Sam Hornish Jr. was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowes Motor Speedway. Hornish Jr. scored a seventh-place finish in the special event and was the only Raybestos Rookie to compete in the race. He scored a second-place finish in the Sprint Showdown to qualify for the main event. No Raybestos Rookie points will be awarded in the NASCAR Sprint Showdown or Sprint All-Star Race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000) and Ryan Newman (2002) are the only Raybestos Rookies to win the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Tony Stewart was the first Raybestos Rookie to claim a top-five finish in the Sprint All-Star Race. Stewart placed second behind race winner Terry Labonte in 1999. Jeff Burton was the first Raybestos Rookie to score a top-10 finish in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Burton finished sixth in 1994 driving the Raybestos-sponsored Ford for Stavola Brothers Racing. Three Rookies have won the pole for the Sprint Showdown: Brett Bodine (1987), Jeff Gordon (1993), and Joe Nemechek (1994). Only once in the history of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race have TWO Raybestos Rookies finished in the top five. In 2002, Ryan Newman won the race while Jimmie Johnson finished fifth. The first Raybestos Rookie to compete in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race was Davey Allison in 1987. Allison started third and finished 12th, completing 134 of 135 laps. The best start by a Raybestos Rookie in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race is second by Denny Hamlin in 2006. At least one Raybestos Rookie has qualified for 10 of the 24 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Races.(Camp & Assoc./Raybestos PR), see rookie standings, history and more on my 2009 Rookies Page.(5-14-2009)
