#42-Jamie McMurray and #16-Greg Biffle are tied for the lead in the Raybestos Rookie Standing entering the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. Both drivers have 89 points, nine more than third place Casey Mears. They are the only drivers to claim Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors in more than one race this season. Biffle and McMurray have each been the top qualifying rookie in four races entering the Auto Club 500. Biffle ranks 22nd in Winston Cup points, best of any Raybestos Rookie. He and McMurray are the only members of this year’s class to score a top-five finish. Each has one top-five entering the California event. McMurray has two top-10 finishes, more than any other Raybestos Rookie. Five different rookies have earned Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors this season: Biffle (4), McMurray (2), Jack Sprague (1), Casey Mears (1), and Tony Raines (1). McMurray is the only Raybestos Rookie to start all nine 2003 Winston Cup races without using a provisional. Mears, Jack Sprague, and Tony Raines are the other first-year drivers that have qualified for all nine races entering the Auto Club 500. The Subway 400 at North Carolina Speedway is the only race this season where all six Raybestos Rookies qualified for the race AND all six were running at the finish of the race. A Raybestos Rookie Contender has won at least one race in each of the last four seasons dating back to Tony Stewart’s win at Richmond in September, 1999. The record for most wins by a Raybestos Rookie is held by Stewart, who won three races in 1999. A Raybestos Rookie has won at least one pole position in each of the past seven consecutive seasons, dating back to 1996. The record for most poles in a rookie season is held by Ryan Newman, who won six in 2002. (Camp and Assoc PR), see my Rookie of the Year page for standings, breakdowns and how the ROTY is calculated.(4-16-2003)
