Race 2 Win: Sprint Cup Series Race Notes

Sprint Cup Series

Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 - Raybestos Rookie Notes

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

Regan Smith was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the April 27 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Smith scored a 21st-place finish and captured top rookie honors for the fourth time in nine races this season. He also led the race once for one lap and was the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead at Talladega.

Smith and Sam Hornish Jr. share the lead in the Raybestos® Rookie standings (86-86) entering the May 3 Crown Royal 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

Paul Menard was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2007 Crown Royal 400, posting a 16th-place finish on the lead lap.

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. Earnhardt Jr. led the race just once covering the final 31 laps and officially scored his second career win by .159 seconds 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 CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS
DRIVER POINTS
Sam Hornish, Jr. 86
Regan Smith 86
Dario Franchitti 72
Patrick Carpentier 57
Michael McDowell 36
Jacques Villeneuve 1

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE
EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE
Daytona 500 Hornish Jr., 15th
Auto Club 500 Smith, 31st
UAW-Dodge 400 Franchitti, 31st
Kobalt Tools 500 Hornish Jr., 25th
Food City 500 Smith, 26th
Goody’s Cool Orange 500 Smith, 14th
Samsung 500 Carpentier, 28th
Subway Fresh Fit 500 Hornish Jr., 20th
Aaron’s 499 Smith, 21st

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY

DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a Sprint Cup Series race is Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya captured the 2007 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon (Sonoma, Calif.) Raceway, crossing the finish line 4.097 seconds ahead of second-place Kevin Harvick (29 races).

DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole position in the Sprint Cup Series is Denny Hamlin. Hamlin captured the top starting spot for the 2006 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (55 races).

AN HISTORICAL FIRST: The 2008 season marked the first time in NASCAR’s modern-era (since 1972) that THREE drivers shared the lead in the Raybestos® Rookie standings. After the second race of the season, Sam Hornish, Jr., Dario Franchitti and Regan Smith were all tied at the top of the standings.

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 Sprint 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 Sprint 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 Sprint Cup Series championship standings during the sport’s modern-era is 60 races (2001 MBNA Platinum 400 through 2002 Ford 400).