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Raybestos Rookie News and Notes: TUMS QuikPak 500

Monday October 13, 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 October 11 Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (Concord, N.C.). Hornish Jr. scored a 22nd-place finish and took top rookie honors for the EIGHTH time this season. He was the top Raybestos® Rookie in BOTH races this season at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. His 13th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 (race No. 12) is the best by a freshman driver this season.

· CLOSE POINTS BATTLE: Regan Smith leads Sam Hornish Jr. by TWO POINTS (191-189) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the October 19 TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

· DID YOU KNOW? Smith has led the Raybestos® Rookie standings for 14 CONSECUTIVE RACES dating back to Coke Zero 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (race No. 18).

· Smith was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the March 30 Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville (race No. 6). He has been the top Raybestos® Rookie in four of the five short track races this season.

· The best qualifying effort by a Raybestos® Rookie on a short track this season is fourth by Regan Smith (Bristol, race No. 24) and Patrick Carpentier (Richmond, race No. 10).

· DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has qualified inside the top-10 in three of the five short track races this season.

Juan Pablo Montoya was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2007 TUMS QuikPak 500. Montoya scored an eighth-place finish in the race and led the event once for nine laps. He was the only first-year driver to finish inside the top-10.

Denny Hamlin was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 TUMS QuikPak 500. Hamlin finished second, .544 seconds behind race winner Jimmie Johnson. He owns the best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie at Martinsville since Morgan Shepherd won the 1981 Goody’s Cool Orange 500.

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos Rookie has finished in the top-10 in the last THREE CONSECUTIVE fall races at Martinsville
2005: Kyle Busch, ninth
2006: Denny Hamlin, second
2007: Juan Pablo Montoya, eighth

DID YOU KNOW? Since 1974 only FIVE Raybestos® Rookies have scored a top-five finish in TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville:
1974: Earl Ross, FIRST
1977: Sam Sommers, fifth
1979: Joe Millikan, third
1989: Dick Trickle, third
2006: Denny Hamlin, second

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies in Subway 500 at Martinsville (since 1974):
1974: Earl Ross, FIRST
1977: Sam Sommers, fifth
1979: Joe Millikan, third
1979: Terry Labonte, ninth
1980: Jody Ridley, ninth
1981: Ron Bouchard, sixth
1987: Dale Jarrett, 10th
1989: Dick Trickle, third
2002: Jimmie Johnson, sixth
2003: Jamie McMurray, eighth
2005: Kyle Busch, ninth
2006: Denny Hamlin, second

DID YOU KNOW? Only once since 1974 have TWO Raybestos® Rookies finished in the top-10 in the TUMS QuikPak 500. In 1979, Joe Millikan finished third while Terry Labonte placed ninth.

DID YOU KNOW? Only one Raybestos® Rookie has won a pole for the Subway 500 since 1974: Ryan Newman (2002).

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has finished on the lead lap in each of the past SEVEN consecutive Subway 500 races at Martinsville:
2001: Ron Hornaday, 18th
2002: Jimmie Johnson, seventh
2003: Jamie McMurray, eighth
2004: Kasey Kahne, 13th
2005: Kyle Busch, ninth
2006: Denny Hamlin, second 2007: Juan Pablo Montoya, eighth 2007: David Reutimann, 17th

DID YOU KNOW? The most laps led by a Raybestos® Rookie in the TUMS QuikPak 500 (since 1974) is 79 by Earl Ross.

DID YOU KNOW? The most Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap in the fall race at Martinsville is TWO in 1981. Tim Richmond led twice for 14 laps while Morgan Shepherd led one for 18 laps.

Raybestos® Rookies that have led a lap in the fall race at Martinsville (since 1974):
1974: Earl Ross (79 laps)
1979: Joe Millikan (once for 74 laps)
1981: Tim Richmond (twice for 14 laps)
1981: Morgan Shepherd (once for 18 laps)
1982: Geoffrey Bodine (three times for 53 laps
1984: Rusty Wallace (twice for two laps)
1986: Alan Kulwicki (once for one lap)
1989: Dick Trickle (once for one lap)
1992: Jimmy Hensley (once for six laps)
1995: Ricky Craven (once for two laps)
2001: Kurt Busch (once for 38 laps)
2001: Kevin Harvick (once for 20 laps)
2001: Casey Atwood (once for one lap)
2002: Ryan Newman (once for 33 laps)
2004: Kasey Kahne (once for 17 laps)

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER POINTS
Regan Smith 191
Sam Hornish Jr. 189
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
AMP Energy 500 Smith, 18th
Bank of America 500 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 (51 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 (15 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).

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

 

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