Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Centurion Boats at the Glen - 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 August 5 Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, scoring a 16th-place finish. He took top rookie honors for the 10th time this season and for the third consecutive race.

Montoya leads David Ragan by 26 points (211-185) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the August 12 Centurion Boats at The Glen at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

Montoya is 18th in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie.

A Raybestos® Rookie has won at least one race in each of the past three consecutive seasons.

Denny Hamlin was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the Centurion Boats at The Glen, posting a 10th-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? The best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie at Watkins Glen is second by Ryan Newman in 2002. Only one other Raybestos® Rookie has scored a top-five finish at The Glen: Robby Gordon, who placed fourth in 1997.

DID YOU KNOW? The best qualifying effort by a Raybestos® Rookie at Watkins Glen is second by Greg Biffle in 2003.

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has led a lap in three of the past four races at Watkins Glen:
2002: Ryan Newman (twice for 11 laps)
2003: Greg Biffle (once for 23 laps)
2003: Jamie McMurray (once for one lap)
2004: Brendan Gaughan (once for seven laps)
2006: Reed Sorenson (once for two laps)

Biffle holds the record for most laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie at Watkins Glen, holding the top spot once for 23 laps in 2003.

DID YOU KNOW? The most Raybestos® Rookies to finish inside the top-10 at Watkins Glen THREE. In 1993, Bobby Labonte placed seventh, followed by P.J. Jones (eighth) and Kenny Wallace (ninth).

TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies have led the same race at The Glen only twice: In 1991, Ted Musgrave led once for one lap while Dorsey Schroeder led once for three laps. In 2003, Biffle (once for 23 laps) and McMurray (once for one lap) each led the race.

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Watkins Glen:
1993: Bobby Labonte, seventh
1993: P.J. Jones, eighth
1993: Kenny Wallace, seventh
1994: Joe Nemechek, eighth
1995: Ricky Craven, 10th
1997: Robby Gordon, fourth
1999: Tony Stewart, sixth
2000: Matt Kenseth, 10th
2001: Kevin Harvick, seventh
2002: Ryan Newman, second
2006: Denny Hamlin, 10th 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 211
David Ragan 185
Paul Menard 151
David Reutimann 134
AJ Allmendinger 78 

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