Race 2 Win: Sprint Cup Series

Sprint Cup Series

Daytona 500 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

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

Six drivers are expected to compete for Raybestos® Rookie of the Year honors in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Jacques Villeneuve, Sam Hornish Jr., Dario Franchitti, Regan Smith, Patrick Carpentier, and Michael McDowell.

Three organizations - Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Michael Waltrip Racing – will have Raybestos® Rookies behind the wheel for the second consecutive season.

DID YOU KNOW? Ryan Newman (2002) is the most recent driver to capture top rookie honors in the Daytona 500 and go on to win Raybestos® Rookie of the Year.

DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is Denny Hamlin. Hamlin grabbed the top starting position for the 2006 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, 46 races ago.

David Ragan was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2007 Daytona 500, scoring a fifth-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1975, only three Raybestos® Rookies have scored top-five finishes in the Daytona 500: Ragan, Scott Wimmer and Jeff Gordon. Wimmer placed third in 2004 while Gordon finished fifth in 1993.

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1975, only three Raybestos® Rookies have won the pole position for the Daytona 500: Loy Allen (1994), Mike Skinner (1997) and Jimmie Johnson (2002).

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Daytona 500 (since 1975):
1979: Dale Earnhardt, eighth
1980: Jody Ridley, 10th
1989: Rick Mast, sixth
1991: Bobby Hamilton, ninth
1993: Jeff Gordon, fifth
2000: Matt Kenseth, 10th
2002: Ryan Newman, seventh
2006: Clint Bowyer, sixth
2007: David Ragan, fifth

Gordon is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a Gatorade Duel qualifying race at Daytona in the sport’s modern era. Gordon won his qualifying race for 500 in 1993.

DID YOU KNOW? Denny Hamlin is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win the Budweiser Shootout. Hamlin won the race in 2006 and went on to capture Raybestos® Rookie of the Year honors that same season.

Hamlin and Ryan Newman are the only Raybestos® Rookie to compete in the Budweiser Shootout. Hamlin earned his way into the special event by winning the pole for the 2005 Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway. Newman gained entry by claiming the top starting spot for the 2001 Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s (Concord, N.C.) Motor Speedway.

DID YOU KNOW? Greg Biffle is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a Sprint Cup Series points event at Daytona International Speedway. Biffle won the 2003 Pepsi 400, scoring his first career win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He crossed the finish line 4.102 second ahead of second place finisher Jeff Burton and led only once, covering the final 21 laps. Biffle was the only Raybestos® Rookie to score a win during the 2003 season.

DID YOU KNOW? Ryan Newman is the most recent driver to earn top rookie honors in the Daytona 500 and win Raybestos® Rookie of the Year.

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 Sprint 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 Sprint 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).