#07-Clint Bowyer was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the October 1 Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway. Bowyer finished ninth, his ninth top-10 of the 2006 season and second consecutive. He took Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors for the seventh time in 2006. Bowyer led the Kansas race three times for 43 laps and was the only Raybestos Rookie to lead a lap in the race. Denny Hamlin finished 18th at Kansas and is second in the Nextel Cup Series championship standings, 69 behind leader Jeff Burton. Hamlin leads third-place Mark Martin by one point and fourth-place Matt Kenseth by 15. A Raybestos Rookie has finished in the top 15in all 29 races this season. Hamlin leads Bowyer by 45 points (264-219) in the Raybestos Rookie standings entering the October 8 UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. The only Raybestos Rookie to win the fall race at Talladega is Ron Bouchard. Bouchard won the 1981 Talladega 500 over Darrell Waltrip and Terry Labonte in a photo finish.(Raybestos PR), see the rookie standings, full notes and history on my 2006 Rookies Page.(10-5-2006)
