At the beginning of the 2008 season the rookie contest was unlike any that we have ever seen.

With four drivers coming over from open wheel racing, it kept everyone in the NASCAR community on their toes.

With only three races remaining in the season, the 2008 Raybestos Rookie of the Year contenders have slowly been whittled down one by one. The contest is down to two, and it is sure to be one heck of a battle.

Unable to attract sufficient sponsorship, Jacques Villeneuve was let go by team owner Bill Davis only two days after the qualifying events at Daytona in February. Following Villeneuve was Dario Franchitti who drove the No. 40 Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Charger. His release on July 1 took place for a lack of sponsorship as well.

Patrick Carpentier was released by Gillett Evernham Motorsports to make room for Reed Sorenson to take over the driver’s seat of the No. 10 Dodge Charger.

After failing to place his team in the top-35, Michael McDowell was removed from the cockpit of the No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota Camry. With plans to have the team in the top-35 by the end of the season, team owner Michael Waltrip decided to bring in a variety of drivers to try and get the job done.

That plan has been abandoned as the organization chose to replace the 00 Toyota with the No. 47 JTG/Daugherty Racing Toyota for the remainder of the season in order for future rookie contestant Marcos Ambrose to gain some valuable experience in the Cup Series.

With Sam Hornish Jr. and Regan Smith left in the hunt, the two are not willing to let the other earn the title that easily.

Finishing 30th at Atlanta, Smith was unable to hold the lead in the rookie standings. The series will now travel to Texas where Smith will have to improve on his 35th place outing there in April if he wants to reclaim the throne of the Rookie of the Year contest.

“Our biggest problem was the handling on the car,” Smith noted of his troubles last Sunday at Atlanta. “It was loose all day. We tried a bunch of different stuff to fix it, but nothing seemed to help. It was a tough day for us, but I think we learned a lot that we’ll be able to use when we come back next spring. This was only my second Cup race here, so it’s all part of the learning process.”

Hornish took over the top spot in the rookie standings for the tenth time this season by grabbing a 24th place finish in the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Now holding a two point lead over Smith, Hornish does not want to let it go for any amount of time.

He now looks ahead to Texas where he hopes to embrace the lead in the rookie contest for another week.

“I enjoy racing at Texas Motor Speedway and have done very well there in the IndyCar Series with wins and poles.” Hornish continued, “Our intermediate-track program has been strong all season long and we are excited to return to Texas this weekend.”