The scoring system to determine the Raybestos Rookie of the Year varies from NASCAR’S point system for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. The following is a breakdown of the Raybestos Rookie of the Year scoring system:

• A 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 point system is used for scoring finishing positions by the rookies. The highest-finishing rookie in each race earns 10 points, the second-highest, nine points, etc.

• Of the 36 races, only the top 17 are counted in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie race.

• In order to be eligible for the Rookie of the Year award, a driver must attempt to qualify in at least eight events out of the first 20 events.

• Attempting to qualify for a race earns the rookies one bonus point, which is a bonus that is available for all 36 events.

• Bonus points are awarded for a finish in the top 10. A rookie who wins a race is awarded 10 points, second place gets nine and so on down the line with a 10th-place effort earning one point.

• Following the final race of the season, the highest-ranking rookie in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship receives 10 bonus points. The second-highest rookie earns nine points, third receives eight, etc.

• During the final weekend of the season, a Raybestos Rookie of the Year panel meets and rewards favorable conduct in the following categories: Conduct with NASCAR officials in the garage and pit areas; conduct and awareness on track; personal appearance and relationship with the media. The panel rates each driver, with scoring ranging from a maximum of 10 to a minimum of 1. Total points will be averaged from each panel member’s ballot. The points derived from the panel will be added to the entry, competition, and bonus points after the final race of the season to determine the overall Raybestos Rookie of the Year winner.

Rookie Stripes: rookies will be noted on the car they drive by a yellow stripe on the rear bumper of the car.
sometimes a driver not up for the award may have yellow stripes on tracks they have not competed on before.

Final Rookie Standings from Raybestos

Car#-Driver, Races Attempted, Races Run, Points
#20-Joey Logano, 36, 36, 270
#82-Scott Speed, 36, 35, 237 [not in top-35 in owners pts]
#13-Max Papis, 21, 15, 184 [not in top-35 in owners pts]
(thru 11-22-2009)

NOTE: #8-Aric Almirola and #47-Marcos Ambrose both ran over seven Cup races in 2008 AND #09/25/12-Brad Keselowski ended up running 15 races and will not be eligible in 2010 and did not sign up for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year program in 2009

SEVEN races is the most a driver can race in ONE season and still run for ROTY

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS ROOKIE BY RACE
Race, Highest-Finishing Rookie
Daytona 500, #82-Speed, 35th (1)
California, #20-Logano, 26th (1)
Las Vegas, #20-Logano, 13th (2)
Atlanta, #20-Logano, 30th (3)
Bristol, #82-Speed, 28th (2)
Martinsville, #20-Logano, 32nd (4)
Texas, #20-Logano, 30th (5)
Phoenix, #20-Logano, 21st (6)
Talladega, #82-Speed, 5th (3)
Richmond, #20-Logano, 19th (7)
Darlington, #20-Logano, 9th (8)
Charlotte, #20-Logano, 9th (9)
Dover, #20-Logano, 15th (10)
Pocono. #20-Logano, 23rd (11)
Michigan, #20-Logano, 25th (12)
Infineon, #13-Max Papis, 12th (1)
New Hampshire, #20-Logano, WON (13)
Daytona (2), #20-Logano, 19th (14)
Chicago, #20-Logano, 18th (15)
Indianapolis, #20-Logano, 12th (16)
Pocono (2), #82-Speed, 23rd (4)
Watkins Glen, #13-Papis, 8th (2)
Michigan (2), #20-Logano, 7th (17)
Bristol (2), #82-Speed, 15th (5)
Atlanta (2), #20-Logano, 22nd (18)
Richmond (2), #20-Logano, 14th (19)
New Hampshire (2), #20-Logano, 21st (20)
Dover (2), #82-Speed, 25th (6)
Kansas, #82-Speed, 27th (7)
Auto Club (2), #20-Logano, 14th (21)
Lowe's Motor Speedway (2), #20-Logano, 5th (22)
Martinsville (2), #20-Logano, 12th (23)
Talladega (2), #20-Logano, 3rd (24)
Texas (2), #82-Speed, 18th (8)
Phoenix (2), #20-Logano, 21st (25)
Homestead, #20-Logano, 24th (26)

Best Finishing Rookies, Times:
#20-Logano, 26
#82-Speed, 8
#13-Papis, 2

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Pre/Post Race Reports/ News

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

* Joey Logano is the 2009 Raybestos Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Logano captured top rookie honors 26 times in 36 races and officially claimed the honor by 33 points (270-237) over Scott Speed. He finished the season with one win, three top-five and seven top-10 finishes and placed 20th in the final series championship standings.

* Logano and the #20 team use the Raybestos Sprint Cup braking system. The ultra-lightweight aluminum alloy six-piston calipers are the stiffest and lightest calipers available in all of NASCAR.

* Logano scored his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (race #17). The victory came in his 20th career start.

* DID YOU KNOW? At 19 years of age, Logano is the youngest driver to win Raybestos Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

* DID YOU KNOW? The year-end payout for 2009 Raybestos Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is $75,000, the same amount Darrell Waltrip earned from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company for his 1982 Cup series championship. Logano will earn a grand total of $114,500 from Raybestos brand Brakes for his efforts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this season.

* Logano is the third driver from Joe Gibbs Racing to win Raybestos Rookie of the Year, joining Tony Stewart (1999) and Denny Hamlin (2006).(Raybestos/Camp & Associates)(11-27-2009)

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• Logano named 2009 Rookie of the Year:

  * Logano scored a 24th-place finish and was the top rookie in tonight’s Ford 400. He claimed Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors 26 times in 36 races this season.

  * Logano scored his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (race No. 17). He finished the season with one win, three top-fives and seven top-10 finishes.

  * DID YOU KNOW? At 19 years of age, Logano is the youngest driver to win Raybestos Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

  * Logano and the #20 team use the Raybestos Sprint Cup braking system. The ultra-lightweight aluminum alloy six-piston calipers are the stiffest and lightest calipers available in all of NASCAR.

  * DID YOU KNOW? The year-end payout for 2009 Raybestos Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is $75,000, the same amount Darrell Waltrip earned from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company for his 1982 Cup series championship. Logano will earn a grand total of $114,500 from Raybestos brand Brakes for his efforts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this season.

  * Logano is the THIRD driver from Joe Gibbs Racing to win Raybestos Rookie of the Year, joining Tony Stewart (1999) and Denny Hamlin (2006).

  JOEY LOGANO, #20 THE HOME DEPOT TOYOTA: TODAY MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE HARDEST DAY’S WORK YOU’VE DONE ALL YEAR. “We got up to 13th and realistically that’s about where we should have been, you know, if we didn’t qualify so bad. Somehow the end plate on the wing got knocked off somehow, during a pit stop or what happened but had to come in and lost track position. And if you look at it, I mean, everyone ran the same lap times all night, you know. It’s hard to pass people. You can get a couple on the start but if you can’t get on the start you’re just junk and that’s where you run the whole run. It’s hard to make up spots on the racetrack ‘cause everyone ran the same speed.”

  YOU OFICIALLY CLINCHED RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR TONIGHT. “All right, cool. That’s cool. That was one of our big goals this year. It’s pretty neat to win Raybestos Rookie of the Year. I appreciate that.”

  “It’s really cool to get the Raybestos Rookie of the Year. It’s obviously one of our big goals. I’ve got to thank The Home Depot for sticking behind me throughout the year. We had a real rough start and finished 20th in the points, I guess is okay. In the beginning of the season if you had told me that’s where we were going to finish I’d have been ecstatic about it but now you always want better. It seemed like tonight we weren’t real good. We started plugging away to the front, we got to about 13th and the car wasn’t that bad and on our pit stop somehow the end plate on the wing got hit and knocked off. Had to come back in and replace that and go back out back in the pack and try to plug along. It was tough, after about five or six laps most everyone ran about the same lap times so it was hard to make your way back to the front. But we did what we had to do tonight. I just want to thank all my guys for sticking with me through the year.”

  YOU GOT OFF TO A LITTLE BIT OF A ROCKY START AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON. “It was tough at times believe me. You know the media wasn’t saying the greatest things but if anything it’s more motivating. You really want to keep pushing it and become a better race car driver. I was getting a little self confidence out of Nationwide car which was helping me there and just kept pushing it and trying to learn these race cars as much as I can. By no means I’m not there yet but I feel like we made big steps. The second part is figure out how you want them to drive, what part of the corner you want to work on, you know, what do you need to make these things go fast. Hopefully through the offseason here we can test a little bit and get some more seat time in these things and come better next year.”

  FIVE YEARS AGO AT MARK MARTIN’S FIRST RETIREMENT LUNCH AT HIS SHOP, HE SAID THAT HE WOULD HIRE YOU TOMORROW TO RACE A CUP CAR. DID YOU THINK BACK THEN THAT YOU’D BE SITTING HERE AS RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR? “No, I don’t look that far ahead. I think that’s kind of the big deal. I’ve always been a day by day person and always worry about the next thing as it comes. I’ve never been the person to look two races ahead. It’s always the next one. At the time I thought that was awesome. To be honest that’s something that got me to this point if it wasn’t for him saying stuff like that to get me a ride like this. It was a real big deal in my career.”(Camp & Assoc./Raybestos)(11-23-2009)

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• NASCAR to implement rookie orientation program: NASCAR will implement a one-day rookie orientation seminar next February for newcomers to its three national touring series. The annual program will be designed for rookies and drivers 22 and under, NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Wednesday. It will focus on NASCAR rules and policies as well as the adjustment to competing on the national stock-car circuit. “It’s something we’ve been looking at for the last two or three years,” Poston said. “We looked at what all the other leagues do, and one thing we realized is all the other leagues do this, and there seems to be a lot of benefit both for the league and their participants.” The program will include University of Central Florida professor Dr. Richard Lapchick of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports to address professional and personal conduct and Aegis Laboratories’ Dr. David Black to address the NASCAR substance-abuse policy. NASCAR Chairman Brian France also would be one of the presenters with other NASCAR executives, NASCAR’s medical liaisons, series directors, veteran drivers and track operators. “We want to do this to touch base with drivers that are new to the national series and make sure that they have an opportunity at their very start to get face-to-face with NASCAR executives, to understand the sport and who we are,” Poston said. “It’s really to welcome to the national series, welcome them to the sport and also to answer any questions that they have.” NASCAR has an 18-year-old age limit for its three national touring series and has toyed with the idea of increasing the age minimum for the Sprint Cup Series. Poston said that is still under consideration.(SceneDaily)(11-4-2009)

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• Raybestos Rookie News and Notes - Pre-Homestead; Post-Phoenix:

  * Joey Logano was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the November 15 Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Logano posted a 21st-place finish and took top rookie honors for the 25th time this season.

  * Logano leads Speed by 36 points (238-202) in the Raybestos Rookie standings entering the November 22 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

  * Regan Smith was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the 2008 Ford 400, scoring a 34th-place finish.

  * DID YOU KNOW? Tony Stewart is the only Raybestos Rookie to win in 10 previous NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Stewart captured the inaugural Ford 400 in 1999 by 5.289 seconds over Bobby Labonte. He led the race four times for 44 laps.

  * DID YOU KNOW? The most laps led by a Raybestos Rookie in 10 previous races at Homestead are 52 by Casey Atwood in 2001.

  * DID YOU KNOW? The only Raybestos Rookie to win a pole in 10 previous races at Homestead is Jamie McMurray. McMurray won his first-career pole at the 2003 Ford 400 on the way to claiming Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors. McMurray claimed a ninth-place finish in the race, his 13th top-10 finish of the 2003 season.

  * The most Raybestos Rookies to finish inside the top-10 at Homestead are THREE in 2001 and 2006:
  2001: Casey Atwood, third
  2001: Kevin Harvick, seventh
  2001: Jason Leffler, 10th
  2006: Martin Truex Jr., second
  2006: Denny Hamlin, third
  2006: Clint Bowyer, 10th

  * Top-five finishes by Raybestos Rookies in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
  1999: Tony Stewart, FIRST
  2001: Casey Atwood, third
  2006: Martin Truex, Jr., second
  2006: Denny Hamlin, third

  * Top-10 finishes by Raybestos Rookies in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
  1999: Tony Stewart, first
  2000: Dave Blaney, ninth
  2001: Casey Atwood, third
  2001: Kevin Harvick, seventh
  2001: Jason Leffler, 10th
  2002: Ryan Newman, sixth
  2002: Jimmie Johnson, eighth
  2003: Jamie McMurray, ninth
  2004: Brendan Gaughan, sixth
  2006: Martin Truex, Jr., second
  2006: Denny Hamlin, third
  2006: Clint Bowyer, 10th
  2007: David Ragan, 10th

  · Raybestos Rookies that have led at least one lap in the Ford 400:
  1999: Tony Stewart (four times for 44 laps)
  2001: Casey Atwood (twice for 52 laps)
  2001: Kevin Harvick (three times for 47 laps)
  2002: Ryan Newman (once for 28 laps)
  2002: Jimmie Johnson (once for 27 laps)
  2006: Martin Truex Jr. (once for 27 laps)
  2007: David Ragan (once for one lap)
  (Camp & Assoc./Raybestos)(11-19-2009)

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• Logano first Rookie to win in 71 races: Raybestos Rookie #20-Joey Logano rallied from a lap down and stretched his fuel mileage to perfection to win the rain shortened LENOX Industrial Tools 301 Sunday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Logano scored his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in just his 20th start and his first in two starts at New Hampshire. He became the first Raybestos Rookie [Keselowski is not a Rookie Candidate] to win in 71 races, dating back to Juan Pablo Montoya’s victory at Infineon Raceway in 2007. He joined Ryan Newman (2002) as the only Raybestos Rookies to win in 29 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire. He won in just his second start at New Hampshire and led the race just once, covering the final 10 laps. Logano leads Scott Speed by 31 points (199-168) in the overall Raybestos Rookie standings. Logano scored his first top-five and fourth top-10 of the 2009 season.(Raybestos PR)(6-29-2009)

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• Raybestos ROOKIE HISTORY
  

  * Regan Smith won 2008 Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, edging Sam Hornish Jr. by seven points (236-229). Smith became the first Raybestos Rookie of the Year in the 52-year history of the program without a DNF (did not finish). He was running at the finish in all 34 starts he made that season.

  * DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos Rookie to win a Sprint Cup Series race is Joey Logano. Logano captured the 2009 LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway ahead of second-place Jeff Gordon (18 races).

  * DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos Rookie to score a top-five finish is Joey Logano. Logano scored a third-place finish in the 2009 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (2 races).

  * DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos Rookie to score a top-ten finish is Joey Logano. Logano scored a third-place finish in the 2009 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (2 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 (54 races).

  * 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). (Camp & Assoc./Raybestos)(11-19-2009)

  see past notes for each race on my 2009 ROTY News and Notes page
  
  

• 1957 Ken Rush
• 1958 Shorty Rollins (1)
• 1959 Richard Petty
• 1960 David Pearson
• 1961 Woody Wilson
• 1962 Tom Cox
• 1963 Billy Wade
• 1964 Doug Cooper
• 1965 Sam McQuagg
• 1966 James Hylton
• 1967 Donnie Allison
• 1968 Pete Hamilton
• 1969 Dick Brooks
• 1970 Bill Dennis
• 1971 Walter Ballard
• 1972 Larry Smith
• 1973 Lennie Pond - Darrell Waltrip
• 1974 Earl Ross (1)
• 1975 Bruce Hill
• 1976 Skip Manning
• 1977 Ricky Rudd
• 1978 Ronnie Thomas
• 1979 Dale Earnhardt (1) - Joe Millikan, Terry Labonte, Harry Gant
• 1980 Jody Ridley (1)
• 1981 Ron Bouchard (1), Tim Richmond
• 1982 Geoffrey Bodine
• 1983 Sterling Marlin
• 1984 Rusty Wallace - Phil Parsons
• 1985 Ken Schrader - Eddie Bierschwale, Don Hume
• 1986 Alan Kulwicki - Michael Waltrip, Chet Fillip, Pancho Carter, Kirk Bryant, Davey Allison [listed 4 races], Derrike Cope [2 races], Jerry Cramer [3 races], Rick Baldwin [2 races], Jonathan Edwards [2 races], Wayne Slark [1 race]
• 1987 Davey Allison (2) - Dale Jarrett, Steve Christman, Rodney Combs, Derrike Cope
• 1988 Ken Bouchard - Ernie Irvan, Brad Noffsinger, Jimmy Horton
• 1989 Dick Trickle - Hut Stricklin, Larry Pearson, Jimmy Spencer, Rick Mast, Ben Hess, Chad Little
• 1990 Rob Moroso - Jack Pennington, Jerry O'Neil, Jeff Purvis
• 1991 Bobby Hamilton - Ted Musgrave, Stanley Smith, Wally Dallenbach Jr.
• 1992 Jimmy Hensley - Dave Madar III, Andy Belmont
• 1993 Jeff Gordon - Bobby Labonte, Kenny Wallace, P.J. Jones
• 1994 Jeff Burton - Joe Nemechek, Steve Grissom, Loy Allen, John Andretti, Jeremy Mayfield, Mike Wallace, Ward Burton
• 1995 Ricky Craven - Robert Pressley, Randy LaJoie, Steve Kinser, Davy Jones
• 1996 Johnny Benson - Stacy Compton [listed as a candiate for 1 race], Randy MacDonald [3 races]
• 1997 Mike Skinner - David Green, Jeff Green, Robby Gordon
• 1998 Kenny Irwin - Kevin Lepage, Jerry Nadeau, Steve Park
• 1999 Tony Stewart (3) - Elliott Sadler, Buckshot Jones
• 2000 Matt Kenseth (1) - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2), Dave Blaney, Scott Pruett, Stacy Compton, Mike Bliss
• 2001 Kevin Harvick (2) - Kurt Busch, Casey Atwood, Jason Leffler, Ron Hornaday Jr, Andy Houston
• 2002 Ryan Newman (1) - Jimmie Johnson (3), Carl Long, Shawna Robinson
  
• 2003 Jamie McMurray - Greg Biffle (1), Tony Raines, Casey Mears, Jack Sprague, Larry Foyt
  
• 2004 Kasey Kahne - Brendan Gaughan, Brian Vickers, Scott Wimmer, Scott Riggs, Johnny Sauter
  
• 2005 Kyle Busch (2) - Travis Kvapil, Stanton Barrett, Mike Garvey, Eric McClure
  
• 2006 Denny Hamlin (2) - Clint Bowyer, Martin Trux Jr., David Stremme, Reed Sorenson, Brent Sherman
  
• 2007 Juan Pablo Montoya (1) - David Ragan, Paul Menard, David Reutimann, A.J. Allmendinger
  
• 2008 Regan Smith - Sam Hornish Jr., Michael McDowell, Patrick Carpentier, Dario Franchitti
  
• 2009 Joey Logano (1) - Scott Speed, Max Papis, Dexter Bean
  
  (NOT a 2002 candidate but won - Jamie McMurray (1) and ran and won ROTY in 2003)
  (NOT a 2009 candidate but won a race - Brad Keselowski (1), didn't run for the award in 2009 or 2010)
  winner bold; wins if any in parens() - rest of rookie class listed if known
  
  
• ROTY Finishes In Final Top 10 of Drivers Standings
  Driver, Rank, Year.
  James Hylton, 2nd, 1966
  Denny Hamlin, 3rd, 2006
  Shorty Rollins, 4th, 1958
  Tony Stewart, 4th, 1999
  Jimmie Johnson, 5th, 2002
  Ryan Newman, 6th, 2002
  Dale Earnhardt, 7th, 1979
  Jody Ridley, 7th, 1980
  Earl Ross, 8th, 1974
  Kevin Harvick, 9th,2001
  Walter Ballard, 10th, 1971
  
  

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  SOME ROTY NEWS and RECORDS

• Rookies: #48-Jimmie Johnson tied Tony Stewart's rookie record for most wins by a Cup Rookie of the Year candidate with three in 2002. #12-Ryan Newman holds the rookie record [Modern Era 1972-present] of top fives, with 14, Hylton holds the all time record with 20. The top ten's record [Modern Era 1972-present] is held by Newman with 22, which is 10 below the all rtime record of Hylton in 1966. Some comparisions (all were Rookie of the Year except Earnhardt Jr):
  
  1958 Shorty Rollins
  29 (of 51) races, 1 win, 12 top 5's, 22 top 10's, 0 poles, final points postion was 4th
  
  1959 Richard Petty
  21 (of 44) races, 0 wins, 6 top 5's, 9 top 10's, 0 poles, points pos 15th
  
  1962 Tom Cox
  42 (of 53) races, 0 wins, 3 top 5's, 20 top 10's, 0 poles, points pos 19th
  
  1966 James Hylton
  41 (of 49) races, 0 wins, 20 top 5's, 32 top 10's, 1 pole, points pos 2nd
  
  Modern Era 1972-present:
  1979 Dale Earnhardt
  27 (of 31) races, 1 win, 11 top 5's, 17 top 10's, 4 poles, points pos 7th
  
  1987 Davey Allison
  22 (of 29) races, 2 wins, 9 top 5's, 16 top 10's, 5 poles, points pos 21st
  
  1999 Tony Stewart
  34 races, 3 wins, 12 top 5's, 21 top 10's, 2 poles, 4th in points
  
  2000 Matt Kenseth
  34 races, 1 win, 4 top 5's, 11 top 10's, no poles, 14th in points
  
  2000 Dale Earnhardt Jr
  34 races, 2 wins, 3 top 5's, 5 top 10's, 2 poles, 16th in points
  
  2001 Kevin Harvick
  35 (of 36) races, 2 wins, 6 top 5's, 16 top 10's, no poles, 9th in points
  
  2002 Jimmie Johnson
  36 races, 3 wins, 6 top 5's, 21 top 10's, 4 poles, 5th in points
  
  2002 Ryan Newman
  36 races, 1 win, 14 top 5's, 22 top 10's, 6 poles, 6th in points
  
  2006 Denny Hamlin
  36 races, 2 wins, 8 top 5's, 20 top 10's, 3 poles, 3rd in points
  a BOLD stat is the record holder as the end of 2006
  
  
• Some Rookie Stuff: Jamie McMurray is the 4th driver to pick up his 1st career Cup win at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the modern era (The others: 2000: Matt Kenseth; 1995: Bobby Labonte; 1994: Jeff Gordon). McMurray became the 3rd rookie to win this year, joining Jimmie Johnson & Ryan Newman. It marks the first time that 3 rookies have won a Cup race in the same season in the modern era [1972-present]. Of the 13 first-time winners since 2000, 7 of those have come on Bruton Smith (SMI Tracks). 2000: Dale Earnhardt Junior (Texas), Matt Kenseth (Charlotte), & Jerry Nadeau (Atlanta; 2001: Kevin Harvick (Atlanta), Elliott Sadler (Bristol); 2002: Kurt Busch (Bristol) & Jamie McMurray (Charlotte).(10-13-2002)
  
  
• Quickest wins by a driver: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won in only his 12th Cup start. Ron Bouchard won a Cup race in his 11th start in 1981 at Talladega, Mark Donohue won in his 5th Cup start in 1973 at Riverside, the earliest in the 'modern era' of Cup, he would only make one more Cup start. Others: Morgan Shepherd won in his 15th start (Martinsville) in 1981, but wasn't named Rookie of the Year. Several other drivers won in their first year, but weren't considered ROTY candidates: Dan Gurney at Riverside in 1963 in his third race and Mario Andretti at Daytona Beach in 1967 in his fifth start.
  BUT in 2001, #29-Kevin Harvick won his first Cup race in his third ever start, the best ever in the modern era [1972-present]. McMurray won in his 2nd start at Lowe's today which is the new Modern Era record and ties the all time record, set by John Rostek, who won in his 2nd career start in April 1960 at Arizona State Fairgrounds.
  ALSO of Note, Johnny Rutherford won a Daytona Qualifying race in his first start back in 1963, back then the Qualifier races counted as wins and the championship and points. And of course Jim Roper won in his first start, the first race ever held by NASCAR in 1949 and Jack White won in his first start in 1949, the 5th race of the season.(10-13-2002)
  
  
• First time back-to-back - Correction: #48-Jimmie Johnson's victory comes a week after #12-Ryan Newman won, marking the first time in series history rookies have won back-to-back races.(News and Record), Actually in 2000 Dale Earnhardt Jr and Matt Kenseth won back-to-back points races, with Earnhardt Jr winning at Richmond and Kenseth winning at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May of 2000, the Winston was run between the two races, also won by a rookie, Dale Earnhardt Jr.(9-23-2002)
  
  
• Earnhardt Jr the fastest Correction and UPDATE: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr has won his first two Winston Cup races faster then anyone in Winston Cup modern era. Earnhardt Jr won his 2nd race in his 16th start. Tony Stewart did it in his 32nd race, Dale Earnhardt in his 41st, Jeff Gordon 50th, Darrell Waltrip 65th and Bobby Labonte 77th. Not sure what the all time record is but Red Byron won his 2nd race in his 5th start during the first NASCAR Grand National(Before Winston Cup) season in 1949
  Correction: Davey Allison also won his 2nd race in his 16th start(5-7-2000)
  Harvick: #29-Kevin Harvick won his 2nd Cup race in his 17th start.
  UPDATE: add #48-Jimmie Johnson ties the record as he won his 2nd race in his 16th start.(6-2-2002)