Chicagoland: Ryan Newman NASCAR Nextel Cup Qualifying Recap

Ryan Newman qualified third for Sunday’s USG Sheetrock 400.

Ryan Newman (No. 12 Mobil 1/Alltel Dodge)

TALK ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING RUN:
“We were second quickest in practice and I did my quickest lap the second lap. So I ran two today and the first one was really, really good. It was, it just wasn’t good enough, but it was a good run for the Mobil 1 Dodge Charger to start in the top three and I look forward to the race. I think we have a very competitive car based on our race trim times today.”

IN A QUALIFYING SESSION LIKE THIS WHEN THE CLOUDS ARE IN AND OUT IS THERE ANYTHING YOU DO TO AVOID THE CLOUDS?

“You have the five minute clock and I joked about it afterwards about would I have sat there, if I knew the cloud was going to be there. I really don’t think it makes that big of a difference. The track can’t instantaneously cool off that quick to make that big a difference. It would be nice but you can only take it as it goes. If you did something like that, I’m sure NASCAR would have a little meeting with you or something at some point.”

IF A CLOUD MOVES OVER THIRTY SECONDS BEFORE YOU’RE ON THE RACE TRACK, CAN IT REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

“That’s been the theory. Definitely the flatter the race track the more the more influence it has as far as the track temperature. Outside of that, nobody I think has really quantified it to make an answer that I could give you and make it sound correct. It might take a minute of clouds to make a thousandth of a second of difference at a certain race track with a certain size, a certain grip level. I mean it’s quite an equation. I’m not blaming it on the clouds just so you know.”

EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT A SECOND GROOVE COMING IN. YOU’VE HAD A CHANCE TO BE ON THE TRACK TWICE. DO YOU THINK WE’LL GET SIDE BY SIDE RACING ON SUNDAY?

“Without a doubt. We’re very, very confident that it will be three-wide racing at some point at both ends of the race track. And the track, for whatever reason feels like it has quite a bit of grip because it’s really, really fast but there’s already a second groove out there. I know I was passing some cars in the Busch practice. The Busch race depends on how wide it will get for the start of the race, and on Sunday. I think without a doubt it will have some second and third grooves. So it may be faster on the bottom.”

BEING SO CLOSE TO INDIANA HERE AT CHICAGOLAND, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE RACING CLOSE TO YOUR HOMETOWN?

“It’s neat to see faces that you don’t see very often. I mean it’s faces that I grew up with racing. It’s midgets and sprint cars like that. Open wheel people. Guys I used to race with. Car owners I used to race for. Just in general, seeing those faces and being in this area it’s kind of a homecoming. Outside of that, it’s another stop on the schedule.”