Harvick makes further gains in Rookie chase.

For the third race in succession Kevin Harvick was the best placed Raybestos Rookie of the Year finisher in the No.29 Richard Childress owned Chevrolet as he continued his march towards 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year honours.

Winston Cup sensation Kevin Harvick took another giant step towards the 2001 Raybestos Rookie of the Year title in last Sunday's Kmart 400 at the two-mile Michigan International Speedway with a tenth place finish to not only increase his already sizable lead over Kurt Busch in the RotY standings but to break into the top ten in the overall Winston Cup points standings. The driver of the No.29 RCR Goodwrench Chevrolet now holds a commanding 171-147 lead over Roush Racing driver Busch going into Sunday's Pocono 500 at the unique 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway in Long Pond Pennsylvania.

Harvick was the only Raybestos Rookie Contender to finish on the lead lap at Michigan on a day where some of his main RotY rivals had a major slice of bad luck. Busch, driving the No.97 Sharpie Ford, started the 200-lap event at MIS three places behind Harvick in 11th place but was involved in an early accident with Bobby Labonte and Dale Jarrett and only completed 16 laps. He was eventually classified 43rd.

Chip Ganassi Racing's Jason Leffler had a good day at the Kmart 400. He started 36th and finished 19th, one lap down. Leffler and his team had struggled in practice and qualifying but bounced back with a solid run in the race for the Dodge marque but the former Indy Racing Northern Light Series driver is almost 60 points behind Harvick in the rookie chase and is already out of contention.

Harvick is ninth in Winston Cup points, best of all Raybestos Rookie Contenders. He is 93 points behind eighth place Steve Park and 42 ahead of 10th place Bobby Labonte. Harvick is the only driver in the top-29 in Winston Cup points that has not competed in every race this season as he only joined the NWC trail after the death of Dale Earnhardt at Daytona

Harvick was also the first Raybestos Rookie to surpass $1 million in earnings this season. He surpassed the magic total at The Winston at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte. Entering Sunday's Pocono 500 Harvick has totalled $1,441,810 in winnings this season. Not at all bad for his first 13 Winston Cup events.

Busch will become the second Raybestos Rookie Contender to surpass $1 million mark in earnings this season at Pocono. Entering Sunday's Pocono 500, Busch needs $10,340 to join Harvick in the exclusive club and he can win that by simply turning up on Sunday morning.

However this weekend will provide a tougher learning curve than ever for the six Winston Cup rookies entering the Pocono 500 as no member of the 2001 Raybestos Rookie class has started a Winston Cup race at Pocono Raceway, prior to Sunday's Pocono 500 and as Andy Houston found out to his cost at Michigan, many of the RotY contenders are short on Provisional starting slots should Bud Pole Qualifying go badly.

With 14 races completed in 2001, three of the six drivers competing for Raybestos Rookie of the Year have scored one or more top-10 finishes (Harvick, Busch and Ron Hornaday).

This is the second straight year that three rookies have posted top-10 finishes and it's the third consecutive season that one or more Raybestos Rookie Contenders have scored a victory in their rookie season. Davey Allison (1987) was the most recent driver to score a win in his rookie season prior to 1999 when Tony Stewart triumphed.

Current Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings

DRIVERPOINTS
1. Kevin Harvick171
2. Kurt Busch147
3. Ron Hornaday123
4. Casey Atwood118
5. Jason Leffler113
6. Andy Houston92