Martin Truex Jr. was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the September 24 Dover 400 at Dover International Speedway. Truex Jr. scored a sixth-place finish and took Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors for the first time this season. The finish was the best for Truex Jr. in 37 Nextel Cup Series starts. He scored his first top-10 since the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway (race No. 20) and has racked up three top-10 finishes this season. Clint Bowyer scored an eighth-place finish at Dover, his eighth top-10 this season. Bowyer has claimed two top-10 finishes in his last four races. Denny Hamlin finished ninth at Dover, his 15th top-10 of the season. Hamlin is fourth in the Nextel Cup Series championship standings, 18 points leader Jeff Burton and 12 behind second-place Jeff Gordon. He leads fifth-place Kevin Harvick by 36. A Raybestos Rookie has finished in the top 15 in all 28 races this season. Hamlin leads Bowyer by 49 points (263-214) in the Raybestos Rookie standings entering the October 1 Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway. The best finish by a Raybestos Rookie in five previous Nextel Cup races at Kansas is second by Ryan Newman in 2002. Newman is the only Raybestos Rookie to finish inside the top-five at Kansas Speedway. He finished second, .618 seconds behind race winner Jeff Gordon. Jason Leffler is the only Raybestos Rookie to win a pole in five races at Kansas Speedway. Leffler took the top starting spot in the inaugural Banquet 400 in 2001.(Raybestos PR), see the full notes, standings, history and more on the 2006 Rookie of the Year page.
