#42-Juan Pablo Montoya was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the March 11 UAW-DainlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Montoya scored a 22nd-place finish and took top rookie honors for the first time this season. Montoya earned $5,000 from Affinia Group as part of the Raybestos Rookie Magnificent Seven program. The Raybestos Rookie of the Race normally pays $1,500 but that increases to $5,000 at seven designated races throughout the 2007 season. The next event where the bonus is available will be April 1 in Martinsville. David Ragan holds a seven-point lead (37-30) over Montoya in the Raybestos Rookie standings entering the March 18 Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Ragan is 19th in the Nextel Cup Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos Rookie. He is 20 points behind 10th-place Elliott Sadler. Kevin Harvick scored a memorable win as a Raybestos Rookie in the 2001 Kobalt Tools 500. He beat Jeff Gordon by just .006 seconds to capture his first Nextel Cup Series victory in just his third career start. Raybestos Rookies Robby Gordon (1997) and Johnny Benson (1996) scored their first career Bud Poles in back-to-back spring races at Atlanta. Gordon won the pole in his 11th career start. Benson took the top spot in just his fourth career start. Gordon is the most recent Raybestos Rookie to win the pole for the spring race at Atlanta.(Camp and Assoc/Raybestos PR), of note….until Las Vegas last week a Rookie had finished in the top 15 in 38 consecutive Nextel Cup races.(3-14-2007)
