Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Crown Royal Presents the Jim Stewart 400 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

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

David Ragan was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the April 29 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Ragan posted a 17th-place finish and was the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap in the race, holding the top spot once for one lap. He took top rookie honors for the fifth time in nine races this season.

Juan Pablo Montoya leads David Ragan by four points (100-96) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the May 5 Crown Royal 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

Montoya is 19th in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie. He is seven points behind 18th-place Martin Truex Jr. and 18 ahead of 20th-place Bobby Labonte.

Denny Hamlin was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Crown Royal 400, grabbing a second-place finish. Hamlin finished .572 seconds behind race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr.

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1975, Brian Vickers (2004) and Morgan Shepherd (1981) are the only Raybestos® Rookies to win a pole for the spring race at Richmond.

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1980, just seven Raybestos® Rookies have led a lap in the spring race at Richmond:
1980: Tommy Houston (10 laps)
1981: Morgan Shepherd (150 laps)
1989: Dick Trickle (one lap)
2000: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (31 laps)
2002: Ryan Newman (48 laps)
2004: Brian Vickers (32 laps)
2006: Denny Hamlin (19 laps)

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1975, only one Raybestos® Rookie has won the spring race at Richmond: Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2000. He led the race just once covering the final 31 laps and officially scored his second career win by .159 second over Terry Labonte.

DID YOU KNOW? Only once since 1975 have TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top-10 in the Crown Royal 400. In 1979, Joe Millikan finished sixth followed by Terry Labonte, who claimed an eighth place finish.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Crown Royal 400 at Richmond (since 1975):
1981: Morgan Shepherd, fourth
2000: Dale Earnhardt Jr., first
2002: Ryan Newman, second
2005: Kyle Busch, fourth
2006: Denny Hamlin, second

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Crown Royal 400 at Richmond (since 1975):
1979: Joe Millikan, sixth, and Terry Labonte, eighth
1989: Larry Pearson, sixth
1993: Jeff Gordon, sixth
1998: Kenny Irwin, ninth
2000: Dale Earnhardt Jr., first
2002: Ryan Newman, second
2004: Brian Vickers, eighth
2005: Kyle Busch, fourth
2006: Denny Hamlin, second

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 100
David Ragan 96
Paul Menard 62 
David Reutimann 56
AJ Allmendinger 24 
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