2006 Raybestos Rookie of the Year winner Erik Darnell at Martinsville in October, 2006. (Ronda Greer Photo)

Joey Clanton was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the March 16 American Commercial Lines 200 at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway. Clanton scored a ninth-place finish, his second top-10 in four career Craftsman Truck Series starts. He has grabbed Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors in each of his two starts this season.

• Kelly Bires posted a 10th-place finish at Atlanta, his best effort in four career Craftsman Truck Series starts.
• Aaron Fike leads Clanton by just one point (30-29) in the Raybestos Rookie standings entering the March 31 Kroger 250 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
• Fike is 13th in the Craftsman Truck Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos Rookie. He trails 10th-place Dennis Setzer by just seven points.

Erik Darnell was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Kroger 250 at Martinsville, claiming an 11th-place finish.

At least one Raybestos Rookie has finished in the top-10 in five of the past seven spring races at Martinsville:

2000: Scott Riggs, ninth
2001: Travis Kvapil, second
2001: Matt Crafton, sixth
2001: Ricky Hendrick, ninth
2001: Nathan Haseleu, 10th
2002: Brendan Gaughan, ninth
2003: Carl Edwards, fourth
2004: David Reutimann, eighth

Two Raybestos Rookies have won a pole at Martinsville in the Craftsman Truck Series: Greg Biffle (1998) and Carl Edwards (2003).

The best finish by a Raybestos Rookie at Martinsville Speedway is second, shared by Travis Kvapil (2001 spring race), Carl Edwards (2003 fall race) and Todd Kluever (2005 fall race).

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.
• Four drivers from Roush Fenway Racing have won Raybestos Rookie of the Year while competing in the Craftsman Truck Series: Carl Edwards (2003), Greg Biffle (1998), Kurt Busch (2000) and Erik Darnell (2006).
• Kenny Irwin was the first Raybestos Rookie to win a race in the Craftsman Truck Series. Irwin captured the Florida Dodge Dealers 400K at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 16, 1997. He 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 win at Homestead in just his third career start.

Raybestos Rookie Contender Point Standings

Driver - Points
Aaron Fike - 30
Joey Clanton - 29
Kelly Bires - 26
Willie Allen - 24
Blake Bjorklund - 22
Tim Sauter - 21
Tyler Walker - 19
Casey Kingsland - 5
Jason White - 4

Highest-Finishing Raybestos Rookie by Race

Event - Highest-Finishing Rookie
Chevy Silverado 250 - Clanton, sixth
San Bernardino 200 - Fike, 18th
American Commercial Lines 200 - Clanton, ninth