Go to content Go to navigation Go to recent PR reports Go to search

Raybestos Rookie News and Notes: Bank of America 500

Monday October 6, 2008

 

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

· Regan Smith was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the October 5 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Smith scored an 18th-place finish and took Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the NINTH time in 2008.

· CLOSE POINTS BATTLE: Regan Smith leads Sam Hornish Jr. by FOUR POINTS (190-186) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the October 11 Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (Concord, N.C.).

· DID YOU KNOW? Smith has led the Raybestos® Rookie standings for 13 CONSECUTIVE RACES dating back to Coke Zero 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (race No. 18).

AJ Allmendinger was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2007 Bank of America 500, scoring a 15th-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? Only TWO Raybestos® Rookies have scored top-five finishes in the fall race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway since 1975: Ron Bouchard (fifth in 1981) and Jeff Gordon (fifth in 1993).

DID YOU KNOW? The most Raybestos® Rookies to finish inside the top-10 in the Bank of America 500 (since 1975) are THREE in 1980: Lake Speed (seventh), Jody Ridley (eighth) and Kyle Petty (ninth).

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (since 1975):
1981: Ron Bouchard, fifth
1993: Jeff Gordon, fifth

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in the Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (since 1975):
1977: Janet Guthrie, seventh
1979: Harry Gant, seventh
1979: Dale Earnhardt, 10th
1980: Lake Speed, seventh
1980: Jody Ridley, eighth
1980: Kyle Petty, ninth
1981: Ron Bouchard, fifth
1981: Morgan Shepherd, eighth
1993: Jeff Gordon, fifth
1998: Kevin Lepage, sixth
2000: Matt Kenseth, ninth
2001: Kevin Harvick, eighth
2002: Jimmie Johnson, sixth
2002: Ryan Newman, seventh
2003: Jamie McMurray, seventh

Since 1975, only TWO Raybestos® Rookies have won pole positions for the fall race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway: Jeff Gordon (1993) and Ward Burton (1994).

Kasey Kahne holds the record for most laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie in the Bank of America 500 (since 1975). Kahne led the 2004 race four times for 207 of the 334 laps.

The most Raybestos® Rookies to lead a lap in the fall race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway are TWO in 1979 and again in 1994. 1994, John Andretti led twice for 30 laps and Ward Burton led once for one lap. In 1979, Dale Earnhardt led three times for 55 laps while Harry Gant held the top spot once covering seven laps.

Raybestos® Rookies that have led a lap in the fall race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (since 1975):
1979: Dale Earnhardt (three times for 55 laps)
1979: Harry Gant (once for seven laps)
1982: Geoffrey Bodine (once for 5 laps)
1983: Trevor Boys (once for two laps)
1986: Alan Kulwicki (twice for six laps)
1993: Jeff Gordon (once for one lap)
1994: Ward Burton (once for 29 laps)
1994: John Andretti (twice for 30 laps)
2000: Matt Kenseth ((once for one lap)
2002: Jimmie Johnson (three times for 66 laps)
2003: Jamie McMurray (once for one lap)
2004: Kasey Kahne (four times for 207 laps)
2006: Clint Bowyer (once for one lap)

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER POINTS
Regan Smith 190
Sam Hornish Jr. 186
Patrick Carpentier 182
Michael McDowell 169
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
Camping World RV 400 Carpentier, 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 (50 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 (14 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.

Do you want the chance to win a free Frontstretch T-Shirt, and are you really good at talking about NASCAR? Well, we have the perfect opportunity for you. Our staff will be giving away a free T-Shirt to the reader who makes the best post in our Frontstretch Forum between now and the end of the season. So, what makes a good post? It’s pretty hard to impress us, but here are some things we are looking for:

Does your post spark passionate reactions from other readers? Are you commenting on meaningful NASCAR-related events? Do your posts have substance? In other words, “Dale Jr. is the best driver ever” or “Danica Patrick is hot” will not cut it.

So go to the Frontstretch Forums, post early, post often, and post well! We’ll announce the winner following the final race of the season at Homestead.

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

 

©2000 - 2008 Kim DeHaven and Frontstetch.com. Thanks for visiting the Frontstretch!