Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Checker Auto Parts 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 November 4 Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Montoya scored a 25th-place finish and took top rookie honors for the 15th time this season.

Montoya leads David Ragan by 20 points (234-214) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the November 11 Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway.

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

Paul Menard was the top Raybestos® Rookie in the April 21 Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix, scoring a 25th-place finish.

Denny Hamlin was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Checker Auto Parts 500, grabbing a third-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart are the only Raybestos® Rookies to win at Phoenix in 22 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races. Stewart won from the pole in 1999, beating Mark Martin to the checkered flag by 2.081 seconds. Busch captured the 2005 event by .609 seconds over Greg Biffle.

DID YOU KNOW? Only FOUR Raybestos Rookies have scored top-five finishes in 20 races at Phoenix:
1999: Tony Stewart, FIRST
2004: Kasey Kahne, fifth
2005: Kyle Busch, FIRST
2006: Clint Bowyer, fifth
2006: Denny Hamlin, third (fall)

DID YOU KNOW? Stewart is the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead the most laps in a race at Phoenix. He led the 1999 race three times for 150 laps.

THREE Raybestos® Rookies have won pole positions at Phoenix: Stewart, Casey Atwood (2001) and Ryan Newman (2002).

DID YOU KNOW? TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies have finished inside the top-10 TWICE at Phoenix
1989: Dick Trickle (seventh) and Jimmy Spencer (10th)
2005: Kyle Busch (first) and Travis Kvapil (10th)

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix:
1989: Dick Trickle, seventh
1989: Jimmy Spencer, 10th
1993: Bobby Labonte, eighth
1999: Tony Stewart, FIRST
2000: Dave Blaney, eighth
2004: Kasey Kahne, fifth
2005: Kyle Busch, FIRST
2006: Denny Hamlin, third

Raybestos® Rookies that have led a lap in the fall race at Phoenix:
1991: Stanley Smith (once for 12 laps)
1991: Bobby Hamilton (once for one lap)
1993: Jeff Gordon (led once for 48 laps)
1993: Bobby Labonte (once for two laps)
1995: Ricky Craven (once for one lap)
1999: Tony Stewart (three times for 150 laps)
2001: Casey Atwood (twice for 71 laps)
2002: Ryan Newman (three times for 14 laps)
2002: Jimmie Johnson (once for one lap)
2005: Kyle Busch (three times for 63 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 234
David Ragan 214
Paul Menard 189
David Reutimann 171
AJ Allmendinger 161

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