Newman unconcerned about lack of attention

CONCORD, N.C. - Penske Racing's Ryan Newman stole the show with his fast qualifying lap Thursday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Can he turn that into a win in tonight's Bank of America 500?

Newman plans to try. Outside the Chase For The Nextel Cup field, Newman has labored outside the spotlight for the last string of races. He says he doesn't mind - he just wants his team to perform well.

Right now, he's taking things one practice, one qualifying, one race at a time.

"I don't look at it that way," he said when asked about comparisons to the Chase drivers. "I think, from my standpoint and the team's standpoint, we have a job to do on qualifying nights. We have a job to do on race days and try to get the car right in practice. Today was all about doing what we had to do to be first.

"I don't look at it as what we need to do to create some fame, because we're not in the Chase or anything like that. It's just a matter of going out and getting the job done."