NASCAR s Newman To Defend Title

Cecil, Ga
Apr 06, 2007

The second season of the Premier Racing Association s Big Car Series will kick-off Saturday night April 7th with a return visit to South Georgia Motorsports Park (SGMP). The SGMP-150 has been expanded by 50 laps for this exciting one of a kind event. When the series raced at SGMP last October, NASCAR Nextel Cup regular Ryan Newman paid a visit and won the then 100-lap event. Newman has confirmed that he will be in attendance on April 7th to defend his victory.

In addition, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series star Terry Cook has also told PRA officials that he will be there, making a rare appearance in an open wheel car. 2001 was the best year for Cook in the Truck Series. He finished 7th in points that year. He has a total of 6 wins. Cook will be driving for his father-in- law, famed car owner Bob East at SGMP.
2006 PRA Big Car Champion Chet Fillip will begin defense of his title. While he didn t record a victory last year, his consistency led to the series first championship. Chet was fast qualifier at South Georgia Motorsports Park last October on the progressive banked oval and finished 3rd in the race.

Others scheduled to make a return visit to the Cecil, Georgia facility include well known USAR Hooter s Pro Cup regular, A.J. Fike who finished 2nd there last October, Eric Gordon who won the PRA s inaugural event at Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, Indiana last June, and Donnelsville, Ohio s Teddy Beach.

Gates open at 4pm, practice will begin at 4:30 and qualifying will commence at 6:30. The feature event, expanded to 150-laps, will start at 8 o clock. An autograph session is to follow the conclusion of the race.

The Premier Racing Association, headquartered in Anderson, Indiana, sanctions open wheel racing involving cars which previously competed on pavement in the United States Auto Club s Silver Crown Division. The “Big Car Series” are open wheel sprint cars often piloted by a few well known Nascar drivers.

SOURCE

New reality show: Racers and razors

THE TICKER

March 18, 2007

Gillette's "Young Guns" -- that's Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman -- are coaching a field of celebrities through a NASCAR reality series.

Six 30-minute episodes and a one-hour final are being shot at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., and will run before NBA Finals games on ABC in June.

Handicapping some of the well-groomed celebrity drivers (that's show producer Gillette's rule; no "stubble or scruff of any kind"):

• William Shatner: Maybe he'll just sit in the backseat and let Sulu steer.

• John Elway: Ever heard of The Drive?

• John Salley: He was a Piston. And a spare part.

• Jewel: Might be tempted to sleep in her car, like the old days.

• Ty Murray: Jewel's rodeo cowboy boyfriend is used to horsepower.

• John Cena: NASCAR gives WWE champ a chance to show his cerebral side.

• Tony Hawk: Dude is the only one whose day job actually involves wheels.

• Laird Hamilton: The surfer was gettin' bugged driving up and down the same old strip. Now he can go 'round, 'round, get around, he gets around.

Ryan Newman Off To Rough Start in 2007

April 5, 2007
I was hoping for a better season opener for Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Team than I have seen so far. He has an average finish fo 22.3. NASCAR.COM Has Newman listed in 20th (tied for 19th in points) position. Out of the list of 54 drivrs with points (Michael Waltrip being 54th with -27) this put Newman well above half of the other drivers. But in a field of 43, he is But in a field of 43, he is below half and that is how it needs to be thought of

Ryan Newman is not far behind his career average position of 16.8. This average really isn't that bad. Other averages include - Earnhardt JR - 16.1, Dale Jarrett - 16.7, Jeff Gordon - 16.8, Johnson 12.1, Martin - 13.2 and Stewart 12.5. His average is well below some of the top NASCAR drivers, but he is right along side of some of the other top drivers as well. After not making the Chase last year and really having a "bad" year all around, I was really hopping to see more from the Alltel Dodge team this year.

Newman did have a good run last week in Martinsville and it looked like he was going to get a top 5 finish. He ended up in 14th and with all things considered that was a good finish. I had told my girlfriend that if he did better than 15th I would be happy. I find myself "hoping" alot with Newman. "I hope he doesn't crash this weekend". Or "I hope he doesn't blow and engine". Or "I hope he finishes "decently"". I am ready for Newman to step up and get the job done.

Lets see some more POLES and ROCKETS. Get those afterburners going Newman. We don't want you to be playing "catch up" all season."


Mike Pratt

Ryan Newman Test Speeds at Richmond

Richmond, VA - Ryan Newman, the driver of the #12 Alltel Dodge, had test speed Wednesday of 121.545 in the morning and 119.591 in the afternoon. This placed him 42nd in the morning and 48th in the afternoon according to the Times Dispatch - Richmond (full story).

Scene Daily is reporting that Ryan Newman cumulatively ranked 34th and 51st form both tests. (FULL STORY)

Team notes: Easter weekend brings break to some

Ryan Newman

No. 12 Dodge, Penske Racing

This week: Newman and the team tested Tuesday and Wednesday at Richmond.

Last week: Newman finished 14th at Martinsville despite a run-in with David Reutimann's car. "It just messed the car up," Newman said.

Etc.: Things got a little wild on the last restart with 18 laps to go at Martinsville as Newman battled rookies Juan Pablo Montoya and David Ragan for a spot inside the top 15. "We got three wide on the back straightaway and he (Montoya) overdrove into turn one," said Newman. "I thought he turned left. He said I just ran him out of room. He was up against the wall. It was just racin'."

OTHERS

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Ford, Roush Racing) believes the Richmond test this week is "real crucial. I think we've got a ways to go (on the COT) before we get to some of these bigger tracks (with the car)." Biffle seemed headed for his best Martinsville finish ever when he ran into brake problems late in the event. He fell to 32nd. ... Bobby Labonte (No. 43 Dodge, Petty Enterprises) crashed on lap 38 of the 500-lap event at Martinsville and finished last. "I went down into turn one and hit the brakes and they went all the way to the floor," he said. "Something had to go wrong. We had to break something. We didn't run long enough to have a brake problem." ... Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Chevrolet, DEI) also had brake problems at Martinsville. He finished 29th. "We were so good in practice," said Truex. ... Reed Sorenson (No. 41 Dodge, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates) finished 17th at Martinsville to jump into the top 25 in the point standings. "It was a pretty good day for us," said Sorenson. ... After a bad start to the season, Scott Riggs (No. 10 Dodge, Evernham Motorsports) was elated with his eighth-place finish at Martinsville. "Somehow all the bad luck we had all year didn't hit us today," said Riggs.

FULL STORY

***

Notes provided by The Sports Xchange

Newman To Return To South Georgia Motorsports Park

Apr 04, 2007

The second season of the Premier Racing Association s Big Car Series will kick-off Saturday night April 7th with a return visit to South Georgia Motorsports Park. When the series raced there last October, Nascar Nextel Cup regular Ryan Newman paid a visit and won the 100-lap event. Newman has confirmed that he will be in attendance on April 7th to defend his victory.

FULL STORY

Ryan Newman to Run the Knoxville Late Model Nationals

This Article is dated Friday, March 23, 2007

KNOXVILLE, Iowa -- Ryan Newman, winner of 12 NASCAR Nextel Cup events, will return to competition at Knoxville Raceway for the 4th Annual Lucas Oil Knoxville Late Model Nationals on September 27-29, 2007. He joins Nextel Cup Champion Tony Stewart who is entered in hopes of bettering his 2006 Knoxville Late Model Nationals finish of 2nd by one spot this year.

FULL STORY

Ryan Newman to enter race in Iowa

Des Moines Register - ...........and Ryan Newman's plans to race Sept. 27-29 at Knoxville Raceway's Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals, the addition of Martin and Harvick bring the total of prominent NASCAR drivers aiming toward Iowa this season to five. - FULL STORY

Newman overcomes early pit problems to earn top-15 finish

Monday April 2, 2007
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger, probably would have preferred to stay out of the pits early in Sunday’s Goody’s Cool Orange 500, as his first two stops had problems that were out of Newman’s and the Alltel team’s control.

During Newman’s first stop on lap 41, front-tire carrier Scott Reineger was hit by Juan Pablo Montoya's Dodge Avenger as he was running around to the car's right side. Reineger escaped with a bruise on his leg and was able to perform his duties during the remainder of the race.

On his second stop, Newman had to back up at the completion of the stop so he wouldn’t hit one of Montoya’s crew members. The stop cost Newman seven spots when the field went back to green.

The remaining five pit stops were less eventful and most of them ended with Newman gaining spots on pit road. When the checkered flag flew, Newman had fought his way to a 14th-place finish.

For the season, Newman moved up to a 19th-place tie with rookie David Ragan in the drivers’ standings; Newman is 61 points out of the 12th position and 377 points behind overall leader Jeff Gordon.

Newman’s started Martinsville in the 24th position after a spin during Friday’s qualifying session. For the first 55 laps of the 500-lap race, Newman hovered inside the top 25 before breaking into the top 20 on lap 56. The main balance problem for Newman the entire day was tightness in the center and loose on exit. The problem started early, but it was never too extreme for Newman to control it. Crew chief Mike Nelson and the Alltel crew made changes throughout the day that helped the balance on Newman’s car.

The yellow flag flew 13 times during the short-track race -- with the first caution period beginning on lap 5 when Casey Mears' car spun in turn four – and that gave the Alltel crew the opportunity to make the necessary adjustments to the Alltel Avenger.

Bite was what Newman wanted the most in his car. Nelson experimented with air pressure adjustments as well as changes to the wedge and track bar during the race. When Newman first started complaining about the tightness, Nelson had two pounds of air removed from the right-rear tire for the first stop, which was a two-tire stop. On the next stop, Nelson called for one pound out of the left-rear tire.

The air pressure adjustments helped the tightness in the center of the corners, but eventually, Newman’s car began to get too loose on exit and he wanted the car a little tighter in general. Nelson decided it was time to make changes to the track bar.

Newman was happy with his car by lap 245 when Kasey Kahne's Dodge spun, bringing out the seventh caution flag.

"The car is the best we’ve been all day," Newman told his crew. "We may want to go a half-round more into the left-rear, but the car is good."

Just 25 laps later, the car was good enough to break into the top 10 – where Newman would spend a majority of the last half of the race. Newman got as high as eighth and the car seemed to be getting better as the race progressed. The rain that had been predicted for the Martinsville area finally showed up late in the race and on lap 357, the red flag waved, halting the event. The rain didn’t stick around too long, though. After 31 minutes 40 seconds, NASCAR had the drivers back in their cars and running under the yellow flag.

Newman and Nelson had taken the time during the brief rain delay to discuss their strategy for the final 142 laps. They decided they only needed to make one more stop and could go the rest of the way on fuel. Newman came in for what he thought would be his final pit stop on lap 378 and took four tires and fuel; nine cars on the lead lap didn’t pit, which left Newman 15th when the green flag flew again. However, Newman came down pit road one more time on lap 430 for a track-bar adjustment, four tires and fuel. The team was hoping that fresh tires would help the car get back into the top 10 after many of the leaders decided to stay out on older tires.

The adjustments, though, brought back the tightness in the center that Newman had complained about earlier in the race and he spent the final laps racing teammate Kurt Busch and Montoya for a top-15 finish.

The Cup Series will take next weekend off for the Easter holiday before heading to Fort Worth, Texas, for the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. The No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger will return to the track, giving the COT cars a weekend off. FOX and PRN Radio will carry the race with live coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. CDT.

Ryan Newmna PODCAST after Martinsville

Driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Ryan Newman and XM Satellite Radio Host Claire B. Lang discuss last week's NASCAR Cup race at Martinsville Speedway, specifically the high energy racing during the last lap between Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Newman catches up with Lang this week while testing from Richmond International Raceway. They chat about the largest fish Newman ever caught, his favorite restaurant as well as answer questions from the Alltel All Axcess Racing Mailbag. Finally, Newman talks about the upcoming race at Texas Motor Speedway.

GET PODCAST HERE

Anderson native Nelson parlays love of racing into Nextel crew chief position

Source - www.greenvillenews.com
By Ed McGranahan
STAFF WRITER
emcgrana@greenvillenews.com

After eating a ton of dirt on area motocross courses for eight years, Mike Nelson of Anderson decided he would craft a career for himself in sports with his mind.

The result was his appointment in December as crew chief for Penske Racing driver Ryan Newman in the No. 12 Alltel Dodge.

"I started riding when I was 9 years old and started racing at 14," Nelson said. "I really loved it. I raced as much as I could.' FULL STORY

Ryan Newman and Juan Montoya

My Blog RYAN NEWMAN NASCAR.COM #12 I do not see the big deal over Montoya and Newman. Yes he and Ryan Newman traded some paint and yes Montoya hit the Alltel Dodge team member and front-tire carrier Scott Reineger on lap 41 when he pitted. But both of these were accidental and don't even deserve any coverage. But put them together and there must be a story. Hopefully they are (or more importantly everyone else is) pass this. Below are some stories about this. -Mike Pratt SI.com - Juan Pablo Montoya looked right at home at short track racing, trading paint with Ryan Newman and hitting Tony Raines' No. 96 Chevrolet from behind and sending him into the wall. After the race, Newman went in search of Montoya, found him at his team hauler and asked him over to his car, where the two were engaged in a brief animated discussion. - Full Story ******************************************************************* SI.com - - Lewis Frank Inside NASCAR - Ryan Newman was a bitr more charitable, but no less irriatetd after he and Montoya jostled for position during the race, prompting Newman to seek out Montoya after the race to ask him if he had turned down on Newman on a straightaway, a charge Montoya denied. Montoya didn't help his case with Newman by hitting Newman's front tire carrier during the first set of pit stops. "We got three wide on the back straightaway on that last restart, and he (Montoya) overdrove Turn 1," said Newman. "I thought he turned left. He said 'I just ran him out of room.' He was up against the wall. It was just racin'.'" Full Story

Official Results - Goody's Cool Orange 500 - Martinsville -Ryan Newman 14th

RYAN NEWMAN        NASCAR.COM #12    Goody's 500 results and Nextel Cup standings   1. (20) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 500 laps, 70.258 mph. $198,736.   2. (3) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 500, $153,861.   3. (1) Denny Hamlin, Chevrolet, 500, $139,125.   4. (14) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 500, $105,375.   5. (8) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 500, $141,833.   6. (19) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 500, $119,316.   7. (7) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 500, $124,486.   8. (26) Scott Riggs, Dodge, 500, $89,275.   9. (2) Jamie McMurray, Ford, 500, $88,525.   10. (33) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 500, $130,266.   11. (21) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 500, $84,325.   12. (12) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 500, $114,858.   13. (17) Ricky Rudd, Ford, 500, $107,383.   14. (24) Ryan Newman, Dodge, 500, $107,175.   15. (27) David Ragan, Ford, 500, $113,250.   16. (23) Juan Pablo Montoya, Dodge, 500, $109,850.   17. (9) Carl Edwards, Ford, 500, $82,050.   18. (28) Reed Sorenson, Dodge, 500, $100,083.   19. (4) Ken Schrader, Ford, 500, $95,239.   20. (11) Tony Raines, Chevrolet, 500, $84,550.   21. (37) Sterling Marlin, Chevrolet, 500, $88,558.   22. (42) Kyle Petty, Dodge, 499, $86,258.   23. (5) J.J. Yeley, Chevrolet, 499, $100,958.   24. (18) Elliott Sadler, Dodge, 498, $89,845.   25. (41) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 498, $115,366.   26. (36) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 498, $91,083.   27. (30) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 497, $67,700.   28. (38) Dale Jarrett, Toyota, 496, $67,500.   29. (15) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 496, $96,670.   30. (39) Mike Bliss, Dodge, 493, $79,747.   31. (10) Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet, 493, $67,050.   32. (34) Greg Biffle, Ford, 492, $84,925.   33. (43) David Reutimann, Toyota, 491, $67,650.   34. (25) Robby Gordon, Ford, 490, $66,575.   35. (29) David Stremme, Dodge, 490, $66,525.   36. (32) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, 487, $74,475.   37. (22) Dave Blaney, Toyota, 485, $74,400.   38. (40) AJ Allmendinger, Toyota, 483, $66,350.   39. (16) David Gilliland, Ford, rear end, 469, $93,514.   40. (13) Jeremy Mayfield, Toyota, running, 451, $66,225.   41. (6) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, running, 445, $114,911.   42. (35) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, running, 371, $74,115.   43. (31) Bobby Labonte, Dodge, running, 265, $102,409.  __  Race Statistics Time of Race: 3 hours, 44 minutes, 36 seconds.  Margin of Victory: 0.065 seconds. Caution Flags: 13 for 52 laps. Lead Changes: 14 among nine drivers.   Lap Leaders: D.Hamlin 1-40; E.Sadler 41-50; D.Hamlin 51-55; J.Gordon 56-92; M.Kenseth 93; J.Gordon 94-138; D. Hamlin 139-218; T.Stewart 219-224; J.Gordon 225-234; D.Earnhardt Jr. 235-303; T.Stewart 304-308; M.Truex Jr. 309; D.Earnhardt Jr. 310-377; Ky.Busch 378-387; J.Johnson 388-500. Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): D.Earnhardt Jr., 2 times for 137 laps; D.Hamlin 3 times for 125 laps; J.Johnson, 1 time for 113 laps; J.Gordon, 3 times for 92 laps; T.Stewart, 2 times for 11 laps; Ky.Busch, 1 time for 10 laps; E.Sadler, 1 time for 10 laps; M.Kenseth, 1 time for 1 lap; M.Truex Jr., 1 time for 1 lap. Point Standings: 1. J.Gordon 966. 2. J.Burton, 938. 3. J.Johnson, 906. 4. M.Kenseth, 836. 5. Ky.Busch, 804. 6. D.Hamlin, 776. 7. C.Bowyer, 751. 8. T.Stewart, 726. 9. C.Edwards, 710. 10. K.Harvick, 687.

Ryan Newman Finishes 14th At Martinsville

Martinsville, VA – After starting the Goody's Cool Orange 500 in 24th, Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge had a good running in Martinsville on Sunday.  Newman and his team finished 14th in the race.  They ran as high as 8th and as low as about 25.  Newman won positions in the pits and gambled with others when rain threatened the race.  For the first half of the race Newman was just riding.  For the second half Newman turned the rockets on and started trying to get position.      Up until lap 250 Newman was floating between 18th and the 25th position.  Lap 244 brought out the caution #7 as Greg Biffle made contact with Kasey Kane and spun him.  On the restart Ryan Newman was in 12th.     By lap 275 Newman was in 10th but fell to 11th when Jeff Gordon passed him.      When Robby Gordon blew a tire on lap 306, the 8th caution of the day was brought out.  Newman pitted on lap 307 under the caution and had a 14.60 pit stop time.  The green flag dropped on lap 312 with Newman in 10th and by lap 319 Ryan moved up to 9th.      On lap 322 Dale Earnhardt JR. had a lead over the rest of the field by more than 2.6 seconds and Newman was running in 9th. David Stremme spun in turn 4 on lap 335 to bring out the 9th caution of the day.  Rain clouds are threatening the race and half of the leaders decide to stay out and gamble on the rain coming in.  Ryan Newman decided to stay out and restarted in 8th position on lap 342.     Around lap 351 Ryan Newman was in the middle of a 3 wide situation with Kyle Busch on diving to the inside of Newman.  Kyle ended up lightly hitting Newman on the drivers side.  This results in Newman going back to 10th.     On lap 353 Robby Gordon spun in turn 4 and brought out the 10th caution.  Leaders including Ryan Newman decided to stay out because it was becoming very obvious that it was about to rain.     While still under caution, rain began to fall on lap 356 and the cars headed to pit row.  On lap 357 the red flag was thrown due to rain and the race came to a stop on lap 357 with Newman still in 10th.      The rain delay only lasted about a half hour and at 5:21 pm the cars were restarted.  Now Newman and the other leaders are in need of a pit stop.      For the restart on lap 363 Newman and some of the other leaders did not pit under the caution after the red flag stop and restarted in 8th.     On lap 367 Montoya in the #42 passes Newman sending Newman back to 9th.  Montoya then ran high and Newman jumped under him on lap 368 and they battled for almost a whole lap until Newman ended up back in 8th.     On lap 375 Tony Raines spins in turn 4 after Montoya does a cross over and dives under him for position.  Raines came down on Montoya and spins.  Newman has to come in and pit.  He restarted on lap 382 in 15th because some of the leaders had pitted earlier and Newman had stayed out.  Kyle Bush took the green flag as Dale Earnhardt JR pitted also and restarted in 9th.     On lap 388 Jimmie Johnson took the lead and Newman had moved up to 14th.     On lap 424 the caution comes out again when Dale Jarred lost his right rear tire in turn 2.  Newman was still in 14th.  Also Kevin Harvick's car caught fire and appeared to be done for the day.  Newman restarted in the 14th position on lap 439.     By lap 450 Newman fell back to 15th after Clint Boyer got around him.     When the 13th caution came out on lap 475 Newman had fallen back to 16th after battling with Montoya and Kurt Busch.   When everyone restarted on lap 483 Newman had gone back up to 14th.        The race ended with teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson battling for the checkered flag.  Jimmie won the battle and barely took the checkered flag over Jeff Gordon.   Mike Pratt   Complete Results RYAN NEWMAN   PENSKE RACING   NASCAR.com #12

Ryan Newman's 2nd Pratice At Martinsville

RYAN NEWMAN PENSKE RACING NASCAR.COM #12

Martinsville, VA - Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge had the 9th fastest practice time at Martinsville today. Newman's time was 93.377 MPH / 20.279 seconds. He trailed the leader of the practice, Martin Tuex JR, by .124 of a second. Pole setter Denny Hamlin ran 4th fastest during the second practice of the Goody's Cool Orange 500 with a time of 93.636 MPH / 20.223 seconds. Newman is starting mid-field in the 24th position. Complete Second Pratice Times At NASCAR.COM Complete Starting Grid At NASCAR.COM NASCAR.COM MARTINSVILLE Mike Pratt

Ryan Newman Qualifies 24th For The Goddy's Cool Orange 500

Martinsville, VA - Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Qualified 24th at the Martinsville Speedway. This weekend will be Ryan Newman's 11th showing at the Martinsville Speedway, NASCARs oldest and shortest track..

Ryan started all of the other races here in the top 10 with 8 top 5's and 1 pole. He also has 5 top 10 finishes with four of them being top 5's. His averagae finish for Martinsville is 15.2 and has a short track average finish of 16.2.

Newman has proven to be good at short tracks. Last week was also the debut of the COT and Ryan seemed to be handling the new car good and was working his way back up in the field when he got caught up in an accident wth Martin Truex JR. That resulted with Newman being ranked 23rd after the race after finishing 39th due to the accident.

Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Team were the fifth fastest in the 1st practice at Martinsville with a speed of 94.742 MPH / 19.987 lap time. Denny Hamlin who qualified for the pole position was 15th fastest in practice 1 with a speed of 94.420 MPH.

NASCAR.COM MARTINSVILLE

Mike Pratt

Recap of Ryan Newman's 2007 Season

CURRENTLY - 23RD POINTS – 468
BEHIND – 323
BEHIND 12TH – 107
TOTAL EARNINGS- $810,483

BRISTOL, TN – Started 22nd - Finished 39th POINTS – 18th to 23rd
Not a good day for Ryan Newman and the Alltel Dodge Team. This race featured the COT and on lap 96 Newman got a flat and had to pit forcing him 2 laps down. Newman did a great job trying to rebound and it looked as if he was going to rebound as he worked his way towards at least a top 20 finish. Midway through the race Newman had worked his way up to 24th but still one lap down. By lap 307 Newman was in the 17th position and one position away from receiving the "Lucky Dog". But, when Martin Truex Jr's car slammed into the wall on lap 310, Newman could not avoid him. He ended up putting a hole in the radiator (again?) and went 45 laps down and finished 39th.

HAMPTON, GA – Started 1st (43rd) - Finished 8th POINTS – 15th to 18th
Ryan Newman earned is 7th Bid Pole qualifying for the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, his first since July 2006. But during his second qualifying lap Newman began to notice problems with the engine (and had the fastest qualifying). During lap 9 of practice on Saturday the engine blew forcing the Alltel Dodge team to change the engine and start in the rear of the field. Newman worked his way up to 25th by lap 139 and that is where he stayed until finishing 23rd. Again helping Newman was his pit crew. At lest 5 of Newmans pits were less than 14 second including on under 13 seconds involving 4 tires, fuel and wedge adjustments in both the left and right rear

Las Vegas, NV - Started 39th - Finished 8th POINTS – 22nd to 15th
Just 3 races into the season Ryan Newman scored his first top 10 of the 2007 season. After starting as the lowest qualifying Dodge, Newman finished in 8th. Beginning on lap Newman was able to hold his Alltel Dodge around the 15th position for the entire race. Newman even led lap 81 to earn him 5 bonus points. Newman managed to gain track position on every stop except for one when he took 4 tires and others only took 2.

Fontana, CA – Started 19th - Finished 12th POINTS – 35th to 22nd
Ryan Newman and the Alltel Dodge had a lot better week at the Auto Club 500 placing 12th. It was Ryan's first top 15 at an intermediate track since June 2006. Out of 9 pit stops only 2 pit stops were over 14 seconds. Newman's biggest problem was on restarts. His Dodge would loose a little on the restarts but would quickly come back to him.

Dayton Beach, FL – Started 16th - Finished 38th Points - 35th
Ryan Newman started the Daytona 500 in the 16th postion. He managed to quickly get the ALLTEL Dodge into the top 10. By lap 20 Newman was in the top 5. Newman stayed in the top 5 until he had engine trouble with 26 laps to go and he headed for the garage. What was thought to be engine trouble was actually a leak in the radiator the eventually led to the engine being fried. All pit stops were completed in under 14 seconds with one pit stop being under 13 seconds.
RYAN NEWMAN PENSKE RACING NASCAR.com #12

How I became a Ryan Newman # 12 Alltel Dodge Fan

After completing 8 years in the military, I decided to get out. My first job was in the communications field which led me to be hired by CenturyTel (on the wireless side). Two weeks after starting it was announced that Alltel was buying CenturyTel out.
When the deal was sealed in AUG 2004 (I think it was) I noticed that Alltel sponsored a NASCAR car along with a lot of other events / sports / teams. So during the NFL season while I was watching football I started flipping over to NASCAR during the commercials to check on the #12 Alltel Dodge and Ryan Newman.
Before long I was sitting on the NASCAR channel longer than just the commercials breaks for the NFL. I was getting sucked into all the strategies and pitting options. A half pound of air pressure--are you kidding me? I bet my vehicle outside right now is at least 3 or 4 pounds low. But half of a pound can make all the difference for those guys.
By the end of the NASCAR season I was really getting into it. I was watching probably 50/50 NASCAR and NFL. By the time FEB 2005 rolled around......I was ready for the DAYTONA 500! With football not starting until August, the NFL never had a chance. By August 2005 I was completely into NASCAR and a huge Ryan Newman fan.....hook, line and sinker.
Now if my Pittsburgh Steelers happen to be aired in my area, I will split up my time 70% NASCAR 30% STEELERS. Other than that, the NFL is lucky to get me at all during a NASCR race. I mean even during commercials they could cut back at anytime if something happens. I can't risk being over on the NFL if that happens. There is usually enough time to run to the restroom, grab a snack and get back to the couch. Plus I love NASCAR commercials.
I am also very lucky because my girlfriend is a big NASCAR fan! So there are NO arguments about watching it. Even her son, who turns 1 this weekend, is a fan. I know hard to believe, but if the cars go off the TV (a commercial) he sits there "jibber jabbering" and yelling until they return.
Now, I hope Ryan and his team are able to get it together before we get to far into this season.
GOOD LUCK to Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Team

Mike Pratt