Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Ford 400 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

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

Juan Pablo Montoya was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the November 11 Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway. Montoya scored a 17th-place finish and took top rookie honors for the 16th time this season. He has been the top rookie in three of the last four races.

Montoya leads David Ragan by 21 points (236-215) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the November 18 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.

IMPRESSIVE STREAK IN JEPORADY: At least one Raybestos® Rookie has won a Bud Pole in each of the last 11 YEARS (1996-2006). Entering the Ford 400, no Raybestos® Rookie has won a pole in 2007.

Martin Truex Jr. was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Ford 400, scoring a second-place finish. Truex Jr. crossed the finish line .389 seconds behind race winner Greg Biffle.

DID YOU KNOW? Tony Stewart is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a NEXTEL Cup Series race at Homestead. He won the inaugural Ford 400 in 1999 by 5.289 seconds over Bobby Labonte. Stewart led the race four times for 44 laps.

DID YOU KNOW? The most laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie in eight previous races at Homestead is 52 by Casey Atwood in 2001.

DID YOU KNOW? The only Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole in eighth NEXTEL Cup races at Homestead is Jamie McMurray. McMurray won his first-career pole at the 2003 Ford 400 on his way to claiming Raybestos® Rookie of the Year honors. McMurray finished ninth in the race, his 13th top-10 finish of the 2003 season.

The most Raybestos® Rookies to finish inside the top-10 at Homestead is THREE (2001 and 2006):
2001: Casey Atwood, third
2001: Kevin Harvick, seventh
2001: Jason Leffler, 10th
2006: Martin Truex Jr., second
2006: Denny Hamlin, third
2006: Clint Bowyer, 10th

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
1999: Tony Stewart, first
2001: Casey Atwood, third
2006: Martin Truex, Jr., second
2006: Denny Hamlin, third

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
1999: Tony Stewart, first
2000: Dave Blaney, ninth
2001: Casey Atwood, third
2001: Kevin Harvick, seventh
2001: Jason Leffler, 10th
2002: Ryan Newman, sixth
2002: Jimmie Johnson, eighth
2003: Jamie McMurray, ninth
2004: Brendan Gaughan, sixth
2006: Martin Truex, Jr., second
2006: Denny Hamlin, third
2006: Clint Bowyer, 10th

Raybestos® Rookies that have led at least one lap in the Ford 400:
1999: Tony Stewart (four times for 44 laps)
2001: Casey Atwood (twice for 52 laps)
2001: Kevin Harvick (three times for 47 laps)
2002: Ryan Newman (once for 28 laps)
2002: Jimmie Johnnson (once for 27 laps)
2006: Martin Truex Jr. (once for 27 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).

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 236
David Ragan 215
Paul Menard 191
David Reutimann 172
AJ Allmendinger 162

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 
Sharpie 500 Montoya, 17th 
Sharp AQUOS 500 Ragan, 12th 
Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Ragan, third
Sylvania 300 Ragan, 19th 
Dodge Dealers 400 Montoya, 10th 
LifeLock 400 Ragan, 16th 
UAW-Ford 500 Montoya, 15th 
Bank of America 500 Allmendinger, 15th 
Subway 500 Montoya, eighth
Pep Boys 500 Auto 500 Allmendinger, 16th 
Dickies 500 Montoya, 25th 
Checker Auto Parts 500 Montoya, 17th