Saturday, April 21, 2007

Play - By - Play - Ryan Newman Finishes 38th In Subway Fresh Fit 500 -Ran In The Top 10 Most Of The Night

Ryan Newman and his Roger Penske #12 Alltel Dodge NASCAR Nextel Cup Team finished 38th in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at the Phoenix Internation Speedway tonight. Newman ran in the top 10 most of the night and even reached 5th. But under a green flag pit, the yellow flag was thrown and sent Newman to the back. Newman was in place for AT LEAST a top ten finish. Newman probably could not have beat Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart or Denny Hamlin, but he definetly had a top 5 car but got cuaght up in green pit stops when the caution fell.

8:48 p.m. -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon and Jamie McMurray get the Subway Fresh Fit 500 under way from Phoenix.

Lap 20 -- Denny Hamlin is starting to catch Jeff Gordon, but both have more than a 2-second lead over third-place Kurt Busch. Newman up to 13th

Lap 36 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: Debris is on the track.

Lap 37 -- Everyone hits pit road:

Lap 41 -- GREEN FLAG: Denny Hamlin gets the race going.1. Denny Hamlin2. Jeff Gordon3. Kurt Busch4. Kevin Harvick5. Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 42 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: David Ragan spins going into the corner when Tony Stewart touches the 6 car. David Stremme nails Ragan's car, and Casey Mears is caught up in the mess as well.

Lap 46 -- GREEN FLAG: Denny Hamlin leads the field to green.
NEWMAN - 10th

Lap 97 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: Debris is in Turn 1.
Newman in pits 10th out 10th

LAP 120 - Newman Still Running 10th - went down a little and came back up

Lap 149 -- YELLOW FLAG NO.: Debris is on the track between Turns 3 and 4, a piece of metal.

Lap 154 -- GREEN FLAG: Kevin Harvick gets the race going again.1. Kevin Harvick2. Tony Stewart3. Jeff Gordon4. Jimmie Johnson5. Matt Kenseth

Newman In pits 10th
Restart 9th

Lap 162 - Newman 8th Right behind team mate Kurt Busch in 7th

Lap 200 - 25 cars on the lead lap
NEMAN - 6th

Lap 211 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: Debris is on the racetrack.
Newman In pits 5th
Out 7th - When exiting the pits, Earnhardt JR clipped Newman in the driver side rear quarter panel - minimal damage - should have no effect.


Lap 218 -- GREEN FLAG: Tony Stewart gets the field up to speed.1. Tony Stewart2. Jeff Gordon3. Jimmie Johnson4. Matt Kenseth5. Kevin Harvick
Newman restarts 7th

Lap 224 - 24 Cars on the lead lap

Lap 222 - Newman 6th

Lap 271 - Newman passes teammate Kurt Busch for 5th place

Lap 282 - Green flag pits under way. Newman pits.

Lap 283 -- YELLOW FLAG: Dave Blaney gets spun around in Turn 4 when trying to get onto pit road. Carl Edwards sent him spinning, and J.J. Yeley gets caught up in the crash.

Lap 283 - Newman gets caught in the pits when caution is dropped. Newman had miscommunication in pits and has to back up to pit. Caution already out. But Newman drops to 38th 11 laps down. I do not understand this and will bring more to you about this when I find out. He should have only been 1 lap down.

CHECKERED FLAG: Jeff Gordon wins the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix to tie Dale Earnhardt with 76 career victories. Gordon earns his first victory at PIR and becomes the first driver to win at the track from the pole.

Newman finishes 38th 11 laps down. I don't understand. More to come!

Mike Pratt









Catch Ryan Newman In The Subway Fresh Fit 500 - 830pm Tonight

FOX coverage of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Speedway will begin at 8pm est tonight. The race will start at approximatly 830pm est.

Don't miss Ryan Newman and the Penske Racing #12 Alltel Dodge Nextel Cup team start 19th and battle their way up to the front.

I am going to predict that Newman gets his second top 10 finish tonight even though he did not have a good qualifying run or practice sessions 2 and 3. Tonight is Newmans night!!!

Mike

Updated Ryan Newman Stats Table On My Page

I have updated my stats table for Ryan Newman and also added pic/positions of all of Ryan Newman's teammates. Please take a look at my blog and let me know what you think.

What do you think of the STATS table. To much? Not enough? It is kind of sad all the "0's" in the boxes.

Also I have added all the pics/positions of Newman's team members on the right hand side...just scroll down a little.

Let me know what you think of the blog as a whole. I would appreciate any input you may have. Good or bad. I am always open to praise/criticism

Thank You,
Mike Pratt

Take My Ryan Newman Subway Fresh Fit 500 Poll

Well I am curios to see where everyone thinks Ryan Newman and his #12 Alltel Dodge NASCAR Nextel Cup Team will end up finishing in this weekends Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix International Speedway!

Please take the poll!

Ryan Newman's 3rd Practice for the Subway Fresh Fit 500

Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge team had their third practice at Phoenix International Speedway today for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Subway Fresh Fit 500

Newman had the 26 fastest practice speed of 127.398 mph / 28.258 sec.

Newman was -0.472 seconds behind the leader in practice. Jeff Gordon had the fastest practice with a time of 129.562 mph/ 27.786 seconds.

Practice 1 --- Newman had the 6 fastest practice speed of 130.274 mph / 27.634 sec.
practice 2--- Newman had the 25th fastest practice speed of 126.716 mph / 28.41 sec.
.
Ryan Newman Qualified 19 for the Subway Fresh Fit 500.

Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Speedway

Practice 3 Results

Practice 2 Results

Practice 1 Results

Qualifying Order

Ryan Newman Finishes 36th In Busch Series Basha's Supermarket 200

Ryan Newman and his #12 Kodak Dodge Busch Series team finished 36th tonight at the Phoenix International Speedway.

Newman and his team started in the the 33rd position.

Pos. Driver Starting Pos. Car No. / Mfg.
1 Clint Bowyer 2 #2 / Chevrolet
2 Matt Kenseth 3 #17 / Ford
3 Jeff Burton 4 #29 / Chevrolet
4 Denny Hamlin 7 #20 / Chevrolet
5 Carl Edwards 9 #60 / Ford
6 Greg Biffle 15 #37 / Ford
7 Casey Mears 17 #24 / Chevrolet
8 Regan Smith 5 #4 / Chevrolet
9 Kevin Harvick 35 #77 / Chevrolet
10 Dave Blaney 12 #32 / Toyota
11 David Stremme 18 #41 / Dodge
12 David Reutimann 6 #99 / Toyota
13 Timothy Peters 29 #21 / Chevrolet
14 Elliott Sadler 11 #9 / Dodge
15 Mike Bliss 31 #22 / Dodge
16 David Gilliland 16 #25 / Ford
17 Jamie McMurray 14 #126 / Ford
18 Jason Leffler 8 #38 / Toyota
19 Mike Wallace 37 #7 / Chevrolet
20 Ward Burton 21 #27 / Ford
21 Juan Pablo Montoya 20 #42 / Dodge
22 Marcos Ambrose 10 #59 / Ford
23 Kyle Krisiloff 38 #14 / Ford
24 J.J. Yeley 23 #1 / Chevrolet
25 Jon Wood 34 #47 / Ford
26 Brent Sherman 40 #36 / Chevrolet
27 D.J. Kennington 26 #72 / Dodge
28 Stephen Leicht 32 #90 / Ford
29 Steve Wallace 25 #66 / Dodge
30 Eric McClure 41 #0 / Chevrolet
31 Tony Raines 30 #33 / Chevrolet
32 Brad Keselowski 36 #23 / Chevrolet
33 Todd Kluever 13 #16 / Ford
34 Bobby Hamilton Jr. 19 #35 / Ford
35 David Ragan 24 #6 / Ford
36 Ryan Newman 33 #12 / Dodge
37 Kyle Busch 1 #5 / Chevrolet
38 Johnny Sauter 22 #28 / Chevrolet
39 Kevin Lepage 42 #252 / Ford
40 Morgan Shepherd 39 #01 / Chevrolet
41 Mike Harmon 43 #244 / Chevrolet
42 Shane Huffman 27 #88 / Chevrolet
43 Aric Almirola 28 #18 / Chevrolet

Friday, April 20, 2007

Ryan Newman's 2nd Practice for the Subway Fresh Fit 500

Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge team had their second practice at Phoenix International Speedway today for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Subway Fresh Fit 500.

Newman had the 25th fastest practice speed of 126.716 mph / 28.41 sec.

Newman was -0.375 seconds behind the leader in practice. Greg Biffle had the fastest practice with a time of 128.411 / 28.035.

Practice 2 Results

Practice 1 Results

Qualifying Order

Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Speedway

Short track beating and banging at high speed

Larry McReynolds / CREWCHIEFCLUB.COM

Three out of the next four races are with the Car of Tomorrow, and the fourth is a carburetor restrictor plate race at Talladega. Most of the Car of Tomorrow races this year are at short tracks.

Phoenix is a one-mile racetrack, but it's still a short track. Your car is going to get beaten up. It's much more intense and time-consuming to turn around these Cars of Tomorrow vs. the current cars because of the tight tolerances on the templates. As we noted last week, the new nickname for this car in the garage area is the Car of Overtime because it's quite a workload for these guys.

Ryan Pemberton, who crew chiefs the No. 01 Ginn Racing car, said his team is beaten to pieces. He said that they used to fight for performance, and while they're still thinking about performance, they're just trying to survive and get to the racetrack with a primary car and a backup car.

Phoenix is a one-mile racetrack, but it's still a short track. Your car is going to get beaten up. It's much more intense and time-consuming to turn around these Cars of Tomorrow vs. the current cars because of the tight tolerances on the templates. As we noted last week, the new nickname for this car in the garage area is the Car of Overtime because it's quite a workload for these guys.
Ryan Pemberton, who crew chiefs the No. 01 Ginn Racing car, said his team is beaten to pieces. He said that they used to fight for performance, and while they're still thinking about performance, they're just trying to survive and get to the racetrack with a primary car and a backup car.

Who to Watch

Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart: Joe Gibbs Racing is going to be the group to watch because they run well at Phoenix, and they have run well with the Car of Tomorrow. So I'm going to say that group is going to run well there. As we get excited for the race, I'm glad Virginia native Hamlin is keeping Virginia Tech and the people of Blacksburg, Va. in his thoughts as he wears a Tech cap.
Hamlin's career Cup stats at Phoenix International Raceway

Stewart's career Cup stats at Phoenix International Raceway
Jeff Gordon: Even though it's a track where he's never won a Cup race, Gordon has won a Busch race at Phoenix. Plus, he can learn from his teammates. Gordon's 8.6-place average finish is behind only Jimmie Johnson (7.7) while Kyle Busch has a win at the track and won the Car of Tomorrow race at Bristol.

Gordon's career Cup stats at Phoenix International Raceway
Jamie McMurray: I get a sneaky feeling that you might want to keep an eye on some of those Roush guys. McMurray's team has its arms around the Car of Tomorrow. He's got some momentum on his side, and he won a Busch race at the track. Don't completely take your eye off of that No. 26 car. I'd also keep an eye on Car Edwards and Greg Biffle as well. Plus, you've always got to keep an eye on Matt Kenseth. He's a lot like Johnson and Tony Stewart. If you're fantasy racing, and you take those three guys every week, you'll probably do just fine because they're so solid every week.

McMurray's career Cup stats at Phoenix International Raceway
Kevin Harvick: I would consider all of the Childress cars, too. All three run well at Phoenix, and all three ran well with the Car of Tomorrow. If I had to pick one, it would be Kevin Harvick. He swept both races there last fall and ran well at Martinsville in the Car of Tomorrow.

Harvick's career Cup stats at Phoenix International Raceway

What to Watch

50 pounds in a 10-pound bag? It's the first Car of Tomorrow race with inspection, practice and qualifying all in the same day instead of opening a day or half a day early for inspection. With 50 cars on the entry list, the good thing is practice and qualifying will be a little later in the day so that gives NASCAR a little more time for inspection, but it's certainly a concern for those teams that are well back in points. Can we get these things inspected and ready to roll when the track opens for the first practice? This is not like Richmond or Bristol. They've not tested the COT there.

Aero matters: Racing at Bristol and Martinsville is about getting your chassis to handle. Aero doesn't play a huge role. Now, we're going to a one-mile racetrack where aero is pretty important. Drivers will roar down the straightaways at faster speeds than they did at Bristol or Martinsville. Yeah, you've still got to get your car to handle, but aero certainly will play a bigger role.

Turning point: The big challenge at Phoenix has always been getting the cars to turn through the middle of the corner. Even though they've learned a lot in the first two COT races, this race presents the biggest challenge because it's a different setup than the ones they used at Bristol and Martinsville.

Braking point: Even though this is a relatively short race — 312 laps/miles — this place can be harder on brakes than Martinsville because you're entering the corner at a higher rate of speed than you enter the corners at the Virginia bullring. And you don't have a low gear to slow down the cars when they roll out of the throttle.

source

Ryan Newman's Nascar Schedule For 4/19 - PIR

Ryan Newman will be participating in both NASCAR series today, the Busch Series and the Nextel Cup events. Both are taking series are at the Phoenix International Speedway in Avondale, AZ.

Here is Ryan's schedule for the day -

4:30pm is CUP practice #2 For the Subway Fresh Fit 500 on SPEED

5:30pm is BUSCH Qualifying for the Basha's Supermarket 200 on SPEED

8pm is the Final CUP practice (#3) on SPEED

9pm Ryan Newman and his #12 Kodak Dodge will be participating in the Basha's Supermarket 200 on ESPN2

That is a busy day!!

TOMMORROW -

Tommorrow Ryan Newman and his #12 Alltel Dodge Penske Racing Team will be participating in the Subway Fresh 500 at 8pm on FOX.

NASCAR’s Newman to visit Rochester's Kodak Park

April 20, 2007
Post Comment
Gannett News Service

NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Ryan Newman will be in Rochester Tuesday to visit with Eastman Kodak Co. employees.

Newman will meet Kodak employees at two company sites, including a 1:30 p.m. autograph session at Kodak’s Theatre on the Ridge, 200 W. Ridge Road. His appearances are not open to the public.

Newman drives the No. 12 Alltel/Kodak Dodge in the Nextel Cup series, and the No. 12 Mobil/Kodak Dodge in NASCAR’s Busch Series. Kodak is the primary sponsor of Newman’s cars in 10 NASCAR races this year.

Source

Another Early Draw Hinders Newman Qualifying Leaving Him 19th

AVONDALE, Ariz. (April 19, 2007) –

Once again, Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger, drew an early qualifying position -- third out of 50 cars -- and that adversely affected his two-lap run in Thursday's time trials for this weekend's Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

The quicker of Newman’s two laps put him on the provisional pole with a time of 27.517 seconds, a speed of 130.828 mph, but it was only seven cars later when Dale Earnhardt Jr. knocked Newman from the top spot.

“We put down the two best laps that we had and it was a good run so far, but the track will get better as qualifying goes on, so we won’t be on the pole much longer,” Newman said after climbing from his Alltel Dodge. “If we had gotten a later draw, we probably would be able to start near the front on Saturday night, but there’s too many cars left to go. We’ve got a good car for the race, though. We’ll be all right.”

Saturday night’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 will air live on FOX and MRN Radio beginning at 8:30 p.m. EDT.

Line-up for Subway Fresh Fit 500:

1. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet
2. Jamie McMurray, No. 26 Crown Royal Ford
3. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet
4. Scott Riggs, No. 10 Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge
5. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet
6. Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
19. Ryan Newman, No. 12 Alltel Dodge


Official Ryan Newman Fan Club

Newman once again takes wheel of 'Car of Tomorrow'

Friday, April 20, 2007

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Once again, it's time for the “Car of Tomorrow” to race in the NASCAR Cup Series with the newly designed cars taking on the 1-mile Phoenix International Raceway - the first non-short track on which the car will appear.

The Subway Fresh Fit 500 at PIR on Saturday will be Ryan Newman's 10th Cup series start at the track in Avondale, Ariz. It is Newman's 196th start in NASCAR's top series.

Newman will start in 19th place for the race.

In nine races previous races at the track, Newman has had three consecutive poles – 2002-2004 – and a career-best, second-place finish in November 2004. He has six top-10 starts and two top-five finishes at the track. He has only two finishes outside the top 20, which were both DNFs after being involved in accidents. Newman's average start at PIR is 8.4, while his average finish is 20.4.

Newman expressed confidence in his car and the Alltel Team.

“We're back to the COT cars and this team has been working hard to figure out this new car and how it works,” he said. “We haven’t had bad runs in this car, but we got caught up in an accident at Bristol and we had the spin during qualifying in Martinsville, so we'll be looking to have better runs in Phoenix this weekend.”

Newman has led three races for 114 laps and has completed 2,524 laps of a possible 2,811, giving him an 89.7 percent completion rate.

Crew chief Mike Nelson and the Alltel crew will use chassis PRS-513 for Saturday night's Subway Fresh Fit 500. This is a new COT car, which was tested earlier this month at Richmond International Raceway. That is the only track time the car has seen.

Chassis PRS-509 is the backup car for Phoenix. This car has been the backup for the two previous COT races, but it was not used. This car was also tested at Richmond.

The Subway Fresh Fit 500 will be broadcast live by FOX and MRN Radio beginning at 8 p.m. EDT.

Junior won't confirm DEI majority ownership offer

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- If contract negotiations between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and DEI have resulted in a tentative agreement to give Junior a majority interest in the company, he's not telling.

Following his run in Thursday's Nextel Cup qualifying at Phoenix International Raceway, Junior was asked if he could confirm that the two sides had tentatively agreed to give him 51 percent ownership in DEI.

"No, I can't," Earnhardt said. "If that was the case, I'd know about it."

Earnhardt's sister, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, is acting as his advisor in negotiations. DEI, currently owned by Teresa Earnhardt, is being represented at the bargaining table by president of global operations Max Siegel. Both sides have stated they would like to come to an agreement no later than June 1.

Despite undergoing surgery on March 23 to have a growth removed from her pancreas, Elledge -- president of JR Motorsports -- has remained in constant communication with Siegel.

Junior said he believed progress is being made.

"Things were better yesterday than the day before and over the last couple of weeks," he said. "We're just moving along with the negotiations."

So would he agree to a deal if the 51 percent ownership figure becomes a reality?

"I don't want to get hypothetical," Junior replied. "That's a long ways down the road. We've still got some things in the contract to work out."


Story From NASCAR.com

NASCAR officials refuse to panic as ratings drop

By Nate Ryan, USA TODAY

With more story lines to sell, NASCAR still is luring fewer eyeballs to its races.

Ratings are down 11% for the first seven Nextel Cup Series races this season despite the ballyhooed debuts of Toyota, Juan Pablo Montoya and the Car of Tomorrow. Ratings also were off in the Busch Series, which has been promoted heavily by ESPN as part of the network's return to NASCAR.

The decline isn't unique to stock car racing; the NBA, Major League Baseball, NCAA basketball and the NHL all posted regular-season declines last year. But the lagging numbers loom as a two-year slowdown for NASCAR, whose 2006 ratings decreased in 32 of the 36 Cup races.
"All sports have growth spurts and reach plateaus," John Saunders, chief operating officer of the International Speedway Corp., which owns 12 tracks, said in a recent conference call. "What is unique is that this is NASCAR's first time. We don't view it as a negative."

FULL STORY

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Dodge Cup Qualifying Quotes from Phoenix

.
.
RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 alltel Dodge Avenger)

“We were one of the lucky ones that got to do a tire test out here. That’s nice when the car of tomorrow is a brand new one out here and we got to come out here and test with the new Goodyear tire. It was a good run for us. It’s a pole contender, but I didn’t think it was going to stand up for the pole. I think it’ll be a top 10 start.”
.
.
And he qualified 19th!

FULL STORY

Ryan Newman Qualify's 19th for the Subway Fresh Fit 500.

Ryan Newman has qualified 19th for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at the Pheonix International Speedway. Newmans had a speed of 130.828 / 27.517 / -0.477.

Todays 19th place qualifing will give Newman and his #12 NASCAR Nextel Cup Team and average start this season of 20.

Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Pheonix International Speedway

Qualifying Order
Practice 1 Results

Ryan Newman's 1st Practice for the Subway Fresh Fit 500

Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge team had there first practice at Pheonix International Speedway today for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Subway Fresh Fit 500

Newman was the 6th fastest today with a practice speed of 130.274 / 27.634.


Newman was -0.097 behind the leader Kasey Kahne who had the fastest practice time of 130.733 / 27.537.



Practice 1 Results

Charting the Chase: Gordon sets pace, pushes hard for win

It's a very unique time of the season for a lot of reasons. We're halfway through our FOX broadcasts as we head to the very first Saturday night points race of the season, under the lights in Phoenix. After next weekend at Talladega, we will be one-fourth of the way through the entire 2007 season, and we will be roughly about one-third of the way through the race to the Chase. More and more, things are going to start taking shape now.

FULL STORY

Drivers disagree on tweaking of Chase

Last season, Kasey Kahne collected the most Nextel Cup wins (six), but barely qualified for the Chase for the Championship. Kahne secured the final spot for the Chase by finishing third at Richmond.

Hearing calls for more rewards for winning races, NASCAR officials devised a new points allocation. Race winners this season earn 185 points, a five-point boost over the previous system. Runners-up receive 170 points.

FULL STORY

By the Numbers: Phoenix

Thanks to Bristol and M'ville, we also present ... BTN: COT

This week's historical and factual look at the Cup Series as it pertains to Phoenix International Raceway cannot solely be depicted on the 21 races held at NASCAR's oasis.

Not with the Car of Tomorrow returning and, for the first time, running on a 1-mile oval. The aerodynamic uncertainties change the dynamics of the Subway Fresh Fit 500, just as the COT's introduction at Bristol and then, to a lesser extent, Martinsville brought uneasiness.

So, before we delve into the numbers that have given Phoenix its track record, let us reflect upon the first two COT races, By the Numbers-style:

Interesting Fact

1-2Denny Hamlin (1) and Kyle Busch (2) had the best Driver Rating and Average Running Position in the first two COT races. Jeff Gordon was the only other driver in the top five in both categories.

Fun Fact

1951Year the Car of Tomorrow officially debuted, as in the cartoon of the same name by the legendary animator Tex Avery, who as only he can envisions what the future holds for the automobile.

CHECK THE COMPLETE BY THE NUMBERS

Viewer's Guide: Phoenix

By NASCAR.COM
April 19, 2007
10:56 AM EDT

The first prime-time Nextel Cup Series race of the season takes place this Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway for the Subway Fresh Fit 500. The green flag is set to save at 8:45 p.m. ET, with FOX pre-race coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

NASCAR HotPass
Featured drivers at Phoenix
Driver Channel
Ryan Newman 795
• Air time, 8:40 p.m. ET

Go to the full story for a complete listing (EVERYTING) dealing with this weeks NASCAR on TV.

FULL STORY

Please Take A Look At My Ryan Newman Blog

Hi,
I am looking for some feedback on my Ryan Newman #12 Alltel Dodge NASCAR Nextel Cup Site. I would appreciate any - good or bad - thoughts that you may have on it.

I just "cleaned up" my labels. They were getting messy. For instantace I had a Ryan Newman label which almost everything got filed under (along with other catagories). Well...duh...it is a Ryan Newman Fan site so why have that label.

I did create another one "RyanNewman / Team News" that I plan on using for news items about Ryan or team members that may not be "race day" or NASCAR related stories.

I do want a COT label or other ones under NASCAR news, but the NASCAR news shouldn't get real full since I am mainly concentrating on Ryan Newman.

I would love to do labels in in labels. Like for instance have "Texas Motor Speedway" and as a sub label have "Practice / Qualifying times" but I am pretty sure that is not possible unless I make a list and spend a time every week doing HTML edits/adds.

So what are your thoughts. I can't garauntee that I will listen to them but I am always open for comments and suggestions.

Also, is my site to busy or OK?

Thank You for any input that you can give me, I really appreciate it!

Mike Pratt

Weather Forcast For Ryan Newmans Events Today

Ryan Newman and both his #12 Alltel Dodge Nextel Cup team and his #12 Kodak Dodge Busch series team can expect the following weather conditions today!

Avondale, AZ is expected to reach a high of 80 degrees today with 5 -15 mph winds. Tonights low will be around 49.

At 2 pm (Busch Practice) the 77 degrees, sunny and no humidity.

At 3 pm (Nextel Cup Practice) it will be the same.

At 8 pm (Nextel Cup Qualifying) it will 67 degress with clear skies.

Mike Pratt

Catch Ryan Newman Today Practicing and Qualifying

Ryan Newman and both of his NASCAR Busch series and Nextel Cup series teams have a busy couple of days ahead of them.


Ryan Newman and #12 Busch Series Kodak Team will be starting the day of with a practice session for the Busch series Basha’s Supermarket 200 at 2:15 pm. This will not be televised.


Then Ryan Newman and his Nextel Cup #12 Alltel Dodge Team will be participating in Practice 1 for the Subway Fit 500 at 3:45 p.m. This will not be televised.


And then today’s main event will be Qualifying for the Subway Fit 500 at 8 pm on SPEED!
Good luck to Ryan Newman and his Team(s)

THIS WEEKS FULL SCHEDULE

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Team notes: COT to get dry run in the desert

Ryan Newman
No. 12 Dodge, Penske Racing

This week: Newman will be going for his fourth pole position at Phoenix. He won three consecutive poles in 2002-04. His career-best finish at the one-mile track was second in November 2004. He has one other top-five in nine starts.

Last week: Pit stop and tire problems plagued Newman at Texas as he finished 32nd. During the team's third pit stop, the jack broke and Newman dropped two laps back of the leader. Less than 10 laps later, Newman was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop with a cut tire.

Etc.: Newman will be using a car he tested earlier this month at Richmond. It has not been raced yet this season

FULL STORY

New Ryan Newman Podcast Available After Texas

Driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Ryan Newman and XM Satellite Radio Host Claire B. Lang discuss last week’s NASCAR Cup race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, specifically the nearby tornadoes that canceled qualifying and the on-track incident between Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Newman catches up with Lang this week prior to taping a new Alltel commercial in Los Angeles. They chat about some of the names Newman allocates to his race cars, his most memorable race throughout his career as well as answer questions from the Alltel All Axcess Racing Mailbag.

Finally, Newman talks about the upcoming race at the track he made his Cup debut – Phoenix International Raceway.

Link to Podcast
http://www.feedbuffet.com/alltel/pod/arp-2007-04-18.mp3

Link to site with the Podcast
http://www.alltelracing.com/newsandevents/podcasts/

USA Today’s 2006 NASCAR Crash Data

Let’s start with Ryan Newman’s information for all you #12 Alltel Dodge fans out there and then we will continue on with the rest of it. J.J Yeley led the pack in 2006 with 17 accidents in 36 races for 47.2%. Joe Nemechek was a close second with 16 out 36 for 44.4%. Ryan Newman and the Alltel Dodge came in 3rd (tied with Casey Mears and Robby Gordon – BUT Newman listed third) with 15 out of 36 for 41.7%. That explains Ryan Newman’s year last year!

USA Today has released it’s 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Crash Report. It is really pretty interesting. In 2006 there was an average of 6.6 accidents per race with and average of 96. cautions in a race. To me that sounds like a lot of cautions per race. Those numbers are down from 2005 but high than the numbers from years before 2005 (back to 2001).

This one makes sense to me, but accidents accounted for more than half of the DNF’s (Driver did Not Finish) in 2006 at 53.8%. Now I would have thought that number would be higher, but in a distant second places Engine troubles at 26.2%. Then it drops way off to 3.6% for rear ends and on down from there. There is an “other” category at the bottom of the Cause Of DNF list that reports 4.5%.

Turn 4 had the most crashes at 68 for 28.7% of the crashes with turn 2 in second at 25.3. After that it drops off at least 10% points to start accounting for the other areas of the track.

Track with the most accidents is a no brainier I think. Martinsville heads up the list with 32 for 16% and Bristol is right behind with 25 at 12.5%. California had the lowest percent last year with 2.5%.

Percentage wise, Walkins Glen International had the most caution laps at 24.4% with 10 cautions – 22 caution laps out of a 90 lap race. Following closely was the Martinsville Subway 500 at 21.4% with 18 cautions for 107 caution laps in a 500 lap race.

I think they have the information laid out pretty good and it is worth taking a look at. I enjoyed it.

Mike

Follow this link for the full story, then scroll down a little and you will see "inside motor sports" and look for the crash data link.

Weather Forcast For Ryan Newman at Phoenix Internation Speedway

According to RaceWeather.net Ryan Newman and his #12 Alltel Dodge Team should have a pretty good weather related weekend for the Subway Fresh 500 ath the Phoenix Internation Speedway.

Qualifying for the Nextel Cup series is first for Penske Racing and Ryan Newmans Alltel Dodge on Thur. Forcasted weather includes mostly sunny skies and 84°F with West winds, 5-10 mph.

Next on the agenda for the weekend in Busch Series qualifying for the Bashas Spermarket 200. The weather should be Partly cloudy, 86°F, South winds, 6-12 mph.

Now for the Races

---- The Busch race can expect Partly cloudy, 79°F, SW winds, 15-25 mph w/higher gusts!

----And the Nextel Cup series can expect Partly cloudy, 74°F, West winds, 10-15 mph !


Mike




Phoenix: News of note, schedule

Although Phoenix International Raceway is one of three 1-mile oval tracks in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, it has characteristics unlike any of the others. The track has different banking in Turns 1 and 2 than in Turns 3 and 4. It also has a 'dogleg' in the backstretch that makes navigating the track more difficult.

In addition, this will be the first Car of Tomorrow race at a 1-mile track. So what will be expected?

First and foremost, teams need to take their information from the recent Richmond test a......

.....Edwards' passes at Phoenix are key and timely. He's tied for the top "Closer" at Phoenix -- he has improved 12 positions in the last 10% of the four races. Also, his 105 Quality Passes -- passes of cars in the top 15 under green flag conditions -- are second only to Ryan Newman's 111. .........

FULL STORY AT MOTORSPORTS.COM

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Catch Ryan Newman All Over TV This Week

Ryan Newman will be enterying both NASCAR Busch Series and the Nextel Cup series this weekend. You can catch Penske Racings, Ryan Newman at the following times. For the Nextel Cup Newman will be driving his #12 Alltel Dodge and for the Busch Series he will be driving the #12 Kodak Car.

This is a relatively new blog for me, so I am mostly concentrating on Ryan Newman and the Nextel Cup for now. So, information about the Busch series may be limited.

Also, I would like to note that PenskeRacing.com is saying that Newman will be racing in the Busch series with the #12 Kodak Dodge, but FoxSports has Sam Hornish listed in the #12 Mobile. So we will see!

Here is this weeks schedule -

NONE - 041907 - 2:15 p.m. - Bashas' Supermarkets 200 practice

NONE - 041907 - 3:45 p.m. - Subway Fresh Fit 500 practice

NONE - 041907 - 7:25 p.m. - Bashas' Supermarkets 200 rookie practice

SPEED - 041907 - 8 p.m. - Subway Fresh Fit 500 qualifying

SPEED - 041907 - 10 p.m. - Bashas' Supermarkets 200 final practice

SPEED - 042007 - 4:30 p.m. - Subway Fresh Fit 500 practice

SPEED - 042007 - 5:30 p.m. - Bashas' Supermarkets 200 qualifying

SPEED - 042007 - 8:00 p.m. - Subway Fresh Fit 500 final practice

ESPN2 - 042007 - 9 p.m. - Bashas' Supermarkets 200

FOX - 042007 - 8pm - Subway Fresh Fit 500

Mike

Noting Newman - April 16, 2007

NNCS
-- The Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday will be Ryan Newman's 10th Cup series start at the 1-mile track in Avondale, Ariz. It is Newman's 196th start in NASCAR's top series.

-- Newman's average start at PIR is 8.4, while his average finish is 20.4.

-- In nine races, Newman has three consecutive poles – 2002-2004 – and a career-best, second-place finish in November 2004. Newman has six top-10 starts and two top-five finishes.

-- Newman has completed 2,524 laps of a possible 2,811, giving him an 89.7 percent completion rate. He has led three races for 114 laps.

-- Chassis PRS-513 is a new COT car. It was tested earlier this month at Richmond International Raceway. That is the only track time the car has seen.


NBS-- The Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday is Ryan Newman's first Busch Series start at the 1-mile track in Avondale, Ariz. It will be Newman's 32nd start in NASCAR's Busch Series.

-- Chassis PBC-014 is a new car and has not been on the track this season.-- The backup car for Phoenix is PBC-007. Newman drove this car to a fourth-place finish at Bristol and Sam Hornish Jr. piloted it to a 25th-place finish in Nashville.

More Newman Remarks On Phoenix: "I like racing at Phoenix. This place, obviously, has a special meaning to me since it is the place where I made by Cup Series debut. I like running the Busch cars and I finally get to do it at Phoenix with Kodak. These guys work hard each week and we always run well, so I think this is going to be a good weekend for this Kodak team."

-- Chassis PRS-509 is the back-up car for Phoenix. This car has been the backup for both of the two previous COT races, but it was not used. This car was also tested at Richmond.


Ryan Newman on Phoenix: "We've done well in qualifying at Phoenix, but we need to translate that into better finishes. We'll be back to the COT cars in Phoenix and this team has been working hard to figure out this new car and how it works. We haven't had bad runs in this car, but we got caught up in an accident at Bristol and we had the spin during qualifying in Martinsville, so we'll be looking to have better runs in Phoenix this weekend."

Entry List - Phoenix International Raceway - Subway Fresh 500

Here is FoxSports Peliminary entry list for the NASCAR Nextel Cup's Subway Fresh 500 at the Pheonix International Speedway including Penske Racings Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge driven by Ryan Newman and Team!

Complete Listing

Overnight Texas TV ratings up 12.5 percent

Fox's broadcast of Sunday'sSamsung 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway earned a 5.4 overnight Nielsen Media Research rating, track officials say.

The rating is 12.5 percent higher than the 4.8 the race earned last year and matches last year's final national figures, which are traditionally higher.

FULL STORY

Ryan Newman and Phoenix International Speedway

NASCAR’s Nextel Cup Series and Ryan Newman are headed to Phoenix International Speedway where Newman and 42 other drivers will compete in the SUBWAY FRESH FIT 500.

Phoenix International Speedway is located in Avondale, AZ. It was completed in 1964 and is a 1-mile short track that holds 76,800 spectators. The front stretch is 1,179 ft and the backstretch is 1,551 ft. There is 11 degree banking in turns 1 and 2 and 9 degree banking in turns 3 and 4. The front stretch has 3 degree banking while the backstretch has 9 degree banking.

Phoenix International Speedway has a Nextel Cup track record of 118.132 set by Tony Stewart on 11/7/1999. Rusty Wallace holds the record for the qualifying speed of 134.718 in 2000.

Out of the last 9 races at Phoenix International Speedwaym Chevrolet has won the most with 5, followed by Ford with 4.

Ryan Newman’s record at Phoenix International Speedway is mixed both good and bad. He has raced here 9 times with 3 poles, 0 wins, 2 top 5’s and 2 top 10’s. Newman has an average start here or 8.4 with an average finish of 20.4. His best finishes include 2nd, 3rd and 12th and worst include 39th, 40th, and 41st with 2 of thouse due to accidents and 1 to engine problems.

Newman has an average start of 7.3 on short tracks and an average finish of 16.2. He has 1 wins, 9 top 5’s and 16 top 10 finishes on short tracks out of 32 races. So on short tracks, Ryan Newman and his #12 Alltel Dodge have a top 10 ten finish or better in 50% of their short track finishes.


Good luck to Ryan Newman and his #12 Alltel Dodge Nextel Cup Team!!

Mike Pratt

Monday, April 16, 2007

AT&T and NASCAR Go To Court Over Sponsorship

Lets start at the beginning. Nextel took over sponsorship of the NASCAR’s Cup series in 2004. Part of there contract with NASCAR, as I understand it, is that NO new Cellular companies can become sponsors n the Nextel Cup series.

Ryan Newman’s #12 Alltel Dodge Team along with Robby Gordon’s Cingular Team (now Jeff Burton’s) were grandfathered. So as long as Alltel and Cingular keep up there sponsorship, they can stay in. If I fully understand this then neither of these team could pull out for a year and then come back if they wanted to. That’s all fine.

Now, Cingular has become AT&T. AT&T is now in the process of combing the names in a marketing strategy to get people thinking that AT&T and Cingular are the same –which they are. They are the same company right now – remember that – they are the same company, just 2 names. AT&T obviously wants “AT&T” on their car and not Cingular.

And to think of it, Nextel is actually in the same boat, as far as company names go. Nextel was purchased by Sprint. So now it is Nextel Sprint and eventually it will become just Sprint (Sprint Cup Series – just for the record, I don’t like the sounds of that).

So Nextel is saying that AT&T can not put THAT name on the Jeff Burton’s #31 car because no NEW Cellular sponsors can enter the Cup Series. What I don’t get is that there is NOT a NEW sponsor coming into the cup – remember – Cingular and AT&T are the same company. AT&T is not saying they want to enter a 3rd car into the cup. They just want to put the correct name on the #31. Cingular (the name) is going to be non-existent in the near future.

This is a story that I am interested in so I will keep up dates on it here. As a Ryan Newman fan and an Alltel employee I am curious how this whole thing works out. It does not make sense to me except that it seems like NASCAR is backing Nextel in this dispute (it is AT&T and NASCAR in court – not Nextel). I think, and understand why, Nextel wants to get rid of one more Cellular sponsor. Does this mena that they will eventually try getting rid of Alltel someday? I don’t know. But this issue seems silly to me since Cingular and AT&T are THE SAME!



Going to court
NASCAR, AT&T ready to battle on sponsorship issue
STORY on SI.com

Problems continue to plague Newman at Texas

Monday, April 16, 2007

FORT WORTH, Texas – Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, experienced a long day filled with problems in Sunday's Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Newman, who had an average finish of 27.85 entering the event on the 1.5-mile track, finished 32nd after a slew of problems during the 334-lap race.

The problems began immediately on lap 2 when a multi-car crash collected Newman, causing minor damage to the Alltel Dodge's nose. There was a hole just above the grill that crew chief Mike Nelson wanted to get covered quickly, so Newman came down pit road for repairs and ended up restarting in 40th.

Newman fought his way through traffic, though, and the car seemed pretty good. In only 16 laps, Newman gained 10 positions. By the time the second caution flag waved on lap 44, Newman was in 27th.

Things seemed to be OK for the Alltel team, even after an extended stay on pit road on lap 46 for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment when a 14.11-second stop enabled Newman to still gain a spot when the field went green again on lap 51.

Although the car was loose entering the corners and tight in the center, Newman had cracked the top-20 by lap 97 and was looking strong.

However, the problems then worsened and occurred quite frequently.

During Newman’s third stop of the day for four tires, fuel and a half-round of wedge in the left rear during a green-flag run, the jack broke. Jack-man Britt Goodrich had propped up the car's right side when suddenly, the car fell and Goodrich was scrambling to grab a backup jack. By the time the crew completed the stop, two laps had been lost and there was right-side damage to the car, leaving Newman in the 34th position.

Less than 10 laps later, Newman radioed his crew that he was returning to pit road with a cut tire. At first, the crew thought Newman had run over a piece of debris, but when the car reached the pit stall, the damage from the jack incident had bent part of the sheet metal, which in turn cut the right-rear tire. The issue cost Newman one more lap, leaving him three laps down from the leader. To top it off, a tire had gotten away from the crew during the stop and Newman was penalized with a pass-through penalty. When the yellow came out on lap 116, Newman drove down pit road under the caution and kept from losing another lap.

Newman was left running his own race, as he was the only driver three laps down and had no one to race for position. From lap 119 until the checkered flag on lap 334, Newman gained only five positions as cars dropped out of the race, leaving him 32nd at the finish.

The worst part of the situation was having such a good car and not being able to fight for the win. After being passed by the leader to lose a fourth lap, Newman decided to drop to the back and see how his car worked in clean air.

Each time Newman did this, he would run the fourth fastest lap on the track, beaten by only the top-three cars.

To complete the bad luck he experienced at Texas, with just over 20 laps to go in the race, Newman reported he had a vibration in the car. Nelson asked if Newman wanted to come in, but Newman didn’t want to pit and lose more laps. The car lasted until the checkered flag waved, but Newman was four laps down to winner Jeff Burton.

Newman remained 20th in the drivers’ standings, 123 points out of 12th and 480 points behind leader Jeff Gordon.

Next week, the Cup Series returns to the COT cars at Phoenix International Raceway for the Subway Fresh Fit 500. The Saturday night race will be broadcast by FOX and MRN Radio beginning at 8 p.m. EDT. Newman will also run the No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Busch Series on Friday night in the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200. ESPN and MRN Radio will broadcast the race at 9 p.m. EDT.

Ryan Newman has rough day at the Samsung 500

Newman and his team can’t seem to get a break. Newman’s point standings remain the same – 20th position. But now he is –480 points behind the leader and –123 out of 12th place. Still, these numbers are not that bad since we are only 7 races into the season. There is plenty of time to get up in points and standings, but Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge team needs to get in gear.

Newman was also frustrated with pit stops and came over the radio stating that the team was going to be doing pit practices all week next week.

Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge NASCAR Nextel Cup Team had an evil hand dealt to them today. It started on lap 1 when Ryan Newman got involved with an accident hitting the back of Yeley. He had nose damage that got taped up but sent him to the back of the field.

He worked his way up as high as 23rd before he hit the wall on lap 113 and cut down a tire. After hitting the wall and pitting he went 3 laps down.

By lap 130 Newman and Rudd were the only ones 3 laps down with Newman in the37th position (leading Rudd). At this point only 18 cars were on the lead lap.

Newman and his team really need to get it together and get some decent finishes and hopefully some wins this season.

Mike Pratt

Burton becomes first repeat winner at Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Finally, a Texas two-step.
Jeff Burton passed Matt Kenseth on the final lap Sunday to become the first repeat winner at Texas, winning 10 years after he won the inaugural race.
Burton never led until he overtook Kenseth on the backstretch coming out of Turn 2 after more than 10 laps of trying to get past him. It was Burton's 19th career victory.
That denied Kenseth, who won the Busch race Saturday, a weekend sweep. It also ended a four-race winning streak by Hendrick Motorsports.
There had been 11 different winners in the 11 races since Burton won the first race at the 1.5-mile, high-banked Texas track.
Jeff Gordon led 173 of 334 laps and finished fourth, the fifth top-five finish in the seven races this season for the Hendrick driver. But he is 0-for-13 at Texas, joining Phoenix and Homestead as the only active tracks where the four-time Nextel Cup champion hasn't won.
Kenseth and Mark Martin, who finished third after sitting out two races, are former Texas winners.
Burton won with an average speed of 143.359 mph and was the last of nine leaders. Gordon, the points leader who started on the pole after qualifying was canceled because of storms, led four times and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had three leads for 96 laps.


FULL STORY

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Ryan Newmans Finishes 32nd -Samsung 500 Race Recap - Jeff Burton Wins

Ryan Newman and his #12 Alltel Dodge NASCAR Nextel Cup Team finished 32nd in the Samsung 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway. Below is a Ryan Newman orientated race re-cap!

Jeff Burton won the race passing Matt Kenseth on the last lap.

2:18 p.m. -- Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton bring the field to green for the 13th Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Lap 1 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 1: J.J. Yeley and David Ragan get together in Turn 4. Ricky Rudd hits David Ragan. Jeff Gordon led the first lap.
Newman in the back of Yeley (possibly into both cars) –damage–minor to left nose–patched

Lap 7 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon brings the field back to the green

Lap 20 – Newman 31st 20 sec off from leader

Lap 40 - Newman 27th 23 sec off from leader

Lap 44 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 2: Mike Bliss hits the wall on the backstretch in a single-car accident. Newman (and everyone except Elliot Sadler and Robby Gordon) Pits. Newman back out in 28th.

Lap 51 -- GREEN FLAG: Newman Restarts in 26th position after Sadler and Robby Gordon pit.

Lap 60 - Track temp on the rise. From 100 degrees now to 102 degrees

Lap 86 - Newman is back up to 23rd 25.7 behind the leader and gaining.

Lap 94 - Newman reporting messed up areo - can't get to close to Gilliand in front of him.

Lap 95 - Leader Jeff Gordon is 5 cars behind Newman

Lap 98 - Newman pits. Adjustments being made along with 4 tires. Cycling through green flag stops Newman re enters the track 2 laps down and in 34th position.

Lap 101 - Green flag pits are done and Newman is 1 lap down in 33rd position.

Lap 113 -- Ryan Newman has a flat tire and hit the wall. He makes a pit stop.

Lap 116 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 3: Caution is out for debris in Turn 2.- Debry - Officials looking at Newmans tire. Looks bad.
Newman pits - works on right rear area - 4 tires and fuel. Tire well bent in and rubbing tire - fixed.

Lap 121 -- GREEN FLAG: Newman restarts 3 laps down in 38th position.

Lap 130 - Newman is leading the cars that are 3 laps down. The only other one is Rudd. There are 4 cars 2 laps down and postiion 19 through 32 are 1 lap down. Newmans chances of recovery are slim. ONLY 18 CARS ON LEAD LAP

Lap - 141 - Track temp up to 105 degrees. 40 degrees hotter than practice yesterday.

Lap 151 - Newman reports that the tape on his grill is loose.

Lap 153 -- LEAD CHANGE: Earnhardt Jr. has caught Jeff Gordon and passed him for the lead. It's the second time Earnhardt Jr. has led today.

Lap 169 - Newman green flag pit. Earnhardt Jr. right behind him. Newman leaves in 36th 3 laps down. JR hot on trail.

LAp 175 - JR passes Newman putting him 4 laps down.

Lap 177 - Newman reports that when he gets in dirty air, he is loose in.

Lap - 200 - Newman is in 36th 4 laps down. Only 15 cars on the lead lap. At this point in the race Newman will drop to 22nd in points.

Lap 211 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 4: David Gilliand with a flat tire bringing out the caution. Brian Vickers gets the free pass.
Newman takes 4 tires - Fuel - Right side track bar. Ryan Newman is understandably sounding very frustrated on the team radio and the spotter is sounding bored and frustraded as well.

Newman has NOT been happy with pit stops all day and states on the radio that "it looks like we're going to have pit practice all week boys!"

Newman spotter reminds him that he has no one to race - he is the only one 4 laps down.

Lap 215 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. brings the field to the green flag.1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.2. Jimmie Johnson3. Jeff Burton4. Kurt Busch5. Jeff Gordon

Lap 240 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 5: Juan Montoya and Tony Stewart were side-by-side. Montoya got loose and hit Stewart forcing him to spin. Jimmie Johnson had nowhere to go and t-boned Stewart.

Lap 246 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. brings the cars to the green flag.1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.2. Kurt Busch3. Kyle Busch4. Jeff Burton5. Mark Martin
Newman 35th 4 laps down

Lap 249 -- LEAD CHANGE: Newman's team mate Kurt Busch passes Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the lead. Tony Stewart on pit road with a tire going down.

Lap 253 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 6: Tony Stewart spins in Turn 4, comes back down the track causing Kyle Busch in third to rear end Dale Earnhardt Jr in second-place. Tony Stewart drives off without hitting the wall or another car.
Newman takes fuel and 4 tires.

Lap 259 -- GREEN FLAG: Kurt Busch brings the field to the green flag. 15 cars on the lead lap.1. Kurt Busch2. Mark Martin3. Matt Kenseth4. Jeff Gordon5. Jeff Burton
Newman restarts 33rd still 4 laps down.

Lap 293 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 7: Debris in Turn 4 has brought out the caution. Kurt Busch will get the free pass. Dale Earnhardt Jr. heads to the garage.

Lap 298 -- GREEN FLAG: Jeff Gordon brings the field to the green flag.1. Jeff Gordon2. Mark Martin3. Matt Kenseth4. Jeff Burton5. Greg Biffle
Newman Restarts 32nd 4 laps down.

Lap 309 -- Jeff Gordon leads by 1.5 seconds over second-place Matt Kenseth.

Lap 332 -- Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton are battling through Turns 1 and 2.

CHECKERED FLAG: Jeff Burton wins the Samsung 500!!!

Ryan Newman finished 32nd 4 laps down


Mike Pratt

Catch Ryan Newman And The #12 Alltel Dodge in the Samsung 500 Today

SAMSUNG 500 - TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY - FOX 1:30PM EST

Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Team will be starting 20th in the Samsung 500 today at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Rain and severe weather led to qualifying being canceled Friday. So teams will be starting according to owner points.

So, look for Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge to start in the 20th Position.

Newman will be using the same car that he used at Las Vegas and Atlanta and had some success. He earned the pole at Atlanta and had his first top 10 finish at Las Vegas.

New man success is limited at Texas Motor Speedway, so hopefully he has the right car and setup tody.

Mike Pratt