December 1st - December 5th, 2008
Monday: It's Driver Review Week here on the Frontstretch! In honor of the upcoming banquet in New York City, we have some festivities of our own, giving season report cards on the years of 10th place point finisher Kyle Busch and 9th place Tony Stewart. Be sure to read and vote for the grade YOU would give your favorite driver!
Tuesday: 8th place Denny Hamlin and 7th place Jeff Gordon are profiled as driver reviews continue.
Wednesday: 6th place Jeff Burton and 5th place Clint Bowyer get graded as our profiles keep rollin' on.
Thursday: 4th place Kevin Harvick and 3rd place Greg Biffle get their report cards as the season-ending banquet gets ever closer.
Friday: Just before they go up on the big stage, runner-up Carl Edwards and 2008 Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson get their season-ending reviews.
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Raybestos Rookie News and Notes: Camping World RV 400
Tuesday September 23, 2008
NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDERS – NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
· Michael McDowell was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the September 21 Camping World RV 400 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. McDowell scored a 29th-place finish and claimed top rookie honors for the sixth time this season, including twice in the last three races.
· CLOSE POINTS BATTLE: Regan Smith leads Sam Hornish Jr. by THREE POINTS (187-184) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the September 28 Camping World RV 400 at Kansas Speedway.
· DID YOU KNOW? Smith has led the Raybestos® Rookie standings for 11 CONSECUTIVE RACES dating back to Coke Zero 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (race No. 18).
David Ragan was the Raybestos® Rookie of the race in the 2007 Camping World RV 400 at Kansas, scoring a 16th-place finish.
DID YOU KNOW? The best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in seven previous Sprint Cup races at Kansas is second-place by Ryan Newman in 2002 (.618 seconds behind race winner Jeff Gordon). Newman is the only Raybestos® Rookie to score a top-five finish at Kansas.
DID YOU KNOW? Jason Leffler is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole in seven races at Kansas Speedway. Leffler took the top starting spot in the 2001 Camping World RV 400.
DID YOU KNOW? At least one Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top 10 in five of the seven races at Kansas, but only once have TWO or more freshman drivers finished inside the top-10: Ryan Newman (second) and Jimmie Johnson (10th) in 2002.
Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Kansas:
2001: Kurt Busch, ninth
2002: Ryan Newman, second
2002: Jimmie Johnson, 10th
2003: Jamie McMurray, eighth
2004: Brendan Gaughan, 10th
2006: Clint Bowyer, ninth
DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has led at least one lap in five of the seven previous Sprint Cup races at Kansas:
2001: JasonLeffler (once for eight laps)
2002: Ryan Newman (twice for 81 laps)
2004: Kasey Kahne (four times for 39 laps)
2005: Travis Kvapil (once for one lap)
2006: Clint Bowyer (twice for 17 laps)
RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS
DRIVER POINTS
Regan Smith 187
Sam Hornish Jr. 184
Patrick Carpentier 178
Michael McDowell 168
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
Sharpie 500 Smith, 14th
Pepsi 500 Carpentier, 18th
Chevy Rock & Roll 400 McDowell, 20th
SYLVANIA 300 Smith, 23rd
Camping World RV 400 McDowell, 29th
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 (48 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 (12 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.
Still haven’t joined the Frontstretch Forums? Here’s a peek at what you’re
missing this week:
How does Jimmie Johnson compare to Cale Yarborough?
Ten things we hated about the 2008 season
Ten things we loved about the 2008 season
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This report was provided by an outside PR source and posted by Kim DeHaven.
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