Ryan Newman Finishes 3rd In Busch Series Emerson Radio 250 at Richmond

Ryan Newman had a great night in the Busch Series at Richmond International Raceway for the Emerson Radio 250.

Newman Ran in the top five almost all night after starting 4th.

He fought hard in the final laps to get around Kyle Busch for lead but ended up driving to hard and getting sideways a couple of times. This allowed Carl Edwards to get around him for second and dropping Newman to third.

The final laps were a green, white, checkered finish.

Kyle Busch led all but 25 laps of the Emerson 250 definetly having the car to beat.

Congratulations to Ryan Newman and his #12 Kodak:Think Team for a great job and a top 5 finish.

Newman will be starting 4th for the Chevy Rock & Roll 500 Saturday Night at Richmond International Raceway. Newman is locked OUT of the Chase For The Nextel Cup but is still looking for his first win in 70 races. That is a big dry spell that Newman has a great chance of breaking at 7 pm Saturday Night for the Cup Race.

Ryan Newman Results -Qualifying For The Chevy Rock & Roll 400

Ryan Newman has qualified 4 for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at the Richmond International Raceway. Newman had a speed of 125.249 / 21.557 / -0.179.

Newman was -0.179 seconds behind the Pole setter Jimmie Johnson who had a qualifying time of 126.298 / 21.378.


Qualifying Order

Practice 1 Results


Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway

Newman Qualifies 4th For Richmond Busch Series Race

RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 7, 2007) Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger, qualified fourth for Friday night's Emerson Radio 250 at Richmond International Raceway, making the Busch Series race the third consecutive event in which he has started in that position.

Last week at California Speedway, Newman qualified his Busch and Cup cars in the fourth position.

We have a good car and these guys have done a great job getting the car ready, Newman said after posting his 21.429-second, 125.997-mph lap. Were out here to have fun and hopefully, get this Kodak Dodge into victory lane. This is our last Busch race of the season and wed like to go out with a win.

Coverage of Fridays Emerson Radio 250 from RIR will be handled by ESPN2 and MRN Radio beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

Settlement: AT&T can appear on Burton car through 2008

RICHMOND, Va. - AT&T, wanting to use the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing car to promote the transition of the Cingular to the AT&T brand, has settled its lawsuit with NASCAR and Sprint over the logos on the Jeff Burton entry.

AT&T will be allowed to sponsor the NASCAR Nextel Cup car through 2008 but must come off after next season, said David Garver, AT&T executive director of business development and wireless sponsorship. As part of the agreement, NASCAR agreed to drop the $100 million countersuit against AT&T.

AT&T wanted to replace the Cingular logos after the two companies were involved in a merger in December 2006 and the Cingular brand was being phased out.

With NASCAR approval, the AT&T logos were being put on the Burton car on Friday afternoon at Richmond International Raceway.

"The primary importance for us in this whole situation has been through our brand transition," Garver said. "The opportunity to ensure that we'll be able to use the No. 31 car as a brand transition vehicle for the next 16 months is of real importance to us.

"Looking across the spectrum of potential outcomes, we were interested in making this agreement so that we were guaranteed the opportunity to have our branding on the car during this all-important brand transition."

NASCAR had denied the use of the AT&T logo, saying it violated the NASCAR contract with Nextel (now Sprint Nextel) that granted Nextel exclusivity beginning in 2004 with sponsorship of the Cup Series.

AT&T sued NASCAR in March and won an injunction in U.S. District Court to get the logos on the car May 18. The injunction was overturned by an appeals court Aug. 13.

There was another injunction hearing scheduled for Sept. 18, but that is no longer necessary.

"We are finalizing an agreement that protects the integrity of our sponsorship," said Dean Kessel, director of NASCAR Nextel Cup Series marketing for Sprint Nextel. "We are giving RCR and Jeff Burton an appropriate amount of time to transition to a new sponsor while remaining focused on winning the championship. That is the best solution for RCR, NASCAR, Sprint and racing fans."

Kessel said that the key reason for the settlement was that it put an end date on the AT&T sponsorship.

"The certainty is key," he said Friday in a news conference at Richmond. "Having that date certain, knowing at a point in time where this takes place and where this transaction will come to a conclusion is important. When you get into litigation, you just don't know. You don't know how much further it is going to go or what the process is going to be moving forward. You've got the certainty in hand, and that's attractive."

Team owner Richard Childress expressed relief that the settlement had been reached.

"We're very pleased to have the AT&T logos back on the No. 31 Chevrolet and to have AT&T continue as a primary sponsor for Jeff Burton and Richard Childress Racing," he said in a statement.

Garver said the company has not decided whether it would stay in NASCAR as a sponsor of a Busch Series or Craftsman Truck Series team.

"It's kind of too early to tell," Garver said. "Our focus has been on this particular situation. We've had experience in other areas of NASCAR, and we're not closing any doors by any means."

NASCAR officials said that it was good that a compromise had been reached.

"This agreement represents compromise from all sides that ultimately serves the sport well," said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France in a statement. "No one likes litigation, most of all the NASCAR fans, and it was time to find a mutually agreeable resolution. We're now happy to move forward with the exciting conclusion of the season as we approach the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup."

Ryan Newman 1st Practice Results For Richmond International Raceway

Ryan Newman and the #12 ALLTEL Dodge team had their first practice at Richmond International Raceway for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Chevy Rock & Roll 400.
Newman was 10 in practice with a speed of 121.594 mph / 22.205 sec.
Newman was -0.112 seconds behind the leader Jeff Gordon who had a practice time of 122.211 / 22.093.



Practice 1 Results

Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 ALLTEL Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway

AT&T logos Back On Jeff Burtons #31

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HMMMM. There is nothing official about this yet. But according to this, AT&T will stay with RCR and the #31 throguh this season. They have a contract through 2009, but according to this article it looks like RCR and Jeff Burton will have to find a new sponsor for next year.

So, was this some sort of compromise? Did NASCAR realize that making AT&T backing out in the middle...well end...of the year would be very hard for RCR?

I don't know. But I may be happy with this compromise except that it will only leave Alltel for Nextel....I mean Sprint....uhhmm yeah, Sprint to pick on.

How about the theory that AT&T might take the Busch series next year? Did NASCAR cut them a break on that price tag to get them to finish this year and move on?? Who knows.

Ulitmetly though, I think AT&T should be able to stay with RCR as long as they want. If that is not possible, this at least might be a decent compromise. Although not really a compromise, AT&T is still going to be out of the Nextel Cup Series.......I mean the Sprint Cup Series (man, that just doesn't sound right!)
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RICHMOND, Va. - AT&T, NASCAR and Sprint have settled the lawsuit involving the primary sponsorship logos on the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing car.

With NASCAR approval, the AT&T logos were being put on the car of Jeff Burton on Friday afternoon at Richmond International Raceway.

Details of the settlement were not immediately released. Sources indicated that AT&T will remain on the car through 2008. Its contract with RCR runs through 2010, but the team will have to look for a new sponsor beginning in 2009.

AT&T wanted to replace the Cingular logos after the two companies were involved in a merger in December 2006 and the Cingular brand was being phased out.

NASCAR had denied the use of the AT&T logo, saying it violated the NASCAR contract with Nextel (now Sprint Nextel) that granted Nextel exclusivity beginning in 2004 with sponsorship of the Cup Series.

AT&T sued NASCAR in March and won an injunction in U.S. District Court to get the logos on the car May 18. The injunction was overturned by an appeals court Aug. 13.

Ryan Newman and the Richmond International Raceway

Welcome to Richmond International Raceway located in Richmond, VA.

Ryan Newman and his Penske Racing #12 Alltel Dodge will be racing here this weekend in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.
Richmond International Raceway


-Location : Richmond, VA
-Completed : 1946
-Distance : .750 miles
-Shape : D-shaped oval
-Seating : 112,029


-Nextel Cup Top Race Speed : 109.047 by Dale Jarrett on 9/6/1997
-Nextel Cup Top Qualifying Speed : 129.983 by Brian Vickers on 5/14/2004


MANUFATURER WINS AT Richmond International Raceway SINCE 2002
Pontiace = 1
DODGE = 3
FORD = 2
CHEVROLET = 5


RYAN NEWMAN'S STATS AT Richmond International Raceway

Ryan Newman's Stats
At Richmond International Raceway		At Short Tracks
STARTS	11	34
POLES	1	NA
WINS	1	1
TOP 5	4	9
TOP 10	7	18
AVG START	9.3	7.9
AVG FINISH	11.1	15.6
LAPS COMP	4275	NA
% COMP	-0.9716	NA
LAPS LED	355	NA
TOTAL $$$	1226024	NA

Even though Ryan Newman and team are out of the Chase this year, they are still going for a win. A couple of Nemwans best chances for wins include Richmond where he has a win and pretty good average finish of 11.1.

Ryan Newman's comments on Richmond - " Now that were officially out of the Chase hunt, things will still remain the same for me and the Alltel Dodge team. We still have 11 more races to try to get the Alltel Dodge in victory lane. Really, Im still in the same place as I was before. I still try as hard as I can each and every lap, no matter what. Couldnt expect to make up as much as we did, it would have been a miraculous effort in these last two races. Nevertheless, well just keep trying."


-- Crew chief Mike Nelson and the Alltel team are taking chassis PRS-513 to Richmond as their primary car. The car was last raced at New Hampshire International Speedway in July when Newman started 12th and finished 10th. The backup car is PRS-519. It has not been used in a race, but it was tested at Lowes Motor Speedway in May.

Newman will also be competing in his final Busch Series race of the year at Richmond.


Good luck to Ryan Newman and the Penske Racing's #12 Alltel Dodge NASCAR Nextel Cup Team at Richmond International Raceway for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 this coming week and weekend!!!


Mike Pratt

Richmond International Raceway -Tickets Sold Out Again - 16 years/32 races

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This is pretty impressive I think. I don't know what kind of records other tracks have (we know California will never even come close. They will be lucky to get 1 sell out).

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The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series consecutive sellout streak at Richmond International Raceway has reached 32. All grandstand seats for the Saturday, September 8, Chevy Rock & Roll 400 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race, the final race before the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, are sold out, raceway officials announced today. The sellout mark's 16 season of consecutive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series sellouts at America's Premier Short Track.

While all the grandstand seats are sold out for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, fans can still purchase tickets for the Friday, September 7, Emerson Radio 250 NASCAR Busch Series race where NASCAR Busch Series regulars and several NEXTEL Cup Series drivers battle it out "under the lights" for a night of old-school, Friday night short track racing. Tickets to Friday's race include practice and WRIC-TV8 Pole Qualifying for the Emerson Radio 250 and Fas Mart Pole Qualifying for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. Kids 12 years of age and under are admitted free in general admission sections only with a ticketed adult for the NASCAR Busch Series races.

"We're happy to announce that the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 is a sellout for the 16th straight year," said track president Doug Fritz. "Fans continue to show year in and year out that the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race is one of the most prestigious races on the NASCAR circuit."

Reserved tickets for Friday's events are $45 (in advance) and $50 (on race day). General admission seats are $35 (in advance) and $30 (on race day). Children 12 and under are admitted free in general admission sections with a ticketed adult on Friday. For tickets and information, please visit www.rir.com or call 1-866-455-7223.

NASCAR: Waltrip took his time escaping burning car

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I am posting this news story because I almost ripped into NASCAR (or at least the Safety Officials) after seeing the crash. In fact I did at first, just a little in my Ryan Newman race recap.

But before I really started in with another posting about it, I decided to search for it on YouTube.com. I found it and watched it. After watching the whole thing again, I decided that I was really off kilt about the whole thing. The first safety official to approach went right to Michael. I can only assume to make sure he was OK. Which is fine. Then the others got out and got extinguishers. The first one to the rear of the car (opposite side) started with his/hers right away.

So after watching it again on YouTube, I really didn't have a problem with it.

This article does a good job of explaining what happened.

Mike
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NASCAR officials say that Michael Waltrip chose to take his time getting out of his car after a fiery crash at California Speedway last Sunday and denied that the safety worker was moving slowly.

Fans have questioned the safety response after television footage showed the safety crew arrive at the car and approach it without fire extinguishers in hand in what appeared to be a delayed reaction.

NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said that wasn't the case.

"The situation when Michael was - his car was resting and the safety crew was around him, at that time, you know, Michael when the net was down, Michael was all in control," Pemberton said. "And I believe the conversation was just let him slowly unhook his stuff and get out. Because Michael's so big with the old style car, if you - you can't help him, you can only hinder him in getting out. So the safety worker was not moving slowly - he was moving slowly under direction that, you know, Michael said give me some time, and I'll just undo myself and get out."

Pemberton says that fan reaction to the crash came from a lack of information about the process as it was evolving.

"They didn't really know the details going into that part of it," he said. "But Michael was just working at his own pace of getting out of the car."

Pemberton didn't downplay the importance of safety in the sport, especially as it relates to fire in the car. Both Waltrip and Busch Series driver Brad Keselowski were involved in fiery crashes over the weekend at California.

"Fire is always a big concern," Pemberton said. "And that's why moving forward, you know, we've got the new fuel cell bladders that will be mandated across the board for all of our three national series next year. And it's the bladder that's used in the Cup series this year.

"So a lot of the fire that you saw over the weekend, whether it be Michael's or Brad Kozlowski's was not necessarily the fuel cell. There was an oil fire on Michael's, and I believe it was fluid out of the transmission case that got under the headers when Brad hit the wall."

Pemberton pointed out that drivers are helpless if stuck in a fire, something NASCAR is aware of. NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Director John Darby reiterated that point.
"The control of the fire is what is very important. I mean, fire is always scary," he said. "And there are times when a fire can look much more spectacular than what it ever is.

"We have a lot of pretty stringent rules on firewalls and floorboard materials and the likes to try to help control the fire."

Darby said, as did Waltrip after his crash, that while the exterior of Waltrip's car looked to be engulfed in flames, the cockpit was not.

"The driver's cabin was very clean from flame, except for one small area where the flames crept up through the shifter boot," Darby said. "And I think that's what gave Michael the ability to keep his composure and stay under control, and ultimately asking the rescue workers to step back to allow him the time and the room to get out of the car."

NASCAR says AT&T was well aware of logo policy

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One of the things I find the most interesting in this article is in the last 2 paragraphs.

Sprint is claiming that AT&T is diluting the facts because there is still a Cingular store only miles from the court in Atlanta.

Well, he is how a merger (or whatever) kind of works. I know a little about this re-branding because I was an employee of CenturyTel Wireless here in Michigan and we were bought out by Alltel. I am now an Alltel employee. Well, Alltel spent a lot of money with "re-branding" CenturyTel to Alltel. The commercials came first and lasted for quite a while. The nearest retail store to me at that time (I was a field technician) was in a relatively small town. I think it took along time for that store to get "retro-fitted" and start sporting the Alltel name and logo's. But, the point is that when your re-branding, you are phasing out the old name and not just changing it over night. This is so that the majority of the customers now whats going on.

I can not swear to this, but I thought I read somewhere that AT&T's re-branding was going to take into January of 2008 (3 or 4 months from now). So big suprise that there are still some Cingular stores out there.

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NASCAR and Sprint have responded to AT&T's second request for an injunction to allow the AT&T logos on the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing car in Nextel Cup competition.

AT&T, which was involved in a merger with former team sponsor Cingular in December 2006, has asked for an injunction under the theory that it had reason to believe it could change the logos on the car and is suffering an injustice because NASCAR won't allow it to happen.

A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 18 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta.

AT&T banks its case on a June 2003 meeting where Cingular and NASCAR executives met to discuss the Cingular sponsorship with the Nextel becoming the series sponsor in 2004. In it, AT&T says that it was not conveyed that the brand could not change if there was a merger.

NASCAR says anything conveyed at that meeting is not binding because the parties agreed in writing prior to the meeting that anything discussed would need to be confirmed in writing.

The sanctioning body also restates that it consistently informed Cingular that it could not put logos of parent companies or products on the car without the Cingular marks.
"The undisputed evidence, from documents and testimony, confirms that NASCAR consistently thereafter [that meeting] communicated to Cingular and RCR that NASCAR would not permit the use of any other telecommunications brand on car No. 31," NASCAR states in its filing.

AT&T originally won an injunction May 18 under a breach-of-contract claim, but it was overturned Aug. 13 by the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

For the last two races, there have been no logos on the Jeff Burton car or on the team uniforms. According to NASCAR, that could be costing RCR $100,000 in sponsorship money, although an AT&T spokesman has said that the company is still paying for the races where the car does not have logos.

Sprint's filing reiterates many of NASCAR's arguments and also states that AT&T's claims are diluted by the fact that there are still some Cingular stores that have not transitioned to AT&T.

It noted that one of those stores is located "only miles from this court" in Atlanta.

ABC hosting NASCAR after7 years - Unfortunatly it is just ESPN on ABC

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I knew better than to expect it, but I was hoping that NASCAR on ABC would bring us a better show. But it looks like it is basically ESPN broadcasting on ABC. This makes sense, but I was hoping for better.

Mike
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After an absence of more than seven years, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing will return to ABC Saturday night with ESPN on ABC's live, prime time telecast of the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 from Richmond International Raceway. The telecast begins at 7 p.m. ET with the pre-race NASCAR Countdown program.

On Friday night, ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series with live, prime-time racing from Richmond International Raceway. The telecast of the 250-lap race begins at 7:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

Dr. Jerry Punch will anchor the coverage from Richmond, with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro, while Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. ESPN's Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown, joined by analyst Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in NASCAR's Busch and Truck series, in the ESPN Pit Studio.

Rusty Wallace and Tim Brewer answered questions about the Richmond race.

Q – What does it take to run well at a track the size of Richmond?
Wallace -- You have to drive it like a short track and you have to treat it like a short track. There's going to be a lot of bumping and banging and it's hard on brakes. Drivers that do well in Martinsville and Bristol are generally the people that run well at Richmond. It takes that same kind of aggressive driving to get around there well.

Q - What should ESPN viewers watch for during the Richmond telecast?
Wallace -- It's the final race that determines who will race for the championship and look for those drivers who will get locked in. Clint Bowyer in 9th and Kevin Harvick in 12th are ones to watch. The pressure is on Kevin to finish 32nd or better so he is a big one. Dale Earnhardt Jr. can make it in the race if Harvick and Bowyer blow an engine and Jr. has the race of his life. It's not impossible. Can Jr. get in and can Kevin hold on? – that would be what to watch for.

Q - How tough is a 400-lap race at Richmond International Raceway on engines and cars?
Brewer -- It's not too bad on engines but the toughest thing teams are going to encounter is managing the brakes. The brakes – especially on the Car of Tomorrow – don't stop well and don't allow the car to turn in the corner well. Viewers will see the front rotors glowing red all night. To make the car turn, you have to get off of the brake pedal, drive the car extremely hard and slide the nose into the corner because it doesn't have as much downforce as the Busch Series cars or the regular Cup car. It's a very delicate and trusting situation.

The biggest thing to watch for is those guys locked into the points. They only thing they're after are those 10 additional bonus points. They're going to beat, bang, push and shove to win the race.

Winner of My California Kodak Tickets Give Away Tells About His Race Day

Sal Sigala was on of the winners of California Tickets Give Away. Below is the email (unedited) that he sent me about his VERY hot day at California Speedway.

If any of the other winners from my site want to email me about their day, I will gladly post it here!!!

Sal Sigala -

"Well our day started by arriving at the track by 8:00 A.M. It was already about 90 degrees and I could tell that we were in for a hot one. We bar b qued, and drank lots of water. There were 4 of us that went. Me and my 3 nephews. We are christians so we dont drink. I remember those days. I dont know how I would have survived. Anyways about 4:00 me and my 1 nephew went in because one of the other ones got heat exhaustion. It was there first race and probably my 20 or 25th race. I used to go to Riverside when it was opened as well as have been to Kansas,Phoenix,Las Vegas,Infineon, and the old Mesa Marin. Then I ususally go to the Long beach Grand Prix as well as the Drag Racing in Pomona. I also used to go to the IRL and Cart races at California. And still go to see short track racing at Irwindale Raceway which is about 10 minutes from my house. It was good race up until about 70 laps left then it turned into a typical California race. But man was it hot. Alot hotter then last year. I went to qualifying on Friday and it was hot and humid. All in all it was a very enjoyable race day, especially being able to spend it with my nephews who have never been there. All the seats that were around us were empty, so I dont think that the other contest winners made it. If they didnt, to bad because I see a Nascar fan as one who would brave the heat or cold to see there favorite drivers, in person and up close. Once again thanks for the tickets, I really appreciated them. If you have any for the race in February I would gladly like a couple to be able to go again. Or if you have any for the NHRA coming up in November. Guaranteed that any race ticket you send my way will get used and not just treated as something free. I dont have that it was free anyways attitude, so if I dont use it no big thing. It is a big thing, Because maybe someone else would have wanted to go and maybe didnt because they didnt have a ticket. My thinking is, if you have no intention on going then say so, this way someone who wants to go can. Anyways thanks again so much for the tickets. "

Inteview With Kodaks "Ink Ryan's Ride" Winner

Check out the video of the winner from Kodak "Ink Ryan's Ride" contest.

Youtube

New Ryan Newman Podcast California

Driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Ryan Newman and XM Satellite Radio Host Claire B. Lang catch up to discuss the race from California Speedway, where a blown engine ended any chance that the No. 12 Dodge would make the Chase.

Newman and Lang also chat about other topics, such as how drivers remain composed during the more intense moments of the sport. Newman also provides fans with the inside scoop on his charity fishing tournament in December at Blythe Landing, as well as answers questions from the Alltel All Axcess Racing Mailbag.

Finally, Newman previews the last race before the Chase field is set at Richmond International Raceway.

Listen to Podcast

Newman, Alltel Team Focus On A Trip To Victory Lane

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 4, 2007) Even though Ryan Newman, driver of the No.12 Alltel Dodge Avenger, isn't in the hunt for a Chase position anymore, there are still 11 more races left for Newman and the Alltel Dodge team to find their way into victory lane.

Now that were officially out of the Chase hunt, things will still remain the same for me and the Alltel Dodge team, Newman said following Sundays race in Southern California.We still have 11 more races to try to get the Alltel Dodge in victory lane. Really, Im still in the same place as I was before. I still try as hard as I can each and every lap, no matter what. Couldnt expect to make up as much as we did, it would have been a miraculous effort in these last two races. Nevertheless, well just keep trying.

This weekend at Richmond International Raceway, Newman will participate in his final NASCAR Busch Series race of the season. Newman will make his fourth appearance in the Busch Series at RIR in Friday nights Emerson Radio 250 and his 38th in the series.

All of Newmans Busch starts at RIR have been from the fourth position or higher, while two of his finishes have been in the top 10.

Newman has led 10 laps in one race at Richmond. He has completed 750 laps of a possible 750, giving him a 100 percent completion rate since he first competed in a Busch event at the 0.75-mile track in 2001.

This is our final race in the Busch Series [this season] and Id like to go out on a high note and give this team a win before the season is over, Newman said.Were not racing for points, so were going to do everything we can to grab the checkered flag and have a good race.

Newman will make his 12th Cup start at the Northern Virginia track Saturday night in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. It will be his 214th career start in the Cup Series.
Newman has an average start of 9.3 and an average finish of 11.1. He has one Bud Pole Award at RIR along with six other top-10 starts, including five from the top five.
Newman has led 355 laps in seven races at RIR. He has completed 4,275 laps of a possible 4,393, possessing a completion rate of 97.3 percent at the Richmond, Va., track.

Crew Chief Michael Nelson and the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger team will take PRS-513 to Richmond. The car was last raced at Loudon in July when Newman started 12th and finished 10th. The back-up car is chassis PRS-519, which has not been raced this year. However, it was tested at Lowes Motor Speedway in May.
Friday nights Emerson Radio 250 will be broadcast live by ESPN2 and MRN Radio beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT. Saturday nights Chevy Rock & Roll 400 will be covered by ABC and MRN Radio with the live broadcasts beginning at 7 p.m. EDT.

Penske - Noting Newman - Sept. 4, 2007

NNCS
-- Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger, will make his 12th Cup start at Richmond International Raceway. It will be his 214th career start in the Cup Series.
-- Newman has an average start of 9.3 and an average finish of 11.1. Newman has one Bud Pole Award at RIR along with six other top-10 starts, including five from the top five.
-- Newman has seven top-10 finishes at Richmond, including one win. Four of his top-10 finishes were inside the top five. He only has one finish outside the top 20 in 11 previous starts.
-- Newman has led 355 laps in seven races at RIR. He has completed 4,275 laps of a possible 4,393 since he made his Cup debut at the 0.75-mile track in 2002. Newman has a completion rate of 97.3 percent at the Northern Virginia track.
-- Raymond VanDerLinden of Springfield, Mo., won the Ink Ryans Ride contest and received VIP treatment at California Speedway during last weeks race weekend. VanDerLinden is a self-taught graphic designer.
-- Crew chief Mike Nelson and the Alltel team are taking chassis PRS-513 to Richmond as their primary car. The car was last raced at New Hampshire International Speedway in July when Newman started 12th and finished 10th. The backup car is PRS-519. It has not been used in a race, but it was tested at Lowes Motor Speedway in May.
Newman On Richmond: Now that were officially out of the Chase hunt, things will still remain the same for me and the Alltel Dodge team. We still have 11 more races to try to get the Alltel Dodge in victory lane. Really, Im still in the same place as I was before. I still try as hard as I can each and every lap, no matter what. Couldnt expect to make up as much as we did, it would have been a miraculous effort in these last two races. Nevertheless, well just keep trying.

NBS
-- Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger, will make his fourth Busch Series start at Richmond International Raceway and his 38th in the series.
-- All of Newmans starts at RIR have been from the fourth position or higher. Two of his finishes have been in the top 10.
-- Newman led 10 laps in one race at Richmond. He has completed 750 laps of a possible 750, giving him a 100 percent completion rate. Friday night's Busch Series race is the final event for Newman on that circuit this season.
Newman On Richmond: This is our final race in the Busch Series and Id like to go out on a high note and give this team a win before the season is over. Were not racing for points, so were going to do everything we can to grab the checkered flag and have a good race.

Could AT&T sponsor Busch Series?

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At first I thought this might be a good idea.  Well....for starters this is the only article I can find about this.  So I don't know where this coming from or who is speculating this.  But yeah, get AT&T on board for the Busch series.  Why not??  Advertise like crazy and it will probably drive Sprint/Nextel absolutely nuts!!!

 

Wait, was this NASCAR's agenda the whole time?  Just to get the Busch Series a sponsor?

 

And would it be worth it for AT&T to go from sponsoring the #31 Nextel Cup car driver by Jeff Burton, to sponsoring the whole Busch Series. 

 

Maybe Alltel will follow up with the truck series.........NASCAR......Battle of the Wireless companies!!!

 

But.....would it be better for AT&T (or any company) to sponsor the whole Busch Series or 1 car in the Cup Series?????

 

Following article is from the winston salem journal (who also seems to start all the rumors about Newman jumping off the Penske ship)

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■ NASCAR's search for a sponsor for its Busch series seems to have hit some snags, and it's unclear if that has anything to do with the NASCAR battle with AT&T over its Nextel Cup sponsorship and NASCAR's claims of exclusivity, which AT&T is challenging. NASCAR has a $30 million price tag on its Busch tour. One possibility - that NASCAR might persuade AT&T to take that Busch series sponsorship. AT&T's annual media ad budget is $3.4 billion).

NEWMAN'S CHASE HOPES DASHED

Ryan Newman experienced engine problems for the second straight night in Sunday's Sharp AQUOS 500 at California Speedway and found himself relegated to a 39th-place finish.

The problem occurred on lap 195 of the 250-lap race, leaving Newman in the garage, 55 laps shy of the checkered flag. Newman's early departure from the race on the 2-mile track officially removed him from Chase contention. With one race remaining to determine the title contenders, Newman is 14th in the drivers' standings, 274 points out of 12th.

Newman qualified fourth for the event, but as soon as the green flag waved, he immediately told his crew that his car was too tight. However, luck appeared to be with Newman as an early caution flag gave him a chance to pit for adjustments on his ill-handling car. The first of a record-tying 11 caution flags waved on lap 9 when the engine in Joe Nemechek's car expired, dumping oil on the track. Newman pitted on lap 11 for four tires, fuel and one round in the right rear. The stop lasted 15.97 seconds and dropped Newman from fifth to 12th for the restart on lap 13.

The adjustments helped very little as Newman was still tight in the center and loose during entry and exit of the corners. Newman also said the car had no grip.

When the third caution flag waved on lap 23, crew chief Mike Nelson told Newman to pit for right-side tires and fuel if the entire field came down pit road. But when the field split, Newman stayed out and restarted in fourth.

For the most part, Newman's biggest complaint with his car was the lack of grip. Nelson told Newman they would work on the problem on the next stop.

The Kodak team worked on the car again on lap 42 when Newman pitted after Michael Waltrip's car erupted in flames in turn 3, bringing out the fourth caution flag. Nelson had the Kodak crew give the Dodge four fresh tires, fuel and two rounds down on the right-side track bar. The changes, however, didn't help the ailing Charger.

"There's not enough grip to go anywhere," Newman told his crew. "The car is real tight in the center."

Newman pitted again on lap 74. He told Nelson to go down on the track bar again, but Nelson informed him they were bottomed out on the right-side track bar. Newman then told the crew to remove a spring rubber, and the crew obliged. They also gave Newman four tires, fuel, went two rounds up on the right-side track bar and removed a hard rubber from the right rear.
When many of the lead-lap cars pitted on lap 88, Newman stayed out and was second to Dale Earnhardt Jr. when the race restarted on lap 91. Newman passed Earnhardt Jr. and led one lap for five bonus points, but Earnhardt Jr. retook the lead on the next lap. The evening then grew worse for Newman on lap 95 when he was hit in the rear by Jeff Burton and spun on the frontstretch. Newman kept his Kodak Dodge from hitting anything, but a flat tire forced him onto pit road for four fresh tires.

Newman returned to the track in 26th, but he quickly recovered and by lap 122, he had fought his way back up to eighth.

Newman maintained a top 10 position for the next 70 laps, but then an engine problem struck, and Newman was forced to take his Kodak Dodge to the garage. With 194 laps in the books, Newman was out of the race and out of the Chase.

Next weekend, Newman will drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger in Saturday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway. ABC and MRN Radio will begin their live coverage at 7 p.m. EDT.

California - Dodge teams race quotes

RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger)

 

BEING OUT OF THE CHASE WHERE DOES THAT PUT YOU MENTALLY? "Really the same place as I was before. I still try as hard as I can each and every lap, no matter what. Couldn't expect to make up as much as we did, it would have been a miraculous effort in these last two races. Nevertheless we'll just keep trying. We have 11 more races to go to get the Alltel/Mobil/Kodak Dodge in victory lane."

 

 

 

KURT BUSCH (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger)

"The night was really interesting. I felt like our car as the race grew longer we just kept getting looser. I'm not sure what added to that, but maybe we were disguised by our good run at Michigan, but it was 60 degrees out at Michigan and it was 160 (degrees) today. We were just on the loose side of things. The car started off okay, just every lap we made we kept getting worse and worse. We changed everything under the sun to make the Miller Lite Dodge better, but all in all we'll take this finish in the top 10. That's what consistency is all about."

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHERE YOU'RE AT GOING INTO THE LAST RACE BEFORE THE CHASE? "I feel pretty solid. You know there's a guy behind us now to give us a little bit of cushion. We're only 20 points out of the next spot and 40 points out of ninth, so it's going to be an interesting race in Richmond, but for us we feel like our short track program is where it needs to be. We finished fifth there in the spring and so we're looking forward to a good race."

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE THE GUY TO BEAT? "I don't feel like we're the guy to beat. There's plenty of good competition. It's just, week in and week out you have to be strong. Ninth place finishes will do it in the long run but you've got to pick up those wins along the way."

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JUAN PABLO MONTOYA (No. 42 Wrigley's Big Red Dodge Charger)

"We had a good car today. I had passed maybe 10 or 15 cars already and after the contact, (with Edwards on pit road) that was the end of the day. I think everyone could tell how bad it was running after that."

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BOBBY LABONTE (No. 43 Cheerios/Totino's Pizza Rolls Dodge Charger)

"It was good run for us. We just got a little bit too tight behind Kasey there. We struggled a lot during the day and this car has never been to the wind tunnel with this nose on it. We need to figure out what that is. Doug made some good calls on air pressure and spring rubbers. We changed a lot of stuff during the day and then when we got into the night it really came to life. I was a lot more comfortable driving it there towards the end."

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DOUG RANDOLPH (Crew Chief, No. 43 Cheerios/Totino's Pizza Rolls Dodge Charger)

"It's definitely a great team here. Bobby has been doing a heck of a job. And we're trying to put it all together. We have been making great calls and good decisions. There's so many decision that go on during the weekend. We're really trying to concentrate on each one and make the right ones. Today at the start of the race we were as bad as any car here. At the end of happy hour we knew we where in trouble so we made some big swings at it. Those changes that we made allowed us to be good at the end of the race. It took us to the start of the race to gain on it. We got lucky with all the cautions at the start .The whole team is doing a good job. Bobby is up on the wheel doing it. This week we battled and that's what it is all about, getting the most you can.

"We led twice and it was probably fuel sequence each time but at Bristol last week we had the opportunity to take the lead on the track and that's a big plus. Anytime your car is up front it's just a huge boost to everybody."

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KASEY KAHNE (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger)

"We will take it. There was a point in the race where I was really having a problem getting the car off the corner. I just couldn't carry any momentum and that's when we dropped back and eventually lost a lap. We got the break we needed with the lucky dog, but Kenny (Francis, team director) had made some key adjustments just before that which improved the grip in the corners. All of a sudden, we were in the top 10. The crew really gave me quick service during the last pit stop with about 40 laps to go. After all the cars had made the green-flag pit stop, we were 10th. We had a good run last week and then we come back this week with a top-10 finish. That's the first time this year we've put together back-to-back finishes in the top 10."

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KENNY FRANCIS (Crew Chief, No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger)

"We had a decent car tonight. From where we started to where we ended, we didn't make a lot of changes. Most of the adjustments came during the transition from day to night. The crew gave us a good job on pit road. Kasey did a good job driving. We're not there yet, but we're making progress."

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ELLIOTT SADLER (No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger)

"We just couldn't get the back of the car hooked up with the track, so we dropped back early. The car didn't respond the same in the corner on two consecutive laps. The back broke loose which caused the spin. We managed to overcome that situation, but a flat tire forced an unscheduled pit stop a few laps later and we ended up a couple of laps down. We managed to get one of them back and were in position to get the second before I lost all control the last 100 laps. We just can't seem to get the car hooked up with the track and maintain that grip. That was the problem tonight."

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DAVID STREMME (No. 40 Target Dodge Charger)

"We had a tough night. Before the incident we were running 15th. We had one of the crew guys screw up. We were running 15th and had to go back to 21st. We were coming back up through there and got caught up in the wreck. We got run over, there wasn't much I could do."

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REED SORENSON (No. 41 Target/Memorex Dodge Charger)

"The Target Dodge was loose up high and tight down low pretty much the entire night. We were just all over the place. The car just didn't seem to respond to anything we did to it. I just want to put this night behind us and look ahead to Richmond."

 

Ryan Newman Finishes 39th - 2007 Chase Hopes Are Crushed

Ryan Newman and his #12 Kodak Dodge team were running really good at California. Newman hung out in the top 10 most of the night. He dropped back a couple of times and easily made it back to the front.

On lap 95 Jeff Burton got into the back of Newman as Newman chased the #12 Kodak Dodge up the track. Burton had no choice but to get in the back of Nemwan because he had traffic on his tail.

Newman spun from the contact and brought out the caution. He got a flat due to the spin and fell to 24th.

You know Ryan Newman's car was running good because by lap 122 he was back up to 8th.

Then on lap 203 out of the 250 lap race, Newman lost his engine....again. At that point, his 2007 Chase hopes were officially crushed. He now sits -254 out of 12th. This leaves him absolutely no chance of getting into the 2007 Chase with only 1 race left before the Chase begins.

In his interview after loosing the engine, Newman said this will not "mentally" affect the rest of his season. He said that he had already accepted the fact that making the chase this year would be a miracle. He followed up by saying that he will still race every lap like it's the last on.

In the Busch series last night, Newman thought he had lost an engine their ending his night early. In actuallity, he had only broke a spark plug.

I think Newman will be the first of the "backend" finishing 13th for the season.

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On another note, I did not like Kodaks new paint scheme for Ryan Newman. I am not sure if this is permanent, or a one time thing. I know the it was part of a contest and the paint scheme you saw in tonights race was the winning result.

I don't want to say that I did not like it, but I really like the "yellow and red" original paint scheme. It was VERY easy to see on the track. I would every once in awhile get it confused with Harvicks car. But tonights paint scheme was just VERY hard to see on the track.

But congrats to the winner of that competion.
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IMPORTANT -

And on another note from the race. I thought that the officials TOOK FOREVER to get the fire extinguished from Michael Waltrips #55 car after it burst into flames.

Waltrip cut a tire down and as he was doing about 185mph. The tire descentigrated and you could see shrpnel shooting up and hitting the underside of his hood. Then the car burst into flames. And as the camera is on Waltrip, you see flames INSIDE the car.

Waltrip got the car stopped and before he even got stopped he had his safety net down.

Good ol' Rusty Wallace was commentating on how fast the safety crew was there and how good of a job they did.

I HAVE TO DISAGREE. They were there fast.....and then they stood around. They stood around long enough for my fiance and I to yells several times for them to use the fire extinguisers instead of just lookng at them.

And Waltrip was obviously having problems getting out as he was "hung up" on something.

Waltrip got out unharmed, but I think the saftey crew were slow to react once they were on the ground.


TOP 10 Finihers at California -

1 2 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet
2 19 99 Carl Edwards Ford
3 5 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet
4 15 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet
5 7 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet
6 8 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet
7 36 17 Matt Kenseth Ford
8 17 83 Brian Vickers Toyota
9 1 2 Kurt Busch Dodge
10 3 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge

Newman's Hopes To Make Title Chase End - Busch Advances To 11th In Standings With 9th-Place Finish

FONTANA, Calif. (Sept. 2, 2007) Kurt Busch moved closer to clinching a position in the Chase for the Championship with his ninth-place finish in Sunday's Sharp AQUOS 500 at California Speedway, but for Ryan Newman, his hopes of making this year's title chase ended.

Newman pulled his Kodak Dodge Charger into the garage with an engine problem with 55 laps remaining in the 250-lap race at the 2-mile track and had to settle for a 39th-place finish. He was running in the top 15 when the problem occurred.

Busch, on the other hand, gained a position in the standings, moving up to 11th while Kevin Harvick dropped to 12th. Busch now trails 10th-place Martin Truex Jr. by 20 points and is only 25 points behind the ninth-place Clint Bowyer.

"We're certainly not totally out of the woods just yet, but it feels good to climb up a spot and have someone else as a buffer back to 13th now," Busch said. "I feel pretty solid. You know there's a guy behind us now to give us a little bit of cushion. It's going to be an interesting race in Richmond, but for us, we feel like our short track program is where it needs to be. We finished fifth there in the spring, so we're looking forward to a good race there next weekend."

After starting on the pole and leading twice for 21 laps in the brutal 100-degree plus heat, Busch's Miller Lite Dodge Charger developed a "loose in, tight in the middle and loose off" handling condition from lap 40 on. Even after his Pat Tryson-led team removed a spring rubber on a lap 113 pit stop, the loose condition continued.

Busch, Tryson and the Miller Lite crew decided to roll the dice with a lengthy pit stop on lap 165 during the race's ninth caution period. The 17.36-second stop saw the team do major work on the right rear suspension, opening the shock absorber and making substantial wedge adjustments.

With 80 laps remaining, Busch was mired in 23rd, but the change made to the car worked for the good and he started picking off cars one by one as he headed to the front. He was back up to 18th when the race's 10th yellow flag flew on lap 174, and he was 15th after the track's record-tying 11th caution flag on lap 179.

Busch was 10th on lap 200 and he passed Kasey Kahne on lap 225 for the ninth position. Even though he was closing in on eighth-place Brian Vickers by almost two-tenths of a second per lap in the final laps, he ran out of time to advance any further.

"The night was really interesting," Busch said. "I felt like our car, as the race grew longer, we just kept getting looser. I'm not sure what added to that, but maybe we were disguised by our good run at Michigan, but it was 60 degrees out at Michigan and it was 160 (degrees) today. We were just on the loose side of things. The car started off OK, just every lap we made we kept getting worse and worse. We changed everything under the sun to make the Miller Lite Dodge better, but all-in-all, we'll take this finish in the top 10. That's what consistency is all about."

Prior to Newman's departure he led once for one lap, and had recovered from a spin on lap 94 when his car was tagged in the rear by Jeff Burton to challenge for a top-10 position. Then, for the second straight night, a problem developed with the engine in the Kodak Dodge.

Newman, who qualified fourth for the California race, said the fact he didn't make the Chase this year wouldn't change his approach to the season's remaining 11 races.

"I will still try as hard as I can each and every lap, no matter what," Newman said after climbing from his car. "We couldnt expect to make up as much as we did; it would have been a miraculous effort in these last two races. Nevertheless, well just keep trying. We have 11 more races to go to get the Alltel/Mobil 1/Kodak Dodge in victory lane.

Entering the California race, Newman was 14th in the standings, 175 points out of 12th, the last Chase eligible position. With his early exit from Sunday night's race, Newman remains in 14th, but he is now 254 points behind 12th-place Kevin Harvick.

Next Saturday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Speedway has a scheduled 7:30 p.m. EDT starting time. The 400-lap, 300-mile battle will feature live coverage by ESPN-ABC and MRN Radio.


penske racing

Ryan Newmans KODAK Paint Scheme From Ink Ryan's Ride Contest

I really like KODAK paint scheme that Ryan Newman was running for the Cup series Sunday night at California.

I like the way it looks. It is really nice. Congrats to the winner - Raymond VanderLinden of Springfield of Kodak's "Ink Ryan's Ride" contest.

Like I said, I do like the paint scheme. But the original version was ALOT easier to pick out on the track. I would only get confused sometimes with Harvicks car.

Newman's Evening Ends Early In The Camping World 300

FONTANA, Calif. (Sept. 1, 2007) Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger, was relegated to a 31st-place finish Saturday night after his car's engine dropped a cylinder with 51 laps remaining in the Camping World 300 at California Speedway.

Newman pitted as soon as he noticed the problem to allow the Kodak Dodge team a chance to check under the hood, but when the problem wasnt visible on pit road, crew chief Matt Gimbel told Newman to take the car to the garage.

After qualifying fourth for the 150-lap event on Friday, Newmans Kodak Dodge fell back through the field once the race began. However, Newman came on the radio to reassure his team that nothing was wrong with the car.

Im just getting a feel for the car, Newman said. Maybe a tick on the free side, but I just want to see how the car feels since this is the first time Im driving it with these changes and the fresh tires. It feels OK right now.

An early caution prevented Newman from getting a good feel for his car, but when the field restarted on lap 8, Newman moved back into the top five while battling a tight condition in his Dodge from the center of the corners off.

On lap 46, Newman came down pit road for a green-flag stop. The Kodak Dodge team gave Newman four fresh tires, fuel and one round of wedge in the right rear. Kyle Busch was penalized for speeding off of pit road, so when the green-flag stops cycled through, Newman was running second. However, the car was way too loose and Newman began falling back. He stalled in the seventh spot.

A multi-car accident on lap 68 brought out the red flag one lap later for 28 minutes so track personnel could repair the SAFER barrier in turn one. When the race returned to yellow and pit road opened, Newman came in for right-side tires, fuel and three rounds down on the right-side track bar. The two-tire stop put Newman in the lead when the field restarted on lap 75.

Two fresh tires couldnt hold up against everyone elses four and Newman went backwards, again.

The car is still too free and lacks grip, he told his crew. It feels like its getting looser.

Newman and Greg Biffle were battling for sixth when Biffle spun, bringing out the race's third of six yellow flags. Newman came back down pit road during the caution period to try to tighten the car some more.

We have to get four tires, Newman told his crew.

Newman got his four tires along with fuel and two more rounds down on the right-side track bar, but when the field returned to green-flag conditions on lap 99, Newman radioed in that he was down on seven cylinders and on lap 100, Newman drove the Kodak Dodge into the garage.

Next weekend, Newman will drive the No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger at Richmond International Raceway for his last NASCAR Busch Series race this season. The Emerson Radio 250 will be broadcast live by ESPN2 and MRN Radio beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT.