Ryan Newman Finishes 7th In Sharpie 500 at Bristol

Carl Edwards won the race at Bristol Saturday night with Kasey Kane finishing 2nd. Kane lead the most laps tonight at 305. Carl Edwards led the second most at 182 laps. That left 13 laps for others to lead.

Ryan Newman and his #12 Alltel Dodge team earned thier 10th Top 10 finish of the year by finishing 7th in the NEXTEL Cup Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Newman started 7th and stayed in the top 7 all night. He had a good car and did not push any issues. He just raced his race and suceeded at staying up front.

Newman consistantly lost positions on pit row though. on his first pit he came in 4th and went out 5th. On his second pit he came into the pits in 5th and left in 7th. Those tow pits were under caution. The third round of pits came under green. When green flag pits started, Newman was running 5th. Within a couple laps all lead cars had come in and Newman stayed out to lead a lap and gain 5 bonus points.

The most excitment for Nemwan was when he accidently got in the back of Dale Earnhardt JR when JR had to check up. This send JR fishtailing and making a great recovery. Shortly after that JR got back around Newman.

Earlier JR and Newman had gone back and forth trading positions. One time Newman just let JR go by instead of risking a wreck.

NOW FOR THE BAD NEWS...

While Newman had a great race and a top 10 Finish, so did everyone that he is battling with for 12th in the points position.

Dale Earnhardt JR finished 5th and led 1 lap for 5 bonus points.
Kurt Busch finished 6th and led 2 laps for 5 bonus points.
And of course Newman finished 7th and led 2 laps for 5 bonus points.

Almost doesn't seem fair, does it?

So here is where that leaves us for the poitns chase.

8th Kyle Busch +145 (From 12th)
9th Clint Bowyer +65
10th Kevin Harvick +9
11th Martin Truex JR +8
12th Kurt Busch ----
13th Dale Earnhardt JR -158
14th Ryan Newman -175

So the race for 12th has really tightened up for those 12th and above. But once again Ryan Newman has a good race along with everyone else guning for 12th and still fell farther behind in points to 175 points back.

Now, is it possible since 12th through 8th has really tightened up that JR and Newman still have a chance. I think so. All it will take is for either (or all)Kurt Busch, Martin Truex JR, Kevin Harvick or maybe Clint Bowyer to have a bad couple next weekends.

We will have to wait and see what happens.

Next weekends race is at California. Ryan Newman will be sporting his newly "inked" #12 Kodak Dodge.

Congrats to Ryan Newman on a great finish this weekend at Bristol, unfortunately everyone else that he did not need to have a great finish.....DID!!!!

Oh, and I am sick of ESPN. I posted something about that during the race, probably the post right below this one. But I think I will need to vent more about it tommorrow1!!

ESPN - SHOW THE SHARPIE 500 - NOT COMMERCIALS

Last night I watched the Busch series race. ESPN lost satallite feed for the last few laps.

Tonight I am getting frustraded with all the commercials. I am sitting here during another commercial break. I want to see the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motorspeedway. NOT COMMERCIALS.

Don't get me wrong, NASCAR commercials are some fo the BEST commercials there are.

But it seems ESPN is going to commercials about every 30 laps which is what...every 7-10 minutes. Even my fiance is asking why there are so many commercials.

DRIVING ME NUTS.

And it does not help that I just plain don't like ESPN coverage.

Ok, commercials done, back to the race.

Newman to Start 7th

Ryan Newman will start seventh in Saturday night's Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, his seventh top-10 start at the high-banked Tennessee short track.

"The car was good, but we had some problems with it in practice today,"
Newman said. "It didn't seem like any of our changes were making much of a difference, but from what I heard, a lot of teams were experiencing the same thing. We were able to pick up some speed, though, and our late qualifying draw helped as well. We're going to have a good starting position for tomorrow night's race."

The Sharpie 500 is the 24th race of the 2007 season. There are only three more left until the Chase for the Championship begins at Loudon, N.H. Newman sits 171 points out of the 12th position and needs good finishes in the next three races to make it into the 2007 Chase.

Coverage of Saturday night's Sharpie 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway will be handled by ESPN and PRN radio beginning at 7 p.m. EDT.

Line-up for the Sharpie 500:
1. Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge
2. Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge
3. Jamie McMurray, No. 26 Irwin Tools Ford
4. David Ragan, No. 6 AAA Ford
5. Dave Blaney, No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota
7. Ryan Newman, No. 12 Alltel Dodge
19. Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

Ryan Newman's Finish of 28th In Food City 250 Is Misleading

Ryan Nemwan and his #12 Alltel Dodge had a great run in NASCAR's Busch Series race. Newman started 11th in the Food City 250 and ran there or higher for most of the night.

Nemwan last time taking fresh tires was on lap 78 and the team decided to go the rest of the race on those tires. Newman was looking to go 172 laps with out taking tires. And he was getting the job done.

Newman ended up leading quite a few laps. Toward the end Kasey Kane was coming on srong along with Jason Leffler and David Reutimann.

With about 10 or 12 to go Kane caught Nemwan. Kane was on alot newer tires than Newman. Newman was not about to let Kane get by him.

Kane kept trying low while Newman was running high....that's right, running high at Bristol. That was also Kanes preffered line.

Newman and Kane ended up beating and banging and Kane ended up in the wall for a little while but did not back down and got around Nemwan with 7 laps to go when Leffler and Kane had Newman in a sandwich with Kane high and Leffler Low.

As Nemwan was falling back out of that sandwich, he hit Lefflers rear quarter panel cutting his front drivers side tire sending him in the wall.

Great race for Newman, with an unfortunate finish.

I REALLY like seeing Nemwan being a little more aggressive than normal.

After the race, Newman said that he was trying to beat on Kane just enough to help him, but NOT to wreck Kane.

Kane went on to finish with the win.

I think Newman learned alot on the Bristol surface tonight and will be able to take that into the Cup race with him tommorrow night.

Ryan Newman Results -Qualifying For The Sharpie 500

Ryan Newman has qualified 7 for the Sharpie 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Newman had a speed of 119.018 / 16.122 / -0.106.

Newman was -0.106 seconds behind the Pole setter Kasey Kahne who had a qualifying time of 119.805 / 16.016.

There are 4 Dodge's in the top 11 qualifying order for Bristol on Saturday night. The include pole setter Kasey Kane, starting 2nd is rookie Juan Pablo Montoya, starting 7th is Ryan Newman and starting int he 11th place is Scott Riggs.

Newman's teammate and 12th in the points Kurt Busch is starting 19th. Newman is currently in the 14th points position while Kurt Busch is in 12th, 171 points ahaed of Newman.

Other chase condenders that Newman has to worry about and beat in Saturday nights race include -

11th in points - Martin Truex JR - Starting 25th
12th in points - Kurt Busch - Starting 19th
13th in points - Dale Earnhardt JR - Starting 17th


Qualifying Order

Practice 1 Results

Practice 2 Results

Practice 3 Results


Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway

Busch Series - Newman To Start 11th In Food City 250

BRISTOL, Tenn. (Aug. 24, 2007) - Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, will start 11th in Friday night's Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

This is only the second time Newman has started a Busch Series race at BMS from outside the top 10. He started 15th in August 2001.

"The car is good. These guys have worked really hard and I think we'll have a good shot at winning tonight," Newman said after posting a qualifying lap of 118.966 mph, 16.129 seconds, on the half-mile track. "We're out here to have fun and to win the race, so there's no pressure on us tonight. It's just a matter of having fun."

Tonight's Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway will be broadcast live by ESPN2 and PRN radio beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

AT&T asks judge for injunction, right to use logos

BRISTOL, Tenn. - As expected, AT&T has asked U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Shoob to issue another injunction to allow its logos on the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing car.

The motion was filed in the Atlanta court Friday afternoon. A hearing isn't expected until the week of Sept. 10 at the earliest.

Shoob granted AT&T's injunction request May 18 on breach-of-contract grounds, but the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the decision Aug. 13.

Now AT&T is asking for another injunction on the basis of other legal arguments, focusing on the theory that a company has been the victim of an injustice by the promises of another company.

At issue is a June 2003 meeting between NASCAR and Cingular officials concerning Nextel becoming the primary sponsor of the Cup Series in 2004.

AT&T and Cingular were involved in a merger in December 2006, and NASCAR will not allow AT&T's logo on the Jeff Burton car.

"NASCAR promised that [AT&T] could continue to sponsor the #31 Car; NASCAR should have - and, indeed, did - expect [AT&T] to rely on that promise by continuing to invest in NASCAR racing; [AT&T] in fact relied on that promise by continuing to pour millions into the sport," AT&T states in its brief for the injunction.

AT&T says that Cingular/AT&T have spent more than $150 million in the sport since becoming a team sponsor in 2001. It alleges that it wouldn't have done so if it was not persuaded that it could remain a sponsor.

The company argues that it relied on the 2003 meeting because it wanted to know how it would be limited in its ability to leverage its sponsorship with Nextel as the series sponsor.

"In its June 2003 meeting with Plaintiff%22">Plaintiff (AT&T), NASCAR provided precisely such reassurance by telling Plaintiff it should 'TRUST US' and committing to Plaintiff that, notwithstanding NASCAR's discretion over the sport, [and] Plaintiff's sponsorship relationship with RCR would not be compromised by the exclusivity NASCAR otherwise granted to Nextel," AT&T states. "Having made that commitment, NASCAR cannot now rely on the existence of such discretion to force Plaintiff from the sport by foreclosing it from featuring its current name on the #31 car."

NASCAR officials have testified that Cingular knew it couldn't change names. The sanctioning body had not allowed Cingular parent SBC to be on a car in 2003 and has denied other paint schemes featuring other logos that are not connected to Cingular.

AT&T also argues that Cingular was not acquired by a third party but it is just changing the name after the merger of BellSouth and AT&T. BellSouth had owned 40 percent of Cingular. AT&T had merged in 2005 with SBC, which owned 60 percent of Cingular (which, by the way, had bought AT&T Wireless in 2004).

Ryan Newman's 2nd Practice Results For Bristol Motor Speedway

Ryan Newman and the #12 ALLTEL Dodge team had their seodnd practice at Bristol Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Sharpie 500
Newman was 9 in practice with a speed of 116.836 mph / 16.423 sec.
Newman was -0.137 seconds behind the leader Carl Edwards who had a practice time of 117.819 / 16.286.



Qualifying Order

Practice 1 Results

Practice 2 Results


Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 ALLTEL Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway

Ryan Newman 1st Practice Results For Bristol Motor Speedway

Ryan Newman and the #12 ALLTEL Dodge team had their first practice at Bristol Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Sharpie 500.
Newman was 10 in practice with a speed of 118.885 mph / 16.14 sec.
Newman was -0.101 seconds behind the leader Kyle Busch who had a practice time of 119.633 / 16.039.


Practice 1 Results

Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 ALLTEL Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway

No signal: AT&T logos off Burton's car at Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. - The No. 31 Richard Childress Racing car was unloaded as a plain orange and black car without AT&T logos Friday morning at Bristol Motor Speedway.

With NASCAR Vice President of Racing Operations Steve O'Donnell watching, the Jeff Burton crew unloaded the car at 6 a.m. with a car that met NASCAR's approval.

That's because it didn't have AT&T logos on it. It didn't have any logos on the hood or the side panels.

The team hauler was plain black with the 31 number, and the team was wearing gray RCR t-shirts. All AT&T logos have been removed from pit equipment as well.

NASCAR and AT&T have been embroiled in a legal battle since March over the logos, the result of a merger involving Cingular and AT&T in December 2006.

AT&T had won an injunction on breach of contract grounds as U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Shoob ruled May 18 that NASCAR's grandfather clause in its licensing agreement that gives RCR a car number allowed for the Cingular logos to be changed to AT&T.

The AT&T logo has been on the car since May 19, but the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Aug. 13 that because the grandfather clause (enacted in 2004 when Nextel became the primary sponsor of the Cup Series) was designed to benefit RCR and not necessarily Cingular, that AT&T could not sue under breach of contract grounds.

AT&T plans to file for another injunction today citing other legal theories rather than breach of contract. It has asked the court for a hearing the week of Sept. 10.

AT&T has submitted paint schemes for approval, but NASCAR will not allow the AT&T globe or any AT&T slogans on the car.

NASCAR would have allowed a "Go Phone" paint scheme approved in 2005, which had Cingular on the side panel and on the rear deck lid.

AT&T submitted a revised "Go Phone" scheme but the Cingular wording was much smaller with no logo. NASCAR rejected that paint scheme Wednesday, according to AT&T.

Why Ryan Newman and Team Won't Make The Chase

I am a huge #12 Ryan Newman Fan, but.....

Will he make the chase? Unfortunatly....no, he will not. I really hate saying that but Ryan Newman and his #12 Penske Dodge Team just don't seem to have it this year. While teammate Kurt Busch and his team have really been stepping up their game, Newman and team just haven't seemed to. Newman is doing about as good as he has all year, and no better.

I don't think this year has been Newman's fault or his teams for that matter. Newman has been very discouraged at many races this year with his pit crew. He is working with a new crew chief, Mike Nelson. No offense to Mike Nelson, but they should have kept Matt Borland around. I read a posting from someone that was supposedly at Watkins Glen and listening to Newman on the scanner. He stated that Newman was very frustrated with his spotters. They were not giving him information quick enough about what was going on. Not to mention that he was never happy with his car.

There have been mistakes on pit row along with some slow pit times. And for the first time, Nemwan is mentioning things like this. Not really like him. I think it shows his frustration.

As a team, they have not cracked the top 12 all year. They have been 13th in points after 7 races this year. 14th in points after 4 races this year and 15th after 3 races. Each time (expect once) that they hit the 13th points position, they dropped back off one or two positions. Never cracking the top 12.

The first 9 races of the year their highest points postion was 15th, breifly. They were mostly in the 20's in points. Race #10 at got the #12 team into 19th position. After that, except for once, they have been between 15th and 13th.

I believe that this is where Newman will finish the year. Some where between 13th and 15th. In fact I believe he will be 13th, first of the non chase contenders.

I hate saying all this, I really hope Ryan Newman and his team make it into the chase

Bristol will really determine if Newman and team can get those rockets fired up or not.

Bristol will probably make or break the team. If they do really well at Bristol and Kurt Busch along with Martin Truex JR don't do so hot, then Newman will have a chance. Then of course there is Dale Earnhardt JR. I would also like to see him make it. But if it comes down to it......GO NEWMAN!!

If Newman does poorly at Bristol, then it is over. Heck, if they just do "OK" then it is probably over. They need something great.

Once again, I hope Newman and #12 Penske Dodge make it in. I think they are just having some growing pains this year and I expect a lot better results out of that team next year.

At least in my eyes, Newman has proven that he can drive a car and drive it well. He just needs to find the "total package".

AT&T - Nascar Forcing AT&T To Put Cingular Name On RCR/Jeff Burton's #31

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In this article AT&T is quoted as saying that NASCAR is REQUIRING then to not only remove the AT&T name and logo immediately, BUT also they MUST have the name Cingular on the car.

 

Are you kidding me.  If Budweiser wanted a red and white paint scheme that did not actually say "Budweiser" on it, would NASCAR force Budweiser to have their name on it?  I don't think so.  What if Home Depot just wanted a orange car with out the "Home Depot" on it.  Would NASCAR make them?  Don't think so!

 

NASCAR is WAY over board here.  I can understand wanting the "Go Phone" off of the car IF IF IF that was not part of the previous Cingular.  But MAKING them put the name Cingular on the car...WOW! Sounds like AT&T really wants to stay in the game and keeps trying.  Good luck to them, RCR and Jeff Burton.

 

WAY OUT OF CONTROL- Don't know why, but this story and this subject gets my blood boiling.
***************

BRISTOL, Tenn. - NASCAR has rejected proposed paint schemes featuring AT&T's "Go Phone" and the AT&T Mobility tagline "More Bars in More Places" as AT&T seeks a way to remain on the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing car, according to AT&T.

AT&T, in a motion filed today in U.S. District Court asking the court to expedite another preliminary injunction hearing, called NASCAR's actions "unreasonable and vindictive" and indicated that its Go Phone scheme was similar to one used in May 2005.

"NASCAR insisted that not only must AT&T Mobility remove the 'AT&T' name and logo immediately, but also that AT&T Mobility feature the very name, 'Cingular,' that AT&T Mobility has spent millions of dollars removing from the marketplace," AT&T states in its motion.

AT&T had won an injunction on breach of contract grounds as U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Shoob ruled May 18 that NASCAR's grandfather clause in its licensing agreement that gives RCR a car number allowed for the Cingular logos to be changed to AT&T following their December 2006 merger.

But the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that because the grandfather clause (enacted in 2004 when Nextel became the primary sponsor of the Cup Series) was designed to benefit RCR and not necessarily Cingular, that AT&T could not sue under breach of contract grounds.

AT&T said it attempted to compromise this week by not including the AT&T globe and the Cingular name on its Go Phone scheme but that NASCAR rejected it Wednesday because the Cingular logo was too small.

"AT&T Mobility has removed the AT&T logo and name from the car, consistent with the Court of Appeal's decision," AT&T states in its motion to have a hearing as early as the second week of September. "That should be enough for NASCAR and Sprint Nextel.

"But now NASCAR wants to ensure that AT&T Mobility's customers are confused by insisting (apparently at the behest of Sprint Nextel) that AT&T Mobility prominently and with large and bold type display 'Cingular' on the #31 car when AT&T Mobility is in the process of completing its name transition."
The actual motion for a new preliminary injunction will be filed Friday in Shoob's court, AT&T indicated in its filing Thursday.

"NASCAR has approved multiple paint schemes for the 31 including a Cingular Go Phone scheme," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said. "The 31 has many, many options from which to choose. This is about living up to the agreements that were made.

"In 2003 we made an agreement with RCR to keep its sponsor in the series. We believe that agreement should be honored. Finally, remember that Sprint Nextel benefits all competitors and we have a contractual obligation on behalf of the industry to protect the exclusivity."

AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said AT&T is still unsure of what paint scheme will be used for the race Saturday night at Bristol.

Penske - Only 3 Races Remain Before The Chase

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Aug. 22, 2007)  With only three races remaining before the 2007 Chase for the Championship begins at New Hampshire International Speedway in September, Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger, is fighting to secure a spot in this year's title battle.

Newman is sitting in the 14th position, just 171 points behind teammate Kurt Busch who possesses the final transition spot for the Chase.

This weekend, Newman will compete in the NASCAR Busch and Cup Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway.

On Friday night, Newman will drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger in the Food City 250 for his sixth NASCAR Busch Series start at BMS, his 36th in the Busch Series.

Newman has an average start of 4.8 and an average finish of 5.0 at Bristol. He earned his first Busch Pole Award last year at this same race. His lowest start at BMS has been 15th; with his other three starts being two from third place and one from second.

Newman has never finished a Busch race outside of the top 10 at BMS. He earned his only victory at Bristol in the Food City 250 in 2005 and has one other finish from the top five  a fourth in the spring race earlier this year. Newman's other finishes include an eighth and two sixths.

Newman has led 236 laps in three races at Bristol and has completed every lap possible at the Tennessee track in the Busch Series  1,302 of 1,302  giving him a 100 percent completion rate since he began racing at the high-banked facility.

I enjoy running the Busch races at Bristol and it's going to be very interesting to see what the new surface is like in race conditions, Newman said. We came up here a couple months ago to test the Busch car, but rain kept us from spending a lot of time here, so I don't think anyone really got a great feel for what the track is going to be like. I'm excited to get up there and be one of the first drivers to race on the new surface. I don't know what's going to happen with 43 cars on the track, but I think it will definitely be interesting.

On Saturday night, Newman will drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger in his 12th Cup start at Bristol. It will be his 212th career start in the Cup Series.

In a Cup car, Newman has an average start of 8.7 and an average finish of 21.4. Newman has two Bud Pole Awards at Bristol along with six other top-10 starts. Newman's lowest starting position occurred this spring when he qualified 22nd.

Newman has five top-10 finishes at BMS. He has one 22nd-place finish and five 30th or lower.

Bristol is always a fun track to race at," Newman commented. "You never know what is going to happen there...you can get really lucky and miss all the accidents or you can get caught up in one that ruins your whole day especially if you have a really good car. We were unable to miss an accident during the spring race and it took a really good car out of the race, but that's the way it goes at Bristol. It's such a crowded track when 43 cars are on it that you just never know what's going to happen. I like racing at Bristol and I'm looking forward to running both races there this weekend.

Newman has led 55 laps in two races at Bristol and has completed 5,063 laps of a possible 5,504, giving Newman a completion rate of 92 percent at the World's Fastest Half Mile.

Crew chief Mike Nelson and the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger team will take chassis PRS-511 to run in the Sharpie 500 on Saturday night. This car was last raced in Martinsville in April. Newman qualified 24th after spinning in turns three and four on his second qualifying lap; he finished 14th. The back-up car for Bristol will be PRS-515, which was used at Dover in June when Newman started on the pole and finished second. It was first used at Darlington in May where Newman qualified 29th and finished fourth.
ESPN2 and PRN radio will cover the Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT. ESPN and PRN radio will cover Saturday's race live beginning at 7 p.m. EDT.

Penske - Ryan Newman at Bristol

NNCS
-- Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger, will make his 12th Cup start at Bristol Motor Speedway. It will be his 212th career start in the Cup Series.

-- Newman has an average start of 8.7 and an average finish of 21.4. Newman has two Bud Pole Awards at Bristol along with six other top-10 starts. Newman's lowest starting position occurred this spring when he qualified 22nd.

-- Newman has five top-10 finishes at BMS. He has one 22nd-place finish and five of 30th or lower.

-- Newman has led 55 laps in two races at Bristol. He has completed 5,063 laps of a possible 5,504. Newman has a completion rate of 92 percent at the World's Fastest Half Mile in Bristol, Tenn.

-- The primary car for Bristol is chassis PRS-511. It was last used at Martinsville in April when Newman qualified 24th and finished 14th. The backup car is PRS-515. It's the car Newman drove to the pole and then a second-place finish at Dover in June. It was first used at Darlington in May when Newman qualified 29th and finished fourth.

Newman On Bristol: Bristol is always a fun track to race at. You never know what is going to happen there...you can get really lucky and miss all the accidents or you can get caught up in one that ruins your whole day, especially if you have a really good car. We were unable to miss an accident during the spring race and it took a really good car out of the race, but that's the way it goes in Bristol. It's such a crowded track with 43 cars on it that you just never know what's going to happen. I like racing at Bristol and I'm looking forward to running both races there this weekend.

NBS
-- Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, will make his sixth NASCAR Busch Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway. It will be his 36th career start in the Busch Series.

-- Newman has an average start of 4.8 and an average finish of 5.0 at Bristol. Newman earned his first Busch Pole Award last year at this same race. His lowest start at BMS has been 15th. His other three starts include two from third place and one from second.

-- Newman has never finished a Busch race outside of the top 10 at BMS. He earned his only win at Bristol in the Food City 250 in 2005. His only other finish in the top five was a fourth in the spring race earlier this year. Newman's other finishes include an eighth and two sixths.

-- Newman has led 236 laps in three races at Bristol. He has completed every lap possible at the Tennessee track -- 1,302 of 1,302 -- giving him a 100 percent completion rate since he first competed at the track.

-- Newman's primary car for the Food City 250 is PBC-008, which was raced in 2006 by Kurt Busch, but hasn't been used in 2007, Last year, it finished second at Charlotte, sixth at Chicago and third at Dover. It was crashed at the Richmond test earlier this year and recently rebuilt. The backup car is PBC-017, a new car that hasn't been raced or tested.

Newman On Bristol: I enjoy running the Busch races at Bristol. It's going to be very interesting to see what the new surface is like in race conditions. We came up here a couple months ago to test the Busch car, but rain kept us from spending a lot of time here, so I dontt think anyone really got a great feel for what the track is going to be like. I'm excited to get up there and be one of the first drivers to race on the new surface. I don't know what's going to happen with 43 cars on the track, but I think it will definitely be interesting.

Ryan Newman and the Bristol Motor Speedway

Ryan Newman and his Penske Racing #12 Alltel Dodge will be racing here this weekend in the Sharpie 500.
Bristol Motor Speedway


-Location : Bristol, TN
-Completed : 1961
-Distance : .533 miles
-Shape : Oval
-Seating : 160,000


-Nextel Cup Top Race Speed : 100.989 by Cale Yarborough on 4/17/1977
-Nextel Cup Top Qualifying Speed : 128.709 by Ryan Newman on 3/21/2003


MANUFATURER WINS AT Bristol Motor Speedway SINCE 2002
DODGE = 1
FORD = 6
CHEVROLET = 4


RYAN NEWMAN'S STATS AT Bristol Motor Speedway

Ryan Newman's Stats
At Bristol Motor Speedway		At Short Tracks
STARTS	11	33
POLES	2	NA
WINS	0	1
TOP 5	1	9
TOP 10	5	17
AVG START	8.7	7.9
AVG FINISH	21.4	15.8
LAPS COMP	5063	NA
% COMP	-0.9205	NA
LAPS LED	55	NA
TOTAL $$$	1154379	NA

Good luck to Ryan Newman and the Penske Racing's #12 Alltel Dodge NASCAR Nextel Cup Team at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Sharpie 500 this coming week and weekend!!!


Mike Pratt

New Ryan Newman Podcast - After Michigan

This week, Trent Cherry, the rear tire changer and trainer for the No. 12 Team, joins XM Satellite Radio Host Claire B. Lang as a guest on this week's Podcast to discuss the rain-delayed race from Michigan International Speedway.

They also answer questions from the Alltel All Axcess Racing Mailbag, where Cherry provides his opinion on which celebrity Ryan Newman may like to see as a guest host on the Podcast. In addition, Newman updates fans on his latest efforts to preserve wildlife in Michigan.

Finally, Cherry and Lang preview the upcoming race at Bristol Motor Speedway, where the team hopes to finish well in an effort to qualify for the Chase.

Court says AT&T must be removed from No. 31 car

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a mandate allowing NASCAR to require the removal of AT&T logos from the No. 31 Chevrolet owned by Richard Childress Racing and driven in the Nextel Cup Series by Jeff Burton.

Tuesday's mandate was an affirmation of the 11th Circuit's unanimous decision to vacate the preliminary injunction granted to AT&T in May by U.S. District Senior Judge Marvin H. Shoob. The appeals court had ruled Aug. 13 that, because AT&T was not an intended third-party beneficiary of the "grandfather clause" that allowed Cingular to continue its sponsorship of the No. 31 car, the injunction was not valid on breach-of-contract grounds.

The grandfather clause was a provision of NASCAR's agreement with RCR that allowed Cingular to sponsor the car after NASCAR contracted with Nextel, a competitor of Cingular in the telecommunications industry, as exclusive title sponsor of the Cup Series, beginning in 2004. A series of mergers brought AT&T and Cingular together, and AT&T has implemented a comprehensive campaign to announce the rebranding of Cingular as AT&T Wireless.

AT&T's injunction request was one step in the legal process. The case proper still must be heard in District Court, as must NASCAR's $100 million counterclaim against AT&T. Nor does the 11th Circuit's decision prevent AT&T from trying to seek injunctive relief on other grounds.

"The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a mandate, which now allows NASCAR to fully enforce its agreement with series sponsor Sprint Nextel on behalf of the entire NASCAR industry," NASCAR spokesperson Ramsey Poston said. "Therefore, the 31 may only run paint schemes approved by NASCAR that are in compliance with the industry's agreement with Sprint Nextel.

"What's this mean? It means that David has won Round 2 with Goliath."

The AT&T logos remained on the car at Michigan during a weeklong grace period that would have allowed AT&T to file a request for reconsideration of the appeals court's ruling. AT&T on Monday asked for a clarification of language in the Aug. 13 decision that might have been construed to mean that the entire case was being remanded for dismissal.

The appeals court clarified the issue, indicating the case has been remanded to District Court for trial, then issued the mandate allowing NASCAR to require the removal of the logos from the car.

Barring further legal maneuvering, NASCAR expects the logos to be off the car for Saturday's race in Bristol, Tenn. Poston said NASCAR had approved a variety of paint schemes for the No. 31 car, none of which includes the AT&T logos.

Calls to Richard Childress Racing referencing the logo issue were not returned.

Michigan race fans show their loyalty

Neither rain, nor fog, nor the threat of missing work or school could keep Michigan International Speedway’s race fans away Tuesday.

Race fans turned out in droves to attend the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series 3M Performance 400 two days past its scheduled date. Persistent rain postponed the race not once, but twice. The race was scheduled to run Sunday, Aug. 19, but finally got under way Tuesday.

“No other sports fans in the world are like NASCAR fans,” speedway President Roger Curtis said. “They battled postponements, long, cold days in the rain and mud. They even battled fog. Other sports fans would have thrown in the towels and umbrellas long before Tuesday.”

3M Performance 400 race winner Kurt Busch agreed. “For all the fans to be here on a Tuesday — I’m sure some of them might not have a job when they show up for work tomorrow morning,” Busch said. “There’s some diehard fans in this area … The heart that NASCAR fans have and their drive to be out here and give up a little family time or whatever it might have been, to see them here at the track was incredible. And to have a great finish like we did, going all the way to a green-white-checkered, the fans got their money’s worth.”

Michigan International Speedway had not experienced a rain-forced postponement in 30 years. The last rain postponement at the track occurred in August 1977 during the then-NASCAR Winston Series Champion Spark Plug 400, eventually won by Darrell Waltrip. The race took place on a Monday.

NASCAR statistical pundits believe this weekend’s Michigan event was the first time in the history of the sport that a race was forced into a consecutive two-day postponement.

Curtis said the weather conditions tested the race fans, and became a valuable learning tool for him and the staff. The condition of the track’s nine campgrounds and 10 parking lots throughout the 1,400 acres was muddy and rutted following National Weather Service estimates of about three inches of rain in two days.

Curtis said repairs need to be done to the parking and RV lots in the off-season to prepare for 2008. He has already contacted the speedway’s parent company, International Speedway Corporation in Daytona Beach, Fla., to ask for funds to repair and improve the lots and is confident they’ll agree.

The challenges of the rain delays also allowed the staff to experience other facets of the speedway as many of the full-time employees took on additional duties throughout the event. The speedway relies on many volunteer and part-time event groups to staff the track during race weekends. As days passed, the staffing grew thin so full-time speedway employees and employees from other racetracks and several area service groups jumped in and helped out.

Curtis drove trams and parked cars; Andy Longenberger, the speedway’s corporate sales director, stubbed tickets at the gates; Information and Technology Lead Linda Baca, who flew in to work the event from Daytona Beach, Fla., worked in a food concession booth selling hot dogs and hamburgers; even Kaitlin Corner, a college intern in the Communications Department, drove a courtesy shuttle for disabled guests.

Additional fire crews were brought in from Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., and Watkins Glen International in New York to staff the event when many of the speedway’s regular force of fire and safety crews needed to head back to their “real” jobs.

“It’s all in a day’s work to pitch in where we’re needed,” Curtis said. “But nothing we did even compares to what the fans went through the past few days. They endured a lot and we will always appreciate them.”

Some of the race fans noticed the staff’s dedication. Shari Mehlhose from Bay City, Mich., wrote to the speedway staff on Monday, and said: “I just wanted to say a big thank you to all the staff at MIS. They have made the best out of a bad situation the last few days due to the rain. Not once have I heard any of them complain. Through it all, they had a smile on their faces.”

Winners Of My KODAK Ticket Give Away

I had a lot of fun giving away tickets for Kodak on this blog. Got some very interesting responses and my fiance had some good laughs.

Here is the link to my label NASCAR TICKET GIVE AWAY. It will show any posts about the contest.

The winners have been chosen!!

I asked the winners if I could post there names and locations along with any blog or website that they might be associated with. The info below is what they asked me to post.

They are -

Brandon Walker
Spokane, WA

Thomas Mueller
Salinas,CA

Sal Sigala Jr.
La Puente, CA

Cleone Skaug(her brother Todd entered contest for her as a suprise!)
Lancaster,CA

FlyingJ
Southern,CA
http://www.fark.com/sports/

Seeing as the race is in California, I was not suprised at the amount of entries from California. Alot of people are probably in the same boat as me....there was no way they could make it to California Speedway for the race...even with free tickets.

Anyway, thanks again to Kodak for the opportunity. I will be here if they want to do something again.!!!!

Mike

Michigan - RYAN NEWMAN BATTLES BACK FOR TOP 20

After two days of waiting for the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway to begin, the green flag finally fell Tuesday morning after the fog hovering over the track lifted.

The race started with eight green-yellow flag laps. The spotters above the frontstretch and the NASCAR officials in the tower couldn't see the entire track clearly due to the fog and wanted to wait until it was clear before letting the 43-car field go green. After eight laps, NASCAR brought the cars down pit road on lap 9 for a 32-minute 16-second red-flag period.

The drivers were finally turned loose under green-flag conditions on lap 13. Newman gained 10 spots in 11 laps, but the car was tight, especially in the center of turns three and four. A competition yellow waved on lap 31 and Newman was able to bring the No. 12 Alltel Dodge down pit road for his first stop for four tires, fuel and four rounds up on the right-side track bar.

Newman restarted in 25th and quickly climbed into the top 20, despite battling a very loose car entering and exiting the corners that was also tight in the middle of turns three and four.

Crew chief Mike Nelson brought Newman to pit road for his second stop on lap 74 during a green-flag sequence. Nelson called for four tires, fuel, one round of wedge out of the left rear and 1.5-rounds up on the right-side track bar. When the green-flag stops cycled through, Newman was in 18th.

The yellow flag flew again on lap 88 when Mark Martin's car began smoking, giving Newman a chance to return to pit road. This stop consisted of four tires and fuel only, but the crew found a little bit of fender damage during the stop and extended it to make some repairs. The 16.75-second stop cost Newman four spots, but the yellow was back out within a lap when Michael Waltrip's car spun. Newman barely missed hitting Waltrip's car as a cloud of smoke filled the track. Newman quickly maneuvered his car to the bottom of the track and kept it clean.

Newman's car was still extremely loose, causing him to return to his pit for more chassis adjustments. This time, Nelson had the Alltel crew give him four tires, fuel, one round down on the right-side track bar, and a half-round of wedge in the left rear.

The stop put Newman back in the 27th position, but again, he was able to move through the field pretty quickly, landing in 20th before a second round of green-flag stops began on lap 127. Newman pitted on lap 131 and a second extended stop left him 24th. The adjustments that had been made – half-round of wedge out of the right rear and one round up on the right-side track bar along with four tires and fuel – made Newman's car loose around the entire track.

A third round of green-flag stops began on lap 165. Newman was running fourth when Paul Menard's car lost an engine. The lead-lap cars were waiting for NASCAR to throw the caution flag, but Menard was able to get his car onto pit road and NASCAR officials didn't believe there was any danger on the track.

On lap 170, through pit strategy, Newman was able to take the lead for two laps and gain five bonus points. When a spin on the track still didn't bring out the yellow flag, Newman came into his pit stall for four tires, fuel and one round of wedge out of the right rear.

Newman returned to the track, but was one lap down. When the yellow came out for the sixth time on lap 176, Newman stayed on the track and was second in line to receive the Lucky Dog Award when the next caution occurred. On the restart, Newman passed Juan Pablo Montoya to put himself in position for the Lucky Dog, which he received on lap 190 when Jeff Gordon spun on the frontstretch and became stuck in the grassy apron.

Back on the lead lap, Newman restarted in 20th and was able to pick up four spots before the checkered flag flew on lap 203.

Newman's 16th-place finish did little to help him in the point standings, though. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 12th and moved past Newman into the 13th spot. However, Newman is still only 171 points out of 12th – still held by teammate Kurt Busch – with three races remaining before the Chase begins in Loudon, N.H.

Next weekend, Newman will drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night. ESPN and PRN radio will broadcast the race live beginning at 7 p.m. EDT.

Newman will also drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger in Friday night's Food City 250 at BMS. ESPN2 and PRN radio will cover the NASCAR Busch Series race live beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

NASCAR expects AT&T logos off RCR car by Bristol this weekend

****

Just curious as to what RCR/Jeff Burton will run for a logo/sponsor.  I don't think AT&T really wants to go back to Cingular.  They have almost completly phased out Cingular, except that there are some comercials still out there about the two merging.  Any ideas???

******

 

 

NASCAR expects the AT&T logos to be removed from the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing car for the Nextel Cup events this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.

 

The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a mandate Tuesday that its decision to be followed that NASCAR is not legally required to allow the AT&T logos on the Jeff Burton car, NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Tuesday night.

 

Court documents indicate that AT&T plans to ask the district court to consider another injunction under the premise that NASCAR's actions indicated that a logo change was permissible and therefore it's an injustice that they cannot.

Ryan Newman - Dodge Race Quotes

Ryan Newman (No. 12 alltel Dodge Charger, finished 16th)-

"I would like to congratulate Kurt, but we gave one away. The guys didn't do well on pit road. I had some sharp things come off and couldn't hold a rivet in the race car. It was disappointing but we'll do better next time."

Really Bad Timing; On outside of Chase looking in, Newman in career-long slump

Ryan Newman finds himself in the thick of the struggle to be one of the 12 drivers who will compete for the championship via the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

It won't be easy. Entering the rain-postponed Michigan race, Newman stood 13th, trailing Kurt Busch and barely ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Inexplicably, Newman has found himself in the midst of a career slump. He has won 12 races and 41 poles, but his most recent trip to victory lane was in New Hampshire on Sept. 18, 2005. He failed to make the Chase for the first time in 2006.

In some ways, Newman's frustrations go hand in hand with those of Dodge, which had won only twice this year entering Michigan.The season's first Dodge victory went to Juan Pablo Montoya at Infineon Raceway in June. Then Newman's Penske Racing teammate, Kurt Busch, won at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 5.

Newman's best season was 2003, when he won eight races. He was Raybestos Rookie of the Year in 2002, when he edged out Jimmie Johnson, who, of course, went on to win the Cup championship in 2006.

Earlier this year, Newman put together consecutive runner-up finishes at Dover and Pocono.

"Our team's performance, I think, has been good. It's been way better than last year," said Newman. "Just our finishes, our consistency, hasn't been the greatest. We've proven we can be competitive every given week. It's just a matter of getting those finishes for us, it seems.

"The importance of winning is at an all-time high, just because it's been so long since we've won. ... We've got to stay focused as a team and do our best."

Making the Chase is important for everyone. In Newman's case, though, it become more important since he failed to make it last year.

"I think we have a really good opportunity to get in the Chase," he said. "Last year I thought we had a mathematical chance to make it, but I didn't think we were going to with our performances.

"I think we're in a good position. Obviously, we could be in a better position. Right now it's just a matter of doing the best you can do."

Want to read more from Monte Dutton? Check out http://www.gastongazette.com/sections/sports/nascar

Newman Finishes 16th at Michigan Rain Delayed, Rain Delayed Overtime 3M Performance 400

Ryan Newman, driver of the #12 Penske Alltel Dodge finished Tuesday's race at MIS in 16th position.  Newman's average finish for MIS before today's race was 16.7.  Newman started in the 34th position and brought a bad handling car up to 16th.

 

Newman's teammate Kurt Busch won the race after dominating and leading 92 laps.

 

Newman managed to stay out long enough on green flag pits to lead a lap and gain 5 bonus points.

 

Towards the end of the race Newman was getting a lot of work done on his car and dropped back to 21st, one lap down.  Later, Matt Kensith spun Gordon (Gordon said it was his fault after the race) and Newman was the Lucky Dog.  Newman restarted 20th on the lead lap.  With 2 laps to go Gregg Biffle got loose and spun.  This set up the Green, White Checkered finished which Newman managed to gain a couple of positions and finish 16th.

 

This was not a good points day for Newman.  His battle for 12th in points between teammate Kurt Busch, Martin Truex JR., Dale Earnhardt JR and himself was a disaster.  Kurt Busch won the race with Martin Truex JR finishing 2nd.  Dale Earnhardt JR finished 11th. 

 

This is where the points standings lay after today's race at Michigan International Speedway

11th - Martin Truex JR

12th - Kurt Busch /33 points behind Truex JR.

13th - Dale Earnhardt JR ./ -163 from 12th

14th - Ryan Newman / -8 from 13th and -171 from 12th

15th - Gregg Biffle / -296 from 12th

 

Todays Race Results affecting Newman - After MIS -

-Kurt Busch finishes 1st

-Martin Truex JR finishes 2nd

-Dale Earnhardt finishes 11th.

-Gregg Biffle spins setting up the green, white checked and settles for a 19th place finish.

 

Ryan Newman has been consistent this year.  Every time he gets close to the 12th position, he drops back to 14th or 15th.  That happened again today.  While he only dropped one position, he and Dale Earnhardt JR both fell farther away in points from 12th.  Before today's race, Newman was in 13th -96 from 12th and JR was in 14th -100 points for 12th.

 

Things have really shaped up to have Newman and JR doing some serious battling in the next three races at Bristol, California and Richmond. 

NASCAR.Com Streaming the race - 3M Performance Underway.

In case you didn't know and you are at work like I am, NASCAR.com is streaming the race from there website.  Go to the home page and look about half way down and you will see the link to click.

 

They are actually streaming all the race before the chase I think.

 

This is the actual TV broadcast that is being streamed.  Pretty cool.

 

They are currently doing warm up (drying out) laps.  Tune In.

 

Mike

AT&T asks for clarification on appeals court ruling

AT&T has asked the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to clarify its ruling from last week in overturning an injunction that had allowed the AT&T logos on the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing car.

 

Part of the Aug. 13 ruling indicates that the entire case should be dismissed, and AT&T is asking for clarification on whether the entire case should be dismissed or whether only the portion of the case that deals with breach of contract be dismissed.

 

NASCAR and Sprint, which has joined the suit, believe the entire case should be dismissed, and U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Shoob indicated to both parties that if there was no clarification from the appeals court, he would be compelled to dismiss all of the claims, according to court documents filed by AT&T.

 

"Although the context and posture of this appeal indicate that the Court [of Appeals] could not have intended to require dismissal of the entire case, the Court should grant rehearing on this point to remove any doubt," AT&T's lawyers state in a brief filed Monday. "NASCAR has already taken the position that the Court's opinion sweeps more broadly."

 

AT&T had won the injunction on breach of contract grounds as Shoob ruled May 18 that NASCAR's grandfather clause in its annual licensing agreement with RCR allowed for the Cingular logos to be changed to AT&T following their December 2006 merger.

 

But the appellate court ruled that because the grandfather clause (enacted in 2004 when Nextel became the primary sponsor of the Cup Series) was designed to benefit RCR and not necessarily Cingular, that AT&T could not sue under breach of contract grounds.

 

Court documents indicate that AT&T plans to ask the district court to consider another injunction under the premise that NASCAR's actions indicated that a logo change was permissible and therefore it's an injustice that NASCAR is not permitting the change.

 

The AT&T logos likely will remain on the No. 31 car driven by Jeff Burton at least until the Court of Appeals rules on the clarification.

Michigan International Speedway Rain delay is delayed again - 10 a.m. TUES

Well, we will have to wait until 10 a.m. Tuesday for the running of the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Mother nature is showing who is boss, keeping NASCAR in check (somebody has to sometimes).

This has got to be hard on the drivers. Basically sitting around waiting to race. Not to mention that if they are able to race tomorrow, they then have to hurry and get to Bristol for the Saturday night race. This will be even harder if the race is postponed even another day until Wednesday.

At first I liked the sounds of having the race in November. But that really has the potential of being a disaster.

Weather forecast for 10 a.m. Tuesday is.......
Weather.com is saying that sprinkles will be ending at 10 a.m. TUES then it will be cloudy up until 4 p.m. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. there is a 20% chance of precipitation. This forecast is still more than 16 hours out, and if you know Michigan, by the time this evenings news rolls around, it is very likely that this forecast will be completely different.

Well, What Logo will Jeff Burton and RCR have on the #31 car

I have not heard anything about this.  And I am kind of suprised about it.

 

On Monday the Judge said that they had 5 days to reply.  AT&T did ask the court to reconsider on Friday and determned that they would be racing with theAT&T logo in SUNDAY's race.  But here it is Monday and I think the 5 days is up.  And if it is postponed even farther to Tues, then definetly the 5 days is up.

 

And more importantly, what are they going to do after that.  Is AT&T just going to use the Cingular brand name on the car.  That doesn't make alot of sense because there isn't a Cingular anymore.  Will AT&T be allowed to just pull out.  Where will that leave Jeff Burton and RCR.

 

I think the Judge should at least let AT&T finish out the year.

 

BUT - Ultimetly AT&T , RCR and Jeff Burton are completly right in this situation.  AT&T should be able to have that logo on their car.

 

Mike

MIS Nextel Cup Race Rain Update

The track is being dried at MIS.  Looking at the radar it looks like they have a pretty good opportunity to get this race underway and maybe get at least 101 laps in to make it official.

 

There definetly is more rain the area and from looking at the radar it is building and heading in the general area of Brooklyn, MI where they are trying to get the 3M Performance 400 underway.

 

But, if you are optomistic like I am, I see the radar showing that the rain will go slightly north of Brooklyn.  But I am no meteoroligist. 

 

It has also been confirmed that if NASCAR can not get this race done this week, that it will be moved to the end of the season and become the final race in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. 

 

NASCAR Managing Director of Corporate Communications Ramsey Poston confirmed: If the race can not be run this week, it will become the final race of the season and run during Thanksgiving weekend. "The Chase field is set based on completion of the first 26 events. The Chase is comprised of the final 10 races of the season, so if this race were not to be able to be completed this week, it will be moved to that week of Thanksgiving and would then become the final race of the season," Poston said.

 

I am sure we will have snow delays then!!!

 

RADAR - Brooklyn is in the lower right of the radar.

Acuuweathers Rain Probability For Brooklyn Michigan (MIS) Aug 20th

It's gonna be a wet day!!  This information is from accuweather.com's website for Brooklyn, MI

 

 81% 11A-2P     57% 2P-5P     72% 5P-8P     50% 8P-11P     40% 11P-2A

 

Garge Cam Pics From Michigan

These are a couple of pics from the Nascar.com's Garage Cam at Michigan International Speedway today at 10 am.

Basically, it is wet.

Michigan - MIS - Scheduled noon ET Monday start has been pushed back

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Persistent rain has forced NASCAR officials to push back the start of Monday's rain-delayed 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

 

The noon ET scheduled start has been pushed back, according to a release issued by the speedway Monday morning. NASCAR and track officials will meet at 11:30 a.m. ET to discuss options and provide another update.

 

The last Cup race to be postponed on consecutive days was the 1997 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Originally scheduled for Sunday, April 27, rain forced postponement until Monday. Then more showers forced NASCAR officials to reschedule the race for the following week, in order to allow teams to free up their haulers for a cross-country trip to Sonoma. The race was finally run on Saturday, May 10 -- Mother's Day weekend.

 

nascar.com

Rain Postpones 3M Performance 400 At Michigan

BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 19, 2007) Rain Sunday at Michigan International Speedway forced postponement of the 3M Performance 400 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race until Monday.

The 200-mile race on the 2-mile track is scheduled to begin Monday at noon EDT. It will be televised on ESPN2 and broadcast on MRN Radio.

Kyle Busch will start 15th in his Miller Lite Dodge Charger, while Ryan Newman's Alltel Dodge Charger will go off 34th in the 43-car field

The weather forecast for Monday, however, is not appreciably better than it was for Sunday.

"We will do the best we can to get the race in (Monday)," NASCAR spokesperson Ramsey Poston said. "If we can't get the race in on (Monday), we will look to get it in on Tuesday."

The postponement was the fourth of the season for the Cup series; races at Darlington, Richmond and Dover were delayed by one day. This is the first postponement of a race using the "current" car, as opposed to the Car of Tomorrow.

Should inclement weather prohibit the running of the 3M Performance 400 this week, the race would be rescheduled for Thanksgiving week, Poston said. That would mean setting the 12 participants in the Chase a week later than planned, after the Sept. 13 race at New Hampshire.

Dover would then become the first Chase race, and the Chase would conclude at Michigan, rather than at Homestead, Fla., as planned.

Last day to win FREE TICKETS from me

Today is the last day that you can win FREE NASCAR tickets from me. I had originally posted that the contested ended one hour after the checkered flag was thrown after Michigan on Aug. 19th 2007. I may have to modify this a little.

IF THE RACE IS RAINED OUT, THEN YOU HAVE UNTIL 8 P.M. ON AUG 19TH (TODAY)!

Take a look at my post that describes how to enter to win the tickets.

If your not interested, then let someone else know that might be.

Mike

Michigan - Rained Out??

It looks like the 3M Performace 400 at Michigan International Speedway will be rained out. Of course this is not set in stone yet, but it is certainly looking that way.

The local weather people here in Michigan are saying that there may be a few breaks in the skys later today, but those breaks are going to be short and there will only be a few of them.

The weather for the rest of the week does not lookthat great either. Besides today, Mon - Fri have rain predicted at some percentage or another with Monday have the biggest chance.

ESPN had there meteoroligist on he said not to be suprised if they can not race until Tues.

THERE IS A BLESSING HERE -
If you do not live in Michigan, you might not fully understand because like me....you want to see a race today running speeds of over 200 MPH. BUT we need the rain really bad here in Michigan. Farmers crops are hurting really bad. I assume it is related, but there was a news story the other day about he water table level in Michigan dropping. People are having there wells drilled deeper, or the pumps lowered farther. WE NEED RAIN. So, BAD for NASCAR, GOOD for Michigan, it's farmers and it's residents.

The more this race is delayed, the harder it is going to be for teams to get to Bristol and get ready for a Saturday night race next weekend.

Ryan Newman Racing For Wildlife - Spotlight: Projects and Events

"Krissie and I are very appreciative of Michigan Interna- tional Speedway's dedication to our first Racing for Wildlife project, which is the renovation of Mill Lake Youth Camp in the Waterloo Recreation Area about 30 minutes north of the speedway.

During our first visit to the property we saw a snapping turtle laying eggs in the sand and two swans swimming in the lake. I was able to take a little time to fish on Mill Lake from a kayak. It's a peaceful and beautiful place that I'm proud to be able to share with other families by renovating several of the cabins that were built back in the 1930s.

The Department of Natural Resources talked to us about all the educational programs they will be able to offer at Mill Lake Youth Camp once the renovations are completed. Having grown up in South Bend, Indiana--just a few hours from this recreation area--it means a lot to me to be able to launch Racing For Wildlife in Michigan with our partners the Conservation Fund and Michigan International Speedway."

www.racingforwildlife.org