No. 18 Z-Line Toyota Camry (Kyle Busch) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

Martin has 49 Nationwide Series victories in his illustrious career, but Busch, driver of the No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), inched closer last week with a wild win that put his total at 47 trips to victory lane.

The fact Busch was even running at the end of last Saturday’s race at Talladega was a shock, for it appeared that his day was over after being involved in a multi-car accident on lap 89. His No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota was a mangled mess, so much so that he was ready to take his car to the garage so his crew could load it up and get a head start on the trip home.

But crew chief Jason Ratcliff had other ideas. The veteran race-caller brought Busch to pit road, where a swarm of JGR crewmen went to work on repairing the Z-Line Designs Camry. Quick and tenacious effort during a series of stops allowed Busch to rejoin the field without losing a lap. And, with 32 laps remaining in a car seemingly held together with duct tape and sheer will, Busch rallied his way to the front with JGR teammate Joey Logano pushing him from behind.

With a shove from Logano on the last lap, Busch took the lead down the backstretch of the 2.66-mile oval and kept it in the right place at the right time when a melee erupted behind him that sent Mike Wallace’s car airborne. With NASCAR having already attempted two green-white-checkered finishes, this caution provided the third and final strike. The race ended under caution with the field frozen just before entering turns three and four. Busch was clearly the leader when the caution flag waved, and after leading only three laps on three separate occasions – all before lap 36 – Busch was the leader on the lap that mattered most, allowing him to secure his fourth Nationwide win of the season and his second Nationwide win in a restrictor-plate race.

Busch not only moved closer to Martin, but also crossed another track off his Nationwide Series win list. There are 23 tracks throughout North America that will host a Nationwide race during the 2011 season. After scoring his first series victory at Talladega, Busch now has won at all but six of them.

Busch has never competed at one of those other six tracks – Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. – and is not scheduled to do so this season. And he only ran the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve road course in Montreal once, when he finished 10th in 2009. That leaves Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, the road course at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International and Atlanta Motor Speedway as circuits he has competed at more than once yet not scored a Nationwide Series victory.

This week at Nashville, Busch will look to score his second Nationwide win at the 1.33-mile oval, as he took the checkered flag there in June 2009. Ratcliff was on top of the No. 18 pit box that night and would love nothing more than to gain a second win at a circuit he considers a “home” track.

After nine years working in various forms of racing around Texas, Ratcliff’s breakthrough came in 1995, when he joined Sadler Racing in Nashville, Tenn., as a mechanic and rear tire changer for drivers Chuck Bown and Gary Bradberry in the Nationwide Series.

After two years with Sadler Racing, Ratcliff left the team and spent the 1997 and 1998 seasons at LAR Motorsports, headquartered in Columbia, Tenn., where he was chief mechanic for Casey Atwood and Jeff Purvis over the two-year span. Ratcliff left Tennessee following the 1998 season and spent 1999 to 2004 at Kentucky-based Brewco Motorsports, serving as a crew chief for Atwood, Jamie McMurray and David Green. He then moved to North Carolina and began his career with JGR.

Despite having left more than 10 years ago, Ratcliff has several ties to the Nashville area as his parents and his sister live there.

And he’d love nothing more than to get a victory in front of family and friends, while helping his driver and friend inch closer to a record.

Kyle Busch - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

You are now two races away from tying Mark Martin for the career lead in Nationwide Series victories. What does that mean for you?

“All in all, the Mark Martin record – it’s two away, it’s three away from being my own. When and where that happens, we’re not going to pick a date. It’s too hard to do that. We have Darlington coming up, we’ve got Dover, and we’re not going to do Richmond. There’s definitely some good opportunity here to win three more races before June, or right into June. If everything goes right, then maybe we could do that. If it comes through this year, great. If not, then we’ll just wait and try to do it next year.”

What are your overall thoughts heading into Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Nashville Superspeedway?

“The racetrack is real finicky. It’s a fun place. It’s a mile-and-a-third, and yet it almost feels more like a short track. You’ve got really long straightaways, really fast speeds and you get down in the corner and you have to use a lot of brake, but yet there’s a lot of grip because of the concrete surface and the tire that Goodyear brings there. So, with the trucks and the Nationwide cars being there on the same weekend, I like it because it gives you a little bit. It’s kind of like a Nationwide-Cup weekend, I guess. You get a little bit more track time and that kind of gives you maybe a little bit of an advantage. I enjoy the back-and-forth stuff. And Nashville, being a standalone, non-Cup weekend, seems to be a little bit more relaxing and a little bit easier. I’m looking forward to going to Nashville.”

Jason Ratcliff, Crew Chief of the No. 18 Z-Line Designs NASCAR Nationwide Series Toyota Camry:

This week’s race at Nashville will mark the first time for the new-style Nationwide Series car on a concrete track. Any concerns heading into Saturday’s race?

“Every track we go to with this new car, it’s a challenge. Once we get to every track one time and get a feel for what we need with springs and the splitter, I’m hoping it will be easier the second time around. The first time you go to a new track with this new car, it’s a real challenge. And it’s because of the splitter. With the valence last year, you didn’t want to be off, but if you were off when you unloaded, the valence was very forgiving. The splitter is not. You really have to do your homework. Nashville is unique and it’s going to be unlike any track we’ve been to this year. So, it’s going to be a challenge. I think our guys have done a great job, thus far, predicting where we need to be when we get off the truck. We’ve always run well at Nashville as a company and, hopefully, we can continue that this week.”

You worked in the Nashville area during the mid-1990s as your professional racing career began. Do you enjoy going back to the area?

“I love Nashville. My parents live in Nashville. They lived in Copell, Texas, and my dad had a business in Irving, Texas. He sold his business. They built a home in Nashville. They’re originally from Alabama, so Nashville is pretty close to where they grew up. I have a lot of family and friends who live there. My sister also lives there. My wife and I lived there for several years and I got my start in NASCAR racing with a team in Nashville. I started off at Sadler Brothers Racing and then went to LAR Motorsports in Columbia, Tenn. It’s fun to go back to Nashville. It’s kind of like going to Texas in that I have a lot of family and friends there. Anytime you go to races like that, the weekend has a little different feel to it. It’s more incentive to do well and we’ve had this one circled on our calendar for a while, now.”

Last week at Talladega, the No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota was involved in a multi-car accident and was heavily damaged. Yet, Kyle still managed to win the race. Are you still amazed by that victory?

“It’s crazy – out of all the racetracks you go to, Talladega and Daytona – you spend so much time getting the bodies right, straight and then you look at our car from last Saturday and you can’t believe it could even run minimum speed. It was a great job by the guys on pit road. We came in there, three corners were knocked off of it, the crush panels were falling out of it – it was a mess.

They did a great job of orchestrating the repairs to keep from losing a lap. Like Kyle said, you have to have a teammate and, thankfully, Joey (Logano) was committed there at the end to stand behind us and push us. He felt comfortable there and that’s the only way we were going to win it. Thanks to those guys and the 20 team for their hard work. If they didn’t have a fast racecar, then we wouldn’t have won it, either. It was a total team effort. It’s the ugliest racecar we’ve ever had in victory lane. To think you could do it at a restrictor-plate race – maybe it’s a new-car thing. Maybe we need to come down pit road next time on the first stop and knock all the fenders off of it and be done with it.”

Kyle is now two races away from tying Mark Martin for the career lead in Nationwide Series victories. What does that mean for you?

“To think you could even reach Mark Martin’s record and to be a part of that – nobody is more deserving of that than Kyle. He’s worked really hard for it and, for us to be a part of that as his team, is going to be fun. It’s going to happen. When it is going to happen and where it is going to happen, who knows? We’re just going to keep winning races like we’ve been doing and enjoy it.”

Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry

Chassis No. 18-112: This car is new and has not been on-track. It has served as a back-up car in 2011 at Phoenix International Raceway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., and Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

About Z-Line Designs

Based in San Ramon, Calif., Z-Line Designs is an award winning design manufacturer and leading import manufacturer of home office, home entertainment, seating, garage storage systems and home décor ready to assemble (RTA) furniture. In addition, the company also specializes in consumer electronic accessories, flat panel television wall furniture and mounts. Each product is manufactured to the highest industry standards and uses a range of materials from solid American oak, birch and maple to mixed media combinations of wood, metal and glass. Their products can be found at Staples, OfficeMax, Target, Sears, Walmart, Fry’s Electronics, Conn’s and other national retailers. Z-Line has had the honor to receive over 40 design awards and numerous distinguished industry awards. Z-Line Designs is a two-time 2008 and one-time 2007 CES Innovation Award Winner, a two-time winner of the Staples “Best Category Development” Award (2003 & 2005), a two-time winner of the Staples “Vendor of the Year” (2004 & 2009), a seven-time ADEX Award winner (1999, 2003-2007, 2009), a two-time Pinnacle Award winner (2002 & 2005) and a Houseware Design Award winner (2010).

- True Speed Communication Press Release

Raybestos Rookie of the Year Contender Logo

– NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

· Colin Braun was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the November 13 WYPALL 200 at Phoenix (Avondale, Ariz.) International Raceway, scoring a seventh-place finish. Braun grabbed top rookie honors for the ninth time this season and claimed his fifth top-10 of the season.

· Ricky Stenhouse Jr. scored a ninth-place finish at Phoenix, his seventh top-10 in 2010. Stenhouse Jr. leads Brian Scott by eight points (214-206) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the November 20 Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.

· Scott is 14th in the series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie.

Brendan Gaughan was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2009 Ford 300, collecting an 11th-place finish.

DID YOU KNOW? The best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in the Ford 300 is third by Kyle Busch (2004) and Greg Biffle (2001).

DID YOU KNOW? Only once in 15 previous Nationwide Series races at Homestead have TWO Raybestos® Rookie finished in the top-five. In 2001, Greg Biffle place third just ahead of fellow rookie Scott Wimmer, who grabbed a fourth place finish.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Homestead:

1999: Hank Parker Jr., fourth

2001: Greg Biffle, third

2001: Scott Wimmer, fourth

2004: Kyle Busch, third

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top-10 in four of the last six Nationwide Series races at Homestead.

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Homestead:

1995: Jeff Fuller, eighth

1995: Curtis Markham, 10th

1997: Matt Kenseth, sixth

1998: Dave Blaney, sixth

1999: Hank Parker Jr., fourth

2000: Jimmie Johnson, sixth

2001: Greg Biffle, third

2001: Scott Wimmer, fourth

2004: Kyle Busch, third

2005: Jon Wood, sixth

2006: Todd Kluever, ninth

2007: Marcos Ambrose, 10th

Raybestos® Rookies to lead a lap at Homestead:

1997: Steve Park (once for nine laps)

1999: Hank Parker, Jr. (led 32 laps)

2001: Scott Wimmer (once for 11 laps)

2004: Kyle Busch (once for three laps)

2007: Brad Keselowski (once for 18 laps)

2007: David Ragan (once for two laps)

2008: Bryan Clauson (once for one lap)

DID YOU KNOW? Casey Atwood (1998) and David Ragan (2007) are the only Raybestos® Rookies to win pole positions at Homestead.

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER POINTS

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 214

Brian Scott 206

Colin Braun 186

James Buescher 141

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE

EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE

DRIVE4COPD 300 James Buescher, eighth

Stater Bros. 300 Brian Scott, 10th

Sam’s Town 300 Colin Braun, 28th

Scotts Turf Builder 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 25th

Nashville 300 Brian Scott, 15th

Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., ninth

O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Colin Braun, 13th

Aaron’s 312 Brian Scott, 10th

BUBBA Burger 250 James Buescher, 12th

Royal Purple 200 Brian Scott, 25th

Heluva Good! 200 Brian Scott, ninth

TECH-NET Auto Service 300 Brian Scott, 33rd

Federated Auto Parts 300 Brian Scott, 28th

Meijer 300 Colin Braun, 10th

The Bucyrus 200 Colin Braun, 11th

New England 200 Colin Braun, 12th

Subway Jalapeno 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., third

Dollar General 300 Brian Scott, third

Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Brian Scott, sixth

Kroger 200 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 11th

U.S. Cellular 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 14th

Zippo 200 Brian Scott, 13th

CARFAX 250 Colin Braun, ninth

Food City 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 22nd

NAPA Auto Parts 200 Colin Braun, 22nd

Great Clips 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 10th

Virginia 529 College Savings 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., fourth

Dover 200 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 11th

Kansas Lottery 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., sixth

CampingWorld.com 300 Colin Braun, 13th

Dollar General 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 14th

5-hour Energy 250 Brian Scott, 14th

O’Reilly Challenge Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 11th

WYPALL 200 Colin Braun, seventh

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY

Justin Allgaier captured 2009 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Allgaier claimed Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors 11 times during the 2009 season and his final margin of victory over Brendan Gaughan was 18 points (269-251). He finished the year with three top-five and 12 top-10 finishes and placed sixth in the series championship standings. His best finish was a fifth-place effort at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (race No. 4). Allgaier won his first career pole this past season at Memphis (Millington, Tenn.) Motorsports Park (race No. 32) and in his 36th career start.

· DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a Nationwide Series race is Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya captured the 2007 Corona Mexico 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (Mexico City, Mexico), crossing the finish line .750 seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin (136 races).

· DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole position in the Nationwide Series is James Buescher, who captured the top starting position for the 2010 O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway (two races).

· The most recent streak for at least two Raybestos® Rookies to rank inside the top-10 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship standings is 21 consecutive races (2007 race at Kentucky Speedway, race No. 16, through 2008 Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, race No. 1).

· DID YOU KNOW? Since 2001, Roush Fenway Racing has won FOUR Raybestos® Rookie of the Year titles in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

2007: David Ragan

2006: Danny O’Quinn Jr.

2005: Carl Edwards

2001: Greg Biffle

Kyle Busch posted a record-setting year on his way to the 2004 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year title. In 34 starts, Busch won five times, captured five poles and scored 16 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes. His second-place finish in the Nationwide Series championship standings is a record for a Raybestos® Rookie. Other Raybestos® Rookie records Busch owns or shares: most starts (34), most wins (tied with Greg Biffle), most top fives (tied with Greg Biffle), most top 10s, most money won ($2,027,050), most championship points (4,943), most laps led (1,108) and most races led (21).

David Stremme holds the record for fewest starts by a driver to win Raybestos® Rookie of the Year. In 2003, he started just 18 of the 34 races and was the top rookie finisher in 16 of those starts. Stremme scored three top-three finishes and had more top-10 finishes (seven) than any other first-year driver. He led six races for a total of 86 laps.

David Green was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win a Nationwide Series race, at Lanier, Ga., in 1991. Green captured the Nestle 200 by 1.58-seconds over Jeff Gordon, a fellow Raybestos® Rookie. A third Raybestos® Rookie, Todd Bodine, placed eighth in the race.

Dennis Setzer was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win TWO or more races in a season. In 1994, he won the Ford Credit 300 at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and The Pantry 300 at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Steve Park was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win THREE or more races in a season. In 1997, he won the BellSouth Mobility / Opryland 300 at Nashville (Tenn.) Speedway, the Detroit Gasket 200 at Michigan International Speedway and the Autolite Platinum 250 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

Kenny Wallace was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole in the Nationwide Series. Wallace grabbed the top starting spot for the 1989 Goody’s 300 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the first race in the history of the Raybestos® Rookie of the Year program.

Raybestos® brand brake and chassis parts are produced by affiliated companies in Affinia’s Global Brake and Chassis Group, the leading manufacturer of braking systems and chassis parts in the transportation industry. The brake line includes everything from brake drums to rotors, pads, shoes and hydraulic parts, while the chassis line features tie rods, ball points, idler arms and sway bar links. Raybestos brand braking and chassis systems are also the only systems used by NASCAR’s Joe Gibbs Racing in competition. For more information about Raybestos brakes, visit Raybestos.com. For more information on Raybestos Chassis visit RaybestosChassis.com

Affinia Group Inc. is an innovative global leader in the design, manufacture, distribution and marketing of industrial grade products and services, including extensive offerings of aftermarket parts for automotive and heavy-duty vehicles. With more than $1.8 billion in annual revenue, Affinia has operations in North and South America, Europe, Asia and India. For more information, visit www.affiniagroup.com.

*Affinia Group Inc.’s affiliated companies include Brake Parts Inc. WIX Filtration Corp LLC, Affinia Products Corp LLC and other high quality manufacturers of the Affinia family of brands.

- Camp & Associates, Inc. Press Release

Raybestos Rookie Contender Logo

– NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

Justin Allgaier was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the November 14 Able Body Labor 200 at Phoenix (Avondale, Ariz.) International Raceway. Allgaier posted a 16th-place finish to earn Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the second time in the last three races and for the 11th time this season.

Allgaier leads Brendan Gaughan by eight points (230-222) entering the November 21 Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.

Allgaier is sixth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship standings, 14 behind fifth-place Mike Bliss and 86 ahead of seventh-place Steve Wallace.

THREE Raybestos® Rookies are in the top-10 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship standings. Allgaier, Gaughan (ninth) and Michael Annett (tenth).

TWO RAYBESTOS® ROOKIES BATTLING FOR TENTH PLACE IN POINTS: Annett is 10th in the standings, 41 points ahead of 11th-place Kenny Wallace and 44 ahead of 12th-place Tony Raines. Raybestos® Rookie Michael McDowell is 13th in the standings, 49 points behind Annett.

At least one Raybestos® Rookie has scored a top-10 finish in 26 of 34 NASCAR Nationwide Series races this season.

Bryan Clauson was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2008 Ford 300, collecting a 34th-place finish. He also led the race once for one lap.

DID YOU KNOW? The best finish by a Raybestos® Rookie in the Ford 300 is third by Kyle Busch (2004) and Greg Biffle (2001).

DID YOU KNOW? Casey Atwood (1998) and David Ragan (2007) are the only Raybestos® Rookies to win pole positions at Homestead.

DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has finished in the top-10 in four of the last five Nationwide Series races at Homestead.

DID YOU KNOW? Only once in 14 previous Nationwide Series races at Homestead have TWO Raybestos® Rookie finished in the top-five. In 2001, Greg Biffle place third just ahead of fellow Raybestos® Rookie Scott Wimmer, who grabbed a fourth place finish.

Top-five finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Homestead:

1999: Hank Parker Jr., fourth

2001: Greg Biffle, third

2001: Scott Wimmer, fourth

2004: Kyle Busch, third

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos® Rookies at Homestead:

1995: Jeff Fuller, eighth

1995: Curtis Markham, 10th

1997: Matt Kenseth, sixth

1998: Dave Blaney, sixth

1999: Hank Parker Jr., fourth

2000: Jimmie Johnson, sixth

2001: Greg Biffle, third

2001: Scott Wimmer, fourth

2004: Kyle Busch, third

2005: Jon Wood, sixth

2006: Todd Kluever, ninth

2007: Marcos Ambrose, 10th

Raybestos® Rookies to lead a lap at Homestead:

1997: Steve Park (once for nine laps)

1999: Hank Parker, Jr. (led 32 laps)

2001: Scott Wimmer (once for 11 laps)

2004: Kyle Busch (once for three laps)

2007: Brad Keselowski (once for 18 laps)

2007: David Ragan (once for two laps)

2008: Bryan Clauson (once for one lap)

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS

DRIVER POINTS

Justin Allgaier 230

Brendan Gaughan 222

Michael McDowell 193

Michael Annett 192

Erik Darnell 156

Scott Lagasse Jr. 154

John Wes Townley 138

Ken Butler III 93

Terry Cook 60

HIGHEST-FINISHING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE BY RACE

EVENT HIGHEST-FINISHING ROOKIE

Camping World 300 Michael McDowell, 14th

Stater Bros. 300 Brendan Gaughan, ninth

Sam’s Town 300 Michael McDowell, sixth

Food City 500 Justin Allgaier, fifth

O’Reilly 300 Justin Allgaier, 10th

Nashville 300 Scott Lagasse Jr., 10th

Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Brendan Gaughan, seventh

Aaron’s 312 Scott Lagasse Jr., eighth

Lipton Tea 250 Michael McDowell, eighth

Diamond Hill Plywood Erik Darnell, fourth

CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 Brendan Gaughan, second

Heluva Good! 200 Justin Allgaier, 10th

Federated Auto Parts 300 Michael McDowell, eighth

Meijer 300 Brendan Gaughan, fourth

Northern Tool.com 250 Erik Darnell, fourth

Camping World RV Sales 200 Erik Darnell, ninth

Subway Jalapeno 250 Justin Allgaier, eighth

Dollar General 300 Justin Allgaier, 10th

Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Michael Annett, seventh

Kroger 200 Brendan Gaughan, 12th

U.S. Cellular 250 Michael McDowell, eighth

Zippo 200 Justin Allgaier, 17th

CARFAX 250 Justin Allgaier, seventh

Food City 250 Michael Annett, eighth

NAPA Auto Parts 200 Brendan Gaughan, ninth

Degree V12 300 Michael Annett, 14th

Virginia 529 College Savings 250 Justin Allgaier, eighth

Dover 200 Michael Annett, 13th

Kansas Lottery 300 Justin Allgaier, sixth

Copart 300 Michael Annett, sixth

Dollar General 300 Justin Allgaier, 12th

Kroger On Track for the Cure 250 Brendan Gaughan, fifth

Able Body Labor 200 Justin Allgaier, 16th

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE HISTORY

· DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a Nationwide Series race is Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya captured the 2007 Corona Mexico 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (Mexico City, Mexico), crossing the finish line .750 seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin (101 races).

· DID YOU KNOW? The most recent Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole position in the Nationwide Series is Justin Allgaier. Allgaier captured the top starting spot for the 2009 Kroger On Track For The Cure 250 at Memphis (Millington, Tenn.) Motorsports Park (three races).

· Landon Cassill won the 2008 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Cassill finished the season with one pole and five top-10 finishes in 19 starts. He grabbed the top starting spot for the Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (race No. 18). His best finishes were sixth-place efforts at Gateway (Madison, Ill.) International Raceway and Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway.

· The most recent streak for at least two Raybestos® Rookies to rank inside the top-10 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship standings is 21 consecutive races (2007 race at Kentucky Speedway, race No. 16, through 2008 Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, race No. 1).

· Roush Fenway Racing has won THREE OF THE LAST FOUR Raybestos® Rookie of the Year titles in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and FOUR since 2001.

2007: David Ragan

2006: Danny O’Quinn Jr.

2005: Carl Edwards

2001: Greg Biffle

Danny O’Quinn Jr. narrowly edged John Andretti to win the 2006 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year title in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. O’Quinn Jr. finished one point higher than Andretti in the final standings, the closet margin in NASCAR national series history. He also became the second driver in series history to win the award without completing the full schedule.

Kyle Busch posted a record-setting year on his way to the 2004 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year title. In 34 starts, Busch won five times, captured five poles and scored 16 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes. His second-place finish in the Nationwide Series championship standings is a record for a Raybestos® Rookie. Other Raybestos® Rookie records Busch owns or shares: most starts (34), most wins (tied with Greg Biffle), most top fives (tied with Greg Biffle), most top 10s, most money won ($2,027,050), most championship points (4,943), most laps led (1,108) and most races led (21).

David Stremme holds the record for fewest starts by a driver to win Raybestos® Rookie of the Year. In 2003, he started just 18 of the 34 races and was the top rookie finisher in 16 of those starts. Stremme scored three top-three finishes and had more top-10 finishes (seven) than any other first-year driver. He led six races for a total of 86 laps.

David Green was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win a Nationwide Series race, at Lanier, Ga., in 1991. Green captured the Nestle 200 by 1.58-seconds over Jeff Gordon, a fellow Raybestos® Rookie. A third Raybestos® Rookie, Todd Bodine, placed eighth in the race.

Dennis Setzer was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win TWO or more races in a season. In 1994, he won the Ford Credit 300 at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and The Pantry 300 at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Steve Park was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win THREE or more races in a season. In 1997, he won the BellSouth Mobility/Opryland 300 at Nashville (Tenn.) Speedway, the Detroit Gasket 200 at Michigan International Speedway and the Autolite Platinum 250 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

Kenny Wallace was the first Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole in the Nationwide Series. Wallace grabbed the top starting spot for the 1989 Goody’s 300 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the first race in the history of the Raybestos® Rookie of the Year program.

Raybestos® brand brake and chassis parts are produced by affiliated companies in Affinia’s Global Brake and Chassis Group, the leading manufacturer of braking systems and chassis parts in the transportation industry. The brake line includes everything from brake drums to rotors, pads, shoes and hydraulic parts, while the chassis line features tie rods, ball points, idler arms and sway bar links. Raybestos brand braking and chassis systems are also the only systems used by NASCAR’s Joe Gibbs Racing in competition. For more information about Raybestos brakes, visit Raybestos.com. For more information on Raybestos Chassis visit RaybestosChassis.com

Affinia Group Inc. is an innovative global leader in the design, manufacture, distribution and marketing of industrial grade products and services, including extensive offerings of aftermarket parts for automotive and heavy-duty vehicles. With more than $2 billion in annual revenue, Affinia has operations in North and South America, Europe, Asia and India. For more information, visit www.affiniagroup.com.

*Affinia Group Inc.’s affiliated companies include Brake Parts Inc. WIX Filtration Corp LLC, Affinia Products Corp LLC and other high quality manufacturers of the Affinia family of brands.

- Camp & Associates, Inc. Press Release

Casey Roderick

His first understudy was his nephew Casey Elliott, who had tons of potential only to be lost to cancer before he could show the NASCAR world just how good he was.

Then when Elliott began driving Dodges for Ray Evernham, he mentored Casey Atwood and then Kasey Kahne.

Now there’s another Casey getting help from Elliott – 17-year-old Casey Roderick.

Two weeks ago at Rockingham, Roderick drove an old Kasey Kahne Dodge, jointly fielded by Elliott and long-time NASCAR car owner James Finch, to an impressive second-place finish in his ARCA debut.

“He did a really, really good job,” said Elliott, who oversaw the team’s preparation and helped call the race-day shots from atop the pit box.

Roderick’s race didn’t start out exactly like he’d planned. After qualifying third, he had driven just a few feet down pit road before he stopped to re-index his steering wheel. Series officials sent him to the rear for making the stop, a penalty his team protested unsuccessfully.

- Racintoday.com

Joey Coulter

Coulter made the most of it however, earning a solid fourth place finish.

“It’s definitely different, and, by far, the most challenging track I’ve ever raced on,” said Coulter, whose team has been on a roll lately with four consecutive top-five finishes.

“To say that that track is challenging is an understatement. Every corner’s different. And if you mess up one corner, which I learned is very easy to do, then it messes up the whole lap.

“I learned that you just can’t figure that track out all at once; you kind of have to pick it apart. On an oval, both ends are typically the same, so if you get an understanding for one end, you’ll pretty-much have it down in the other. Not at Pocono.

“I really think the biggest advantage I had going in, and the reason we did as good as we did is because my crew chief Harold (Holly) has a lot Cup experience there. He already had some good ideas going in.”

Holly spent years in the NASCAR world crew-chiefing for a variety of top teams. Holly also won the 2000 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship as crew chief with driver Jeff Green.

“I’ve had a ton of time at Pocono,” said Holly. “So I’ve accumulated a lot notes and data over the years. But it’s not all me by any means. I haven’t seen a track yet that Joey doesn’t pick up quick. Our biggest issues, initially, were because our program started late. We didn’t really solidify our season until right before Daytona. We rented Gerhart’s car there. We were a new team, and we never really started building cars till after Daytona. We were behind right from the start.”

In addition to a DNF at Daytona, Coulter’s teams suffered mechanical troubles in the next events at Salem and Rockingham. But outside of another DNF at Kentucky in May, the team, after 10 races, has not finished out of the top-10, and here lately, it’s been all top-fives, including a career-best second place finish to rookie sensation Parker Kligerman at Mansfield. Kligerman has won four of the last five events. (Pre-Kentucky/July 18).

“I think we’re really close (to beating Kligerman),” added Coulter. “He’s got awesome equipment, and he’s obviously doing great things with it. It’s neat to see what he’s been able to do here. But I think we’re very close to getting to where he is. He’s got some help from Penske; that’s obviously a Cup team. We’re a homegrown team out of our own shop. We’re really close to winning a race.”

Despite the challenges that Pocono brings, Coulter can’t wait to get back and take another run at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania triangular superspeedway.

“I can’t wait to get back to Pocono. Most of these tracks in this series are new to us, so finally we get to go back to one I’ve raced on before. I think we’re gunna by real good. I’ve been there once, and Harold’s been there more times than I’ve been in one of these cars.”

If Coulter were fortunate enough to add his name to the winner’s list at Pocono, he would be among an elite group of drivers/past winners. The ARCA RE/MAX Series winners list at Pocono is impressive to say the least; it includes Tim Steele, Bob Schacht, Mike Wallace, Blaise Alexander, Kerry Earnhardt, Ryan Newman, Casey Atwood, Casey Mears, Scott Riggs, Frank Kimmel, Travis Kvapil, Justin Allgaier and Joey Logano to name a few.

On-track activity for the Pennsylvania ARCA 200 starts Friday, July 31 with practice from 10:15 AM to 11:55 AM. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell follows at 1:45 PM. The Pennsylvania ARCA 200 kicks off Saturday afternoon, August 1 at 1:00 PM and is live on SPEED.

In addition, ARCAracing.com will feature live timing & scoring and live streaming audio of all the on-track activity via the ARCA Racing Network.

Tickets for the Pennsylvania ARCA 200, the SPRINT Cup Series event and the entire 2009 Pocono Raceway season are available by contacting the Pocono Raceway Ticket Office at 1-800-RACEWAY (1-800-722-3929), or through http://www.poconoraceway.com.

- ARCA Press Release

ARCA RE/MAX Series Logo

While nine-time ARCA RE/MAX Series national champion Frank Kimmel has occupied much of the headlines over the last decade, it’s the rookies that are stealing the show in 2009.

One of those rookies would be Penske Development driver Parker Kligerman, who leads both the championship standings and Rookie of the Year standings halfway through the 2009 season. On the strength of four wins in the last five events, the recent high school graduate has taken the series by storm.

“I’m going to Pocono the same way I’ve gone everywhere else – with no expectations,” said Kligerman. “I just gave a speech in my high school speech class about this. When I head into a race weekend I don’t know anything about the track or the car so I really don’t have any expectations about how I am going to do or how the weekend will turn out. That is how I have been able to do so well.”

And do so well he has done. In 12 career ARCA RE/MAX Series starts, Kligerman has earned 11 top-10 finishes, and here lately, mostly top-fives or better, including victories at Toledo Speedway, Michigan Int’l Speedway, Mansfield Motorsports Park and Iowa Speedway.

“I just want to thank Kerry Scherer, Briggs Cunningham, Mark Gibson, my crew chief Chris Carrier and everyone at Penske Racing. We seem to be doing really well this year and we won again tonight (at Iowa) so I think we picked up some points in the championship race.”

Currently, five of the top-10 title contenders are rookies; they include Kligerman, Craig Goess, Steve Arpin, Tim George, Jr. and 19-year-old Joey Coulter. Coulter, like Kligerman, is another rookie on a roll.

“I’ve got to congratulate Parker (Kligerman); he is really on a roll right now,” said Coulter, who had just finished third at Iowa.

Coulter is on a roll of his own. He recently moved to fifth in championship points on the heels of four consecutive top-five finishes and a pole award at Iowa, a career-first for the Miami Springs, Florida driver.

In addition to fielding cars for Justin Lofton (second in points), Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) will also field cars for three rookies at Pocono – Craig Goess (6th in points), Steve Arpin (7th in points) and Tim George, Jr. (9th in points).

The ARCA RE/MAX Series winners list at Pocono is impressive; it includes Tim Steele, Bob Schacht, Mike Wallace, Blaise Alexander, Kerry Earnhardt, Ryan Newman, Casey Atwood, Casey Mears, Scott Riggs, Frank Kimmel, Travis Kvapil, Justin Allgaier and Joey Logano to name a few.

On-track activity for the Pennsylvania ARCA 200 starts Friday, July 31 with practice from 10:15 AM to 11:55 AM. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell follows at 1:45 PM. The Pennsylvania ARCA 200 kicks off Saturday afternoon, August 1 at 1:00 PM and is live on SPEED.

In addition, ARCAracing.com will feature live timing & scoring and live streaming audio of all the on-track activity via the ARCA Racing Network.

Tickets for the Pennsylvania ARCA 200, the SPRINT Cup Series event and the entire 2009 Pocono Raceway season are available by contacting the Pocono Raceway Ticket Office at 1-800-RACEWAY (1-800-722-3929), or through http://www.poconoraceway.com.

- ARCA Press Release