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Raybestos Rookie News and Notes: Sharpie 500

Monday August 18, 2008

 

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

· Sam Hornish Jr. was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the August 17 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Hornish Jr. scored a 22nd-place finish and claimed top rookie honors for the SEVENTH time this season.

· Regan Smith leads Sam Hornish Jr. by just one point (178-177) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the August 23 Sharpie 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Juan Pablo Montoya was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2007 Sharpie 500, scoring a 17th-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? The best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in the August race at Bristol is second by Kevin Harvick in 2001.

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1975, only one Raybestos® Rookie has won the pole position for the August race at Bristol: Tony Stewart, who grabbed the top starting spot for the 1999 Sharpie 500.

Stewart is also the only Raybestos® Rookie to lead the most laps in the August race at Bristol. He led once for 225 laps on his way to a fifth-place finish. Since 1975, no Raybestos® Rookie has led more laps than Stewart in the night race at Bristol.

DID YOU KNOW? Stewart is the most recent Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap in the Sharpie 500. No first-year driver has led a lap in any of the past nine Sharpie 500 races at Bristol.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol (since 1975):
1981: Ron Bouchard, fifth
2001: Kevin Harvick, second
2003: Jamie McMurray, third

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol (since 1975):
1975: Bruce Hill, 10th
1977: Janet Guthrie, sixth
1978: Roger Hamby, 10th
1979: Joe Millikan, sixth
1979: Terry Labonte, eighth
1981: Ron Bouchard, fifth
1981: Tim Richmond, eighth
1982: Geoffrey Bodine, 10th
1984: Greg Sacks, ninth
1986: Alan Kulwicki, 10th
1989: Jimmy Spencer, eighth
1992: Jimmy Hensley, seventh
1993: Kenny Wallace, ninth
1998: Kevin Lepage, 10th
1999: Tony Stewart, fifth
2001: Kevin Harvick, second 2003: Jamie McMurray, third 2006: Denny Hamlin, sixth

Raybestos® Rookies that have led a lap in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol (since 1975):
1979: Harry Gant (once for 16 laps)
1981: Morgan Shepherd (once for 104 laps)
1986: Alan Kulwicki (twice for two laps)
1994: Joe Nemechek (once for 14 laps)
1995: Ricky Craven (once for one lap)
1999: Tony Stewart (once for 225 laps)

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER POINTS
Regan Smith 178
Sam Hornish Jr. 177
Patrick Carpentier 169
Michael McDowell 156
Dario Franchitti 97

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
Crown Royal 400 Smith, 21st
Dodge Challenger 500 McDowell, 28th
Coca-Cola 600 Hornish Jr., 13th
Best Buy 400 Hornish Jr., 18th
Pocono 500 McDowell, 27th
LifeLock 400 Hornish Jr., 22nd
Toyota/Save Mart 350 McDowell, 21st
LENOX Industrial Tools 301 Smith, 27th
Coke Zero 400 Carpentier, 14th
LifeLock.com 400 Carpentier, 30th
Allstate 400 at The Brickyard Carpentier, 18th
Pennsylvania 500 McDowell, 24th
Centurion Boats at The Glen Carpentier, 20th
3M Performance 400 Hornish Jr., 22nd

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 (43 races).

· DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole position in the Sprint Cup Series is Patrick Carpentier. Carpentier captured the top starting spot for the 2008 LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (seven 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).

®Raybestos® brand brakes are produced by the Affinia Under Vehicle Group, the leading manufacturer of braking systems and components for the automotive industry. The line includes everything from brake drums to rotors, pads, shoes and hydraulic parts. Affinia Under Vehicle Group is at the forefront of research and development in brake technology and operates manufacturing and distribution facilities throughout North America.

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

 

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