#01-Regan Smith was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the June 29 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Smith scored a 27th-place finish and claimed Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors for the sixth time in 2008. #10-Patrick Carpentier won his first Sprint Cup Series pole position at New Hampshire and it came in his 17th career start. He became the first Raybestos Rookie to win a pole since Denny Hamlin grabbed the top starting position at the 2006 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Racewa, a span of 62 races. Carpentier was also the only Raybestos Rookie to lead a lap at New Hampshire, holding the top spot once for four laps. He also led once for four laps at Darlington Raceway (race No. 11). #77-Sam Hornish Jr. leads Smith by five points (162-157) in the Raybestos Rookie standings entering the July 5 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Greg Biffle is the only Raybestos Rookie to win the Coke Zero 400. Biffle won the race in 2003, scoring his first career win in the Sprint Cup Series. Biffle crossed the finish line 4.102 second ahead of second place finisher Jeff Burton and led only once, covering the final 21 laps. He was the only Raybestos Rookie to score a win during the 2003 season. Since 1975, only three Raybestos Rookies have scored a top-five finish in the Coke Zero 400: 1979-Dale Earnhardt, third; 1993-Jeff Gordon, fifth; 2003-Greg Biffle, FIRST. Three Raybestos Rookies have won the pole position for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona: Geoffrey Bodine (1982), Davey Allison (1987), and Mike Skinner (1997). Davey Allison is the only Raybestos Rookie since 1975 to lead the most laps in the Coke Zero 400 (twice for 32 laps in 1987).(Camp & Assoc/Raybestos), see Rookies standings, history or more on my 2008 Rookies page.(7-3-2008)
