Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Pepsi 400 - 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 July 1 LENOX Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Ragan scored a 15th-place finish and took top rookie honors for the eighth time this season.

Juan Pablo Montoya leads Ragan by 14 points (190-176) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the July 7 Pepsi 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

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

DO YOU REMEMBER? Ragan was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the season opening Daytona 500, scoring a fifth-place finish.

Clint Bowyer was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Pepsi 400, scoring a 10th-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? THREE Raybestos® Rookies led the 2006 Pepsi 400, the most rookies to ever lead the summer race at Daytona. The 2006 race was the first Pepsi 400 since 2004 where a Raybestos® Rookie led a lap in the event.
--Martin Truex, Jr. (once for three laps)
--David Stremme (twice for two laps)
--Reed Sorenson (once for one lap)

DID YOU KNOW? Greg Biffle is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win the Pepsi 400. Biffle won the race in 2003, scoring his first career win in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Biffle crossed the finish line 4.102 second ahead of second place finisher Jeff Burton and led only once, covering the final 21 laps. He was the only Raybestos® Rookie to score a win during the 2003 season.

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1975, only three Raybestos® Rookies have scored a top-five finish in the Pepsi 400:
1979: Dale Earnhardt, third
1993: Jeff Gordon, fifth
2003: Greg Biffle, first

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1975, THREE Raybestos® Rookies have won the pole position for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona: Geoffrey Bodine (1982), Davey Allison (1987), and Mike Skinner (1997).

DID YOU KNOW? Davey Allison is the only Raybestos® Rookie since 1975 to lead the most laps in the Pepsi 400. He led the 1987 event twice for 32 laps.

Raybestos® Rookies that have led at least one lap in the Pepsi 400 (since 1975):
1979: Dale Earnhardt (once for one lap)
1981: Mike Alexander (once for four laps)
1981: Stan Barrett (once for three laps)
1982: Geoffrey Bodine (once for four laps)
1987: Davey Allison (twice for 32 laps)
1987: Brett Bodine (once for one lap)
1990: Rob Moroso (once for four laps)
1993: Jeff Gordon (once for three laps)
1994: Loy Allen (once for one lap)
1997: Mike Skinner (once for two laps)
1998: Kenny Irwin (once for 15 laps)
1999: Elliott Sadler (once for one lap)
2001: Kevin Harvick (twice for two laps)
2003: Greg Biffle (once for 21 laps)
2004: Kasey Kahne (once for one lap)

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona (since 1975):
1975: Ritchie Panch, sixth
1977: Sam Sommers, seventh
1977: Terry Ryan, 10th
1979: Dale Earnhardt, third
1979 Harry Gant, seventh
1979 Joe Millikan, eighth
1979: Dale Earnhardt, sixth
1980: Jody Ridley, seventh
1980: John Anderson, ninth
1981: Mike Alexander, seventh
1981: Ron Bouchard, ninth
1982: Geoffrey Bodine, sixth
1986: Alan Kulwicki, 10th
1989: Dick Trickle, eighth
1989: Hut Stricklin, 10th
1990: Rob Moroso, ninth
1993: Jeff Gordon, fifth
1999: Tony Stewart, sixth
2002: Jimmie Johnson, eighth
2004: Brian Vickers, ninth
2006: Clint Bowyer, 10th

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 190
David Ragan 176
Paul Menard 113
David Reutimann 101
AJ Allmendinger 74 
Brandon Whitt 2

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