USA Today - Ryan Newman Team Notes

 

No. 12 Dodge, Penske Racing

 

This week:  Newman was in the midst of trying to pass Jeff Gordon for the lead when the rains came in June at Pocono. When the race was called after only 106 laps, Newman ended up second. He will be driving the same car, which also won the pole for the June race.

 

Last week:  Newman spun and slammed into the fourth-turn wall on lap 20 of the 160-lap Brickyard event and finished 42nd to drop to 14th in the standings. "I just got hit in the left rear quarter panel," said Newman. "(David) Stremme tried sticking it underneath me when he shouldn't have and spun us around. We took a pretty good lick."

 

Etc.:  Newman knows he was "very fortunate at Indy to have only lost a little ground to the 12th-place driver (Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who finished 34th after suffering engine failure)." Newman trails Earnhardt by 49 points with only six races left until the Chase. Newman had pulled to within 30 points of 12th place before Indy.