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Raybestos Rookie News and Notes: Food City 250

Monday August 18, 2008

 

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

· Dario Franchitti was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the August 16 CARFAX 250 at Michigan International Speedway. Franchitti scored a 13th-place finish and took top rookie honors for the NINTH time this season.

· Raybestos® Rookie Cale Gale earned the second-place starting position at Michigan, his best start in 22 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. Gale has qualified third or better in his two most recent starts. His best finish in 11 races this season is sixth-place in the Kroger 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park (race No. 22).

· CLOSE POINTS BATTLE: Landon Cassill leads Dario Franchitti by just two points (151-149) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the August 22 Food City 250 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

David Ragan was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2007 Food City 250, grabbing a sixth-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? Kevin Harvick is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win the Food City 250 at Bristol, capturing the 2000 event.

Harvick is also the only first-year driver to lead the most laps in an August Bristol race. He led the 2000 Food City 250 twice for 241 of the 250 laps.

DID YOU KNOW? Only twice once since the Raybestos Rookie program was created in 1989 have TWO or more Raybestos® Rookie finished in the top-10 in the August race at Bristol (19 races):
2000: Kevin Harvick (FIRST) and Jay Sauter (sixth)
2000: David Ragan (sixth) and Brad Keselowski (seventh)

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Food City 250:
1991: Jeff Gordon, third
1997: Steve Park, second
2000: Kevin Harvick, FIRST
2004: Kyle Busch, third

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Food City 250:
1989: Kenny Wallace, ninth
1991: Jeff Gordon, third
1994: Johnny Benson, eighth
1995: Jeff Fuller, 10th
1997: Steve Park, second
1998: Wayne Grubb, seventh
2000: Kevin Harvick, FIRST
2000: Jay Sauter, sixth
2001: Scott Wimmer, sixth
2007: David Ragan, sixth
2007: Brad Keselowski, seventh

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER POINTS
Landon Cassill 151
Dario Franchitti 149
Bryan Clauson 147
Cale Gale 119
Brian Keselowski 90

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE

EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE
Camping World 300 Clauson, sixth
Stater Bros. 300 Franchitti, 24th
Sam’s Town 300 Franchitti, sixth
Nicorette 300 Gale, 20th
Sharp Mini 300 Franchitti, 22nd
Pepsi 300 Gale, eighth
O’Reilly 300 Franchitti, 11th
Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Franchitti, 11th
Corona Mexico 200 Carpentier, fifth
Aaron’s 312 Carpentier, eighth
Lipton Tea 250 Clauson, 21st
Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Miller, eighth
CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 Gale, 30th
Heluva Good! 200 Franchitti, 15th
Federated Auto Parts 300 Cassill, ninth
Meijer 300 Clauson, fifth
Camping World RV Sales 200 Franchitti, 13th
Winn-Dixie 250 Clauson, 19th
Dollar General 300 Cassill, 10th
Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Cassill, sixth
Kroger 200 Gale, sixth
NAPA Auto Parts 200 Cassill, 14th
Zippo 200 Franchitti, fifth
CARFAX 250 Franchitti, 13th

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY

· DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a Nationwide Series race is Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya captured the 2007 Corona Mexico 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (Mexico City, Mexico), crossing the finish line .750 seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin (57 races).

· DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole position in the Nationwide Series is Dario Franchitti. Franchitti captured the top starting spot for the 2008 Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International (two races).

· David Ragan captured 2007 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Ragan edged Marcos Ambrose by 27 points (272-245) for the honor. Ragan finished the season with two poles, four top-five and nine top-10 finishes. His best finish of the season was a third-place effort in the Sam’s Town 250 at Memphis (Millington, Tenn.) Motorsports Park (race no. 32). Ragan was fifth in the Nationwide Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie.

· The most recent streak for at least two Raybestos® Rookies to rank inside the top-10 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship standings is 21 consecutive races (2007 race at Kentucky Speedway, race No. 16, through 2008 Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, race No. 1).

· Roush Fenway Racing has won THREE consecutive Raybestos® Rookie of the Year titles in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and FOUR since 2001.
2007: David Ragan
2006: Danny O’Quinn Jr.
2005: Carl Edwards
2001: Greg Biffle

Danny O’Quinn Jr. narrowly edged John Andretti to win the 2006 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year title in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. O’Quinn Jr. finished one point higher than Andretti in the final standings, the closet margin in NASCAR national series history. He also became the second driver in series history to win the award without completing the full schedule.

Kyle Busch posted a record-setting year on his way to the 2004 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year title. In 34 starts, Busch won five times, captured five poles and scored 16 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes. His second-place finish in the Nationwide Series championship standings is a record for a Raybestos® Rookie. Other Raybestos® Rookie records Busch owns or shares: most starts (34), most wins (tied with Greg Biffle), most top fives (tied with Greg Biffle), most top 10s, most money won ($2,027,050), most championship points (4,943), most laps led (1,108) and most races led (21).

David Stremme holds the record for fewest starts by a driver to win Raybestos® Rookie of the Year. In 2003, he started just 18 of the 34 races and was the top rookie finisher in 16 of those starts. Stremme scored three top-three finishes and had more top-10 finishes (seven) than any other first-year driver. He led six races for a total of 86 laps.

David Green was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win a Nationwide Series race, at Lanier, Ga., in 1991. Green captured the Nestle 200 by 1.58-seconds over Jeff Gordon, a fellow Raybestos® Rookie. A third Raybestos® Rookie, Todd Bodine, placed eighth in the race.

Dennis Setzer was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win TWO or more races in a season. In 1994, he won the Ford Credit 300 at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and The Pantry 300 at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Steve Park was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win THREE or more races in a season. In 1997, he won the BellSouth Mobility/Opryland 300 at Nashville (Tenn.) Speedway, the Detroit Gasket 200 at Michigan International Speedway and the Autolite Platinum 250 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

Kenny Wallace was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole in the Nationwide Series. Wallace grabbed the top starting spot for the 1989 Goody’s 300 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the first race in the history of the Raybestos® Rookie of the Year program.

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This report was provided by an outside PR source and posted by Kim DeHaven.

 

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