#41-Reed Sorenson was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the August 20 GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Sorenson finished eighth and took top rookie honors for the fifth time this season. He scored his fifth top-10 finish of the season at Michigan and first since he placed seventh at Chicagoland. #11-Denny Hamlin placed ninth at Michigan, his 11th top-10 finish of the 2006 season. Hamlin leads #07-Clint Bowyer by 47 points (237-190) in the Raybestos Rookie standings entering the August 26 Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Hamlin is eighth in the Nextel Cup Series championship standings, two points behind seventh-place Kyle Busch. He is four points ahead of ninth-place Jeff Burton and 39 in front of 10th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. A Raybestos Rookie has finished in the top 15 in all 23 races this season. The best finish by a Raybestos Rookie in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol is second by Kevin Harvick in 2001. Since 1975, only one Raybestos Rookie has won the pole position for the August race at Bristol: Tony Stewart. Stewart grabbed the top starting spot for the 1999 Sharpie 500.(Raybestos PR), see full report, standings, history and more on my 2006 Rookies Page.(8-24-2006)
