
2002: Ryan Newman, second

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).

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). T

he record for most wins by a Raybestos® Rookie is three, shared by Stewart (1999) and Johnson (2002).

Johnson also holds the best ever points finish by a Raybestos® Rookie, placing fifth in the championship standings in 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), Johnson (three) and Newman (2002).

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS
DRIVER POINTS
Denny Hamlin 228
Clint Bowyer 187
Reed Sorenson 169
Martin Truex Jr. 158
J.J. Yeley 154 
David Stremme 132
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
Pennsylvania 500 Hamlin, FIRST
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Bowyer, fourth