Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Bank of America 500 - 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 October 7 UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Montoya scored a 15th-place finish and took Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the 13th time this season, including two of the last three races.

Montoya leads David Ragan by 15 points (225-210) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the October 13 Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (Concord, N.C.).

Montoya is 20th in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, 61 points ahead of 21st-place Kasey Kahne.

Montoya was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the May 27 Coca-Cola 600, posting a 28th-place finish.

David Stremme was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Bank of America 500, scoring a 15th-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? Kasey Kahne holds the record for most laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie in the UAW-GM 500 at Charlotte (since 1975). Kahne led the 2004 race four times for 207 of the 334 laps.

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1975, only TWO Raybestos® Rookies have won pole positions for the fall race at Charlotte: Jeff Gordon (1993) and Ward Burton (1994).

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1975, only TWO Raybestos® Rookies have scored a top-five finish in the fall race at Charlotte: Ron Bouchard (fifth in 1981) and Jeff Gordon (fifth in 1993).

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1975, the most Raybestos® Rookies to finish inside the top-10 in the UAW-GM 500 at Charlotte is THREE in 1980: Lake Speed (seventh), Jody Ridley (eighth) and Kyle Petty (ninth).

DID YOU KNOW? The most Raybestos® Rookies to lead a lap in the fall race at Charlotte is TWO. In 1994, John Andretti led twice for 30 laps and Ward Burton led once for one lap. In 1979, Dale Earnhardt led three times for 55 laps while Harry Gant held the top spot once covering seven laps.

Raybestos® Rookies that have led a lap in the fall race at Charlotte (since 1975):
1979: Dale Earnhardt (three times for 55 laps)
1979: Harry Gant (once for seven laps)
1982: Geoffrey Bodine (once for 5 laps)
1983: Trevor Boys (once for two laps)
1986: Alan Kulwicki (twice for six laps)
1993: Jeff Gordon (once for one lap)
1994: Ward Burton (once for 29 laps)
1994: John Andretti (twice for 30 laps)
2000: Matt Kenseth ((once for one lap)
2002: Jimmie Johnson (three times for 66 laps)
2003: Jamie McMurray (once for one lap)
2004: Kasey Kahne (four times for 207 laps)
2006: Clint Bowyer (once for one lap)

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the UAW-GM 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (since 1975):
1981: Ron Bouchard, fifth
1993: Jeff Gordon, fifth

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the UAW-GM 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (since 1975):
1977: Janet Guthrie, seventh
1979: Harry Gant, seventh
1979: Dale Earnhardt, 10th
1980: Lake Speed, seventh
1980: Jody Ridley, eighth
1980: Kyle Petty, ninth
1981: Ron Bouchard, fifth
1981: Morgan Shepherd, eighth
1993: Jeff Gordon, fifth
1998: Kevin Lepage, sixth
2000: Matt Kenseth, ninth
2001: Kevin Harvick, eighth
2002: Jimmie Johnson, sixth
2002: Ryan Newman, seventh
2003: Jamie McMurray, 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 225
David Ragan 210
Paul Menard 182
David Reutimann 164
AJ Allmendinger 124

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