Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Coca-Cola 600 - 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 May 13 Dodge Avenger 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Montoya placed 23rd and took top rookie honors for the fourth time this season.

Montoya leads David Ragan by four points (120-116) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the May 27 Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s (Concord, N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Denny Hamlin was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Coca-Cola 600, capturing a ninth-place finish. Fellow rookie Reed Sorenson joined Hamlin in the top-10, scoring a 10th-place finish

DID YOU KNOW? The 2006 Coca-Cola 600 was just the fourth time since 1975 that two Raybestos® Rookies have finished in the top-10 in the Coca-Cola 600. The others:
1981: Morgan Shepherd (sixth) and Elliott Forbes-Robinson (tenth).
1993: Jeff Gordon (second) and Bobby Labonte (eighth).
2000: Matt Kenseth (first) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fourth).

DID YOU KNOW? Matt Kenseth is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win the Coca-Cola 600. Kenseth captured the 2000 600-mile race by .573-seconds over Bobby Labonte.

DID YOU KNOW? Jimmie Johnson is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win the pole in 47 previous Coca-Cola 600 races at Charlotte. Johnson took the top starting spot for the 2002 race.

DID YOU KNOW? TWO Raybestos® Rookies have led the most laps in the Coca-Cola 600:
2000: Dale Earnhardt Jr., 175 laps
2002: Jimmie Johnson, 263 laps

DID YOU KNOW? At least one Raybestos® Rookie has led at least one lap in each of the last EIGHT CONSECUTIVE 600-mile races at Charlotte:
1999: Tony Stewart (three times for 13 laps)
2000: Matt Kenseth (twice for 31 laps)
2000: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (five times for 124 laps)
2001: Kevin Harvick (once for one lap)
2002: Jimmie Johnson (five times for 250 laps)
2003: Greg Biffle (once for one lap)
2004: Kasey Kahne (once for five laps)
2005: Kyle Busch (twice for 55 laps)
2005: Travis Kvapil (twice for 23 laps)
2006: Denny Hamlin (three times for 25 laps)

Raybestos® Rookies who have scored top-five finishes in the Coca-Cola 600 (since 1975):
1993: Jeff Gordon, second
1999: Tony Stewart, fourth
2000: Matt Kenseth, first; Dale Earnhardt Jr., fourth
2001: Kevin Harvick, second

Raybestos® Rookies who have scored top-10 finishes in the Coca-Cola 600 (since 1975):
1977: Sam Sommers, ninth
1980: Kyle Petty, seventh
1981: Morgan Shepherd, sixth; Elliott Forbes-Robinson, 10th
1993: Jeff Gordon, second and Bobby Labonte, eighth
1995: Ricky Craven, tenth
1999: Tony Stewart, fourth
2000: Matt Kenseth, first; Dale Earnhardt Jr., fourth
2001: Kevin Harvick, second
2002: Jimmie Johnson, seventh

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 120
David Ragan 116
Paul Menard 82 
David Reutimann 72
AJ Allmendinger 38 
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