Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Sharpie 500 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

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

David Ragan was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the August 21 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Ragan scored an 18th-place finish and took top rookie honors for the ninth time this season.

Juan Pablo Montoya leads Ragan by 23 points (213-190) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the August 25 Sharpie 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

The Sharpie 500 will be race No. 7 in the Raybestos® Rookie Magnificent Seven program. The Raybestos® Rookie of the Race normally pays $1,500 but that increased to $5,000 at seven designated races throughout the 2007 season. Montoya has captured the bonus money FOUR times this season (Las Vegas, Darlington, Infineon and Chicagoland) while Ragan has grabbed the extra cash twice (Daytona and Martinsville).

Montoya is 18th in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie.

A Raybestos® Rookie has won at least one race in each of the past three consecutive seasons.

Denny Hamlin was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Sharpie 500, grabbing a sixth-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? The best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in the night race at Bristol is second by Kevin Harvick in 2001.

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1975, only ONE Raybestos® Rookie has won the pole position for the August race at Bristol: Tony Stewart. Stewart grabbed the top starting spot for the 1999 Sharpie 500.

Stewart is also the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead the most laps in the August race at Bristol. Stewart led once for 225 laps in the 1999 race on his way to a fifth place finish. Since 1975, no Raybestos® Rookie has led more laps than Stewart in the night race at Bristol.

DID YOU KNOW? Stewart is the most recent Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap in the Sharpie 500. No first-year driver has led a lap in any of the past seven night races at Bristol.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol (since 1975):
1981: Ron Bouchard, fifth
2001: Kevin Harvick, second
2003: Jamie McMurray, third

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol (since 1975):
1975: Bruce Hill, 10th
1977: Janet Guthrie, sixth
1978: Roger Hamby, 10th
1979: Joe Millikan, sixth
1979: Terry Labonte, eighth
1981: Ron Bouchard, fifth
1981: Tim Richmond, eighth
1982: Geoffrey Bodine, 10th
1984: Greg Sacks, ninth
1986: Alan Kulwicki, 10th
1989: Jimmy Spencer, eighth
1992: Jimmy Hensley, seventh
1993: Kenny Wallace, ninth
1998: Kevin Lepage, 10th
1999: Tony Stewart, fifth
2001: Kevin Harvick, second
2003: Jamie McMurray, third
2006: Denny Hamlin, sixth

Raybestos® Rookies that have led a lap in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol (since 1975):
1979: Harry Gant (once for 16 laps)
1981: Morgan Shepherd (once for 104 laps)
1986: Alan Kulwicki (twice for two laps)
1994: Joe Nemechek (once for 14 laps)
1995: Ricky Craven (once for one lap)
1999: Tony Stewart (once for 225 laps)

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY

Ryan Newman holds the all-time Raybestos® Rookie record for most poles (6), most top-fives (14) and most top-10s (22).

Denny Hamlin is the only Raybestos® Rookie to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup since the program was created in 2004.

Hamlin holds the record for most earnings by a Raybestos® Rookie ($6.6 million in 2006).

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

A Raybestos® Rookie has posted multiple victories SEVEN times in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup:
1987: Davey Allison, two
1999: Tony Stewart, three
2000: Dale Earnhardt Jr., two
2001: Kevin Harvick, two
2002: Jimmie Johnson, three
2005: Kyle Busch, two
2006: Denny Hamlin, two

More than one Raybestos® Rookie has posted victories in their rookie season only three times: Morgan Shepherd and Ron Bouchard (one each in 1981), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two) and Matt Kenseth (2000), Jimmie Johnson (three) and Ryan Newman (2002).

The way to the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup 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).

The longest streak for a Raybestos® Rookie to be in the top-10 in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings during the sport’s modern-era is 60 races (2001 MBNA Platinum 400 through 2002 Ford 400).

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS
DRIVER POINTS
Juan Pablo Montoya 213
David Ragan 190
Paul Menard 170
David Reutimann 144
AJ Allmendinger 79

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE
EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE
Daytona 500 Ragan, fifth
Auto Club 500 Ragan, 16th 
UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Montoya, 22nd 
Kobalt Tools 500 Montoya, fifth
Food City 500 Ragan, 26th 
Goody’s Cool Orange 500 Ragan, 15th 
Samsung 500 Montoya, eighth 
Subway Fresh Fit 500 Menard, 25th 
Aaron’s 499 Ragan, 17th 
Crown Royal 400 Menard, 16th 
Dodge Avenger 500 Montoya, 23rd 
Coca-Cola 600 Montoya, 28th 
Autism Speaks 400 Ragan, 14th 
Pocono 500 Montoya, 20th 
Citizens Bank 400 Menard, 12th 
Toyota/Save Mart 350 Montoya, FIRST!
LENOX Industrial Tools 300 Ragan, 15th 
Pepsi 400 Ragan, 12th 
USG SHEETROCK 400 Montoya, 15th 
Allstate 400 at The Brickyard Montoya, second
Pennsylvania 500 Montoya, 16th 
Centurion Boats at The Glen Menard, 19th 
3M Performance 400 Ragan, 18th