Erik Darnell was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the July 8 Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway. Darnell claimed a ninth-place finish, his fourth top-10 of the 2006 season, and took top rookie honors for the sixth time in 13 races.

Darnell leads the Raybestos Rookie standings by 16 points (115-99) over Chad McCumbee entering the July 15 O'Reilly 200 at Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park.

Darnell is 15th in the Craftsman Truck Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos Rookie. He trails 14th-place Mike Skinner by 15 points and 13th-place Brendan Gaughan by 58. Darnell leads 16th-place Bobby Hamilton by 35 points and 17th-place Aric Almirola by 149.

Marcos Ambrose won the pole position at Kentucky, his first pole in 10 career Craftsman Truck Series starts. Ambrose led the race twice for 49 laps, the most laps led by a Raybestos Rookie in a Craftsman Truck Series race this season.

Ambrose became the first Raybestos Rookie to win a pole in the series since David Reutimann captured the top starting spot at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2004.

Boston Reid once for three laps at Kentucky, the first time he has led a Craftsman Truck Series race in 13 career starts.

Todd Kluever was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the 2005 O'Reilly 200. Kluever finished 10th, completing all 202 laps of the event.

The best finish by a Raybestos Rookie in eight Craftsman Truck Series races at Memphis is fifth by Carl Edwards in 2003. Edwards is the only first-year driver to log a top-five at the .75-mile Tennessee track.

The most Raybestos Rookies to finish inside the top 10 in a race at Memphis is TWO in 2001: Ricky Hendrick placed seventh while Matt Crafton grabbed a 10th-place finish. At least one Raybestos Rookie has finished on the lead lap in all eight races at Memphis.

Greg Biffle is the only Raybestos Rookie to win a pole at Memphis, grabbing the top starting spot in 1998. Biffle also holds the record for most laps led by a Raybestos Rookie at Memphis, leading 109 circuits in 1998. Biffle and Kurt Busch are the only drivers to lead a lap in eight races at Memphis. Busch led once for 74 laps in 2000.

Top-10 finishes by Raybestos Rookies at Memphis:
1998: Wayne Anderson, 10th
2000: Kenny Martin, ninth
2001: Ricky Hendrick, seventh
2001: Matt Crafton, 10th
2003: Carl Edwards, fifth
2005: Kluever, 10th

Raybestos Rookie History

• The most Raybestos Rookies to win a race in a single season is THREE in 1997: Kenny Irwin, Tony Raines and Randy Tolsma.
• The most poles by a Raybestos Rookie is four (Greg Biffle in 1998 and Kurt Busch in 2000).
• Busch holds the record for best championship finish (2nd), most wins (four) and most money won ($745,632).
• The record for most top fives by a Raybestos Rookie is 13 (shared by Busch and Carl Edwards).
• The record for most top-10 finishes by a Raybestos Rookie is 19, by Ricky Hendrick in 2001.
• Irwin was the first Raybestos Rookie to win a race in the Craftsman Truck Series. He captured the Florida Dodge Dealers 400K at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 16, 1997. Irwin took the checkered flag by .289 seconds over Mike Bliss.
• Irwin also holds the record for quickest win by a Raybestos Rookie in the Craftsman Truck Series, scoring his first career victory at Homestead in just his third career start.

Raybestos Rookie Contender Point Standings

Driver - Points
Erik Darnell - 115
Chad McCumbee - 99
Aric Almirola - 96
Joey Miller - 78
Boston Reid - 74
Erin Crocker - 71
Kyle Krisiloff - 70
Bobby East - 65
Marcos Ambrose - 60
Kerry Earnhardt - 57
Kraig Kinser - 44
Robert Richardson - 39
Scott Lagasse Jr. - 28
Michel Jourdain Jr. - 17
Ryan Moore - 15
Sean Murphy - 12
J.R. Patton - 4
Tam Topham - 1

Highest-Finishing Raybestos Rookie by Race

Event - Highest Finishing Rookie
GM FlexFuel 250 - Darnell, sixth
racetickets.com 200 - Darnell, 11th
John Deere 200 - Darnell, eighth
Kroger 250 - Darnell, 11th
Ram Tough 200 - Almirola, 10th
Quaker Steak and Lube 200 - Almirola, ninth
City of Mansfield 250 - Miller, fifth
AAA Insurance 200 - Almirola, 12th
Sam's Town 400 - McCumbee, ninth
Con-way Freight 200 - Darnell, 12th
Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200 - Almirola, 13th
O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 - Ambrose, third
Built Ford Tough 225 - Darnell, ninth