#6-David Ragan was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the March 25 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Ragan scored a 26th-place finish and took top rookie honors for the third time in five races this season. · Ragan and #42-Juan Montoya are tied (57-57) for the lead in the Raybestos Rookie standings entering the April 1 Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Montoya is 19th in the Nextel Cup Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos Rookie. The Goody’s Cool Orange 500 will be race No. 3 in 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. Ragan (Daytona) and Montoya (Las Vegas) have each captured the bonus once this season. Other races where the bonus is available: Darlington (May 12), Infineon (June 24), Chicagoland (July 15), and Bristol (August 25). Morgan Shepherd is the only Raybestos Rookie to win the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 (since 1975). Shepherd won the 1981 event, outlasting the late Neil Bonnett to score his first Nextel Cup Series win. The most recent Raybestos Rookie to score a top-10 finish in the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 is Jeff Gordon, who placed eighth in 1993. Tony Stewart [1999] is the only Raybestos Rookie to win the pole for the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 (since 1975). Denny Hamlin is the only Raybestos Rookie to qualify for the Chase for the Nextel Cup since the program was created in 2004. At least one Raybestos Rookie has won a Bud Pole in each of the last 11 years (1996-2006).(Camp and Assoc/Raybestos PR), and see standings and more on my 2007 Rookie News, Notes and Standings page.(3-29-2007)
