text: In the Cup Series , Hamlin won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year award and finished third in the final Cup standings , scoring the highest points finish for a rookie in the modern era of NASCAR . Hamlin thus became the first ever rookie to make the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup .
simplified: In the Nextel Cup Series , Hamlin won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year award and finished third in the final standings .