Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Subway 500 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

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

AJ Allmendinger was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the October 13 Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (Concord, N.C.). Allmendinger grabbed a 15th-place finish and took Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the first time this season. He scored his best finish in 14 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races.

Juan Pablo Montoya leads David Ragan by 15 points (226-211) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the October 21 Subway 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

Montoya is 21st in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, 112 points ahead of 22nd-place Ragan.

Ragan was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the April 1 Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville, posting a 15th-place finish.

Denny Hamlin was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Subway 500. Hamlin finished second, .544 seconds behind race winner Jimmie Johnson. He became just the fourth Raybestos® Rookie to score a top-five in the fall race at Martinsville since 1977 and the first since 1989. Hamlin led the race twice for 28 laps.

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top-10 in each of the last two Subway 500 (fall) races at Martinsville. Kyle Busch scored a ninth-place finish in 2005.

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1975, only FOUR Raybestos® Rookies have scored a top-five finish in Subway 500 at Martinsville:
1977: Sam Sommers, fifth
1979: Joe Millikan, third
1989: Dick Trickle, third
2006: Denny Hamlin, second

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in Subway 500 at Martinsville (since 1975):
1977: Sam Sommers, fifth
1979: Joe Millikan, third
1979: Terry Labonte, ninth
1980: Jody Ridley, ninth
1981: Ron Bouchard, sixth
1987: Dale Jarrett, 10th
1989: Dick Trickle, third
2002: Jimmie Johnson, sixth
2003: Jamie McMurray, eighth
2005: Kyle Busch, ninth
2006: Denny Hamlin, second

DID YOU KNOW? Only once since 1975 have TWO Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top-10 in the Subway 500. In 1979, Joe Millikan finished third while Terry Labonte placed ninth.

DID YOU KNOW? Only one Raybestos® Rookie has won a pole for the Subway 500 since 1975: Ryan Newman in 2002.

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has finished on the lead lap in each of the past SIX consecutive Subway 500 races at Martinsville:
2001: Ron Hornaday, 18th
2002: Jimmie Johnson, seventh
2003: Jamie McMurray, eighth
2004: Kasey Kahne, 13th
2005: Kyle Busch, ninth
2006: Denny Hamlin, second
2006: David Stremme, 15th
2006: Clint Bowyer, 23rd

DID YOU KNOW? The most laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie in the Subway 500 (since 1975) is 53 by Geoffrey Bodine in 1982.

DID YOU KNOW? The most Raybestos® Rookies to lead a lap in the fall race at Martinsville is TWO in 1981. Tim Richmond led twice for 14 laps while Morgan Shepherd led once for 18 laps.

Raybestos® Rookies that have led a lap in the fall race at Martinsville (since 1975):
1979: Joe Millikan (once for 74 laps)
1981: Tim Richmond (twice for 14 laps)
1981: Morgan Shepherd (once for 18 laps)
1982: Geoffrey Bodine (three times for 53 laps
1984: Rusty Wallace (twice for two laps)
1986: Alan Kulwicki (once for one lap)
1989: Dick Trickle (once for one lap)
1992: Jimmy Hensley (once for six laps)
1995: Ricky Craven (once for two laps)
2001: Kurt Busch (once for 38 laps)
2001: Kevin Harvick (once for 20 laps)
2001: Casey Atwood (once for one lap)
2002: Ryan Newman (once for 33 laps)
2004: Kasey Kahne (once for 17 laps)
2006: Denny Hamlin (twice for 28 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 226
David Ragan 211
Paul Menard 184
David Reutimann 166
AJ Allmendinger 135

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