#11-Denny Hamlin was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the May 13 Dodge Charger 500 at Darlington Raceway. Hamlin finished 10th, scoring his fourth top-10 of the 2006 season. He grabbed top rookie honors for the fifth time in 11 races. Hamlin has racked up two top-five finishes this season, more than any other freshman driver. At least one of the Raybestos Rookie of the Year contenders has scored a top-15 finish in all 11 races this season. Two Raybestos Rookies rank among the top-20 in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings: Hamlin (13th) and Bowyer (16th). Matt Kenseth is the only Raybestos Rookie to win the Coca-Cola 600. Kenseth captured the 2000 600-mile race by .573-seconds over Bobby Labonte. Jimmie Johnson is the only Raybestos Rookie to win the pole in 46 previous Coca-Cola 600 races at Charlotte [NOTE: Dale Earnhardt Jr.also won the pole as a rookie in 2000]. Johnson took the top starting spot for the 2002 race. Only TWO Raybestos Rookies have led the most laps in the Coca-Cola 600: Dale Earnhardt Jr. led 175 laps in 2000 while Jimmie Johnson led 263 laps in 2002.(Raybestos PR), see points and more notes on my Rookies Page.(5-23-2006)
