Ryan Newman and his #12 ALLTEL Dodge Penske Racing team were the 23 fastest in qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway for the UAW-Ford 500 .
Newman's qualifying run included a speed of 186.663/51.301 putting him -0.653 behind the fastest qualifier, Michael Waltrip.
Qualifying Results
Practice 1 Results
Practice 2 Results
Ryan Newman and his #12 ALLTEL Dodge Penske Racing team were the 49 fastest in the second practice at Talladega Superspeedway for the UAW-Ford 500 .
Newman's practice run included a speed of 182.008/52.613 putting him -3.266 behind the fastest of the practice, Tony Stewart.
Practice 2 Results
Practice 1 Results
Ryan Newman and his #12 ALLTEL Dodge Penske Racing team were the 26 fastest in the first practice at Talladega Superspeedway for the UAW-Ford 500 .
Newman's practice run included a speed of 192.855/49.654 putting him -0.536 behind the fastest of the practice, Tony Stewart.
Practice 1 Results
Ryan Newman and his Penske Racing #12 ALLTEL Dodge Team will be racing here at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for the UAW-Ford 500 .
Talladega Superspeedway Quick Facts :
Location - Talladega, AL
completed - 1969
Distance - 2.66 miles
Shape - Tri-oval
Seating - 143,231
According to NASCAR.com Mark Martin has the Nextel Cup race record at Talladega with a speed and date of 188.354 - 05/10/97. Jeff Gordon has the qualifying record here with a speed and date of 192.069 - 04/28/2007.
Ryan Newman has 11 starts at Talladega Superspeedway. Out of those 11 starts, Newman and his #12 Dodge Penske Racing Team have 0 pole(s), 0 win(s), 2 Top 5(s) and 4 Top 10(s).Newman has an average starting position of 12.4 and a average finish here of 19.8.
Newman has not had that much success at Superspeedway's. Newman has 28 starts at Superspeedway's with 0 win(s), 4 Top 5(s) and 8 Top 10(s). He also has an average start of 15.9 and an average finish of 18.6.
Ryan Newman and his #12 team will be taking chasis PRS-521, as thier primary chasis. Thier backup chasis is PRS-515.
And from PenskeRacing.com here is Ryan Newman's quote on Talladega Superspeedway--
This weekend is pretty much going to be a blank slate for everyone. Its the first time any of us will really get a chance to see how the COT car works on a superspeedway and I dont think theres any one driver or any one team that has a noticeable advantage this weekend. Weve had some bad luck the last couple of weeks, so were hoping to see some improvement this weekend and get another top 10 at Talladega like we did back in April.
This track at NASCAR.COM
This track at FoxSports.COM
Some track details including track records varies between the 2 sites
Driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Ryan Newman and XM Satellite Radio Host Claire B. Lang catch up to discuss the race from Kansas Speedway, where a blown engine resulted in the team's early exit from the race.
Newman and Lang also chat about what makes Newman unique from the other drivers, as well as his plans for the off-season.
Finally, Newman discusses the upcoming trip to Talladega Superspeedway and guarantees Claire and Alltel Racing Fans that it will be an interesting race.
Ryan Newman will be making his 12th Cup start at Talladega Superspeedway. It will be his 218th career start in the Cup Series.
"This weekend is pretty much going to be a blank slate for everyone," Newman said. "It's the first time any of us will really get a chance to see how the COT car works on a superspeedway and I don't think there's any one driver or any one team that has a noticeable advantage this weekend. We've had some bad luck the last couple of weeks, so we're hoping to see some improvement this weekend and get another top 10 at Talladega like we did back in April."
Newman has an average start of 12.4 and an average finish of 19.8 at Talladega. He has five starts inside the top 10, including two from the top five. Newman's lowest start at the 2.66-mile track has been 28th in April of this year.
Newman has four top-10 finishes at Talladega, including a ninth-place finish in April 2007. He has three other finishes inside the top 20, but his last four races produced finishes of 33rd or lower.
Newman has led 25 laps in six Talladega races. He has completed 1,707 laps of a possible 2,080 since he made his Cup debut at the restrictor-plate track in 2002. Newman has a completion rate of 82.1 percent at the Alabama track.
The primary car for Talladega is chassis PRS-521, a new car that was tested at Talladega last month. That's the only time the car has been on the track. The backup car is PRS-515. It was tested at Talladega and was used during the June race at Dover where Newman qualified on the pole and finished second.
alltelracing.com
-- Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger, gave another lucky fan the chance to go Racin With Ryan last week in Manhattan, Kan. The Racin With Ryan promotion is sponsored by Alltel. At random locations throughout the season, Newman shows up at an Alltel Wireless store and surprises one lucky customer with a trip to a future race and the chance to have his or her name on the side of the Alltel Dodge. Last Thursday, Newman made a stop in Kansas and surprised a customer with tickets to the Nov. 11 Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. This was the third time this season that Newman had participated in the Racin With Ryan promotion. Earlier this year, he surprised a fan in Augusta, Ga., and awarded tickets to the spring race at Texas. His last surprise occurred in Rapid City, S.D., when he gave an Alltel customer tickets to the August Bristol night race.
-- Newman will make his 12th Cup start at Talladega Superspeedway. It will be his 218th career start in the Cup Series.
-- Newman has an average start of 12.4 and an average finish of 19.8 at Talladega. He has five starts inside the top 10, including two from the top five. Newmans lowest start at the 2.66-mile track has been 28th in April of this year.
-- Newman has four top-10 finishes at Talladega, including a ninth-place finish in April 2007. He has three other finishes inside the top 20, but his last four races produced finishes of 33rd or lower.
-- Newman has led 25 laps in six Talladega races. He has completed 1,707 laps of a possible 2,080 since he made his Cup debut at the restrictor-plate track in 2002. Newman has a completion rate of 82.1 percent at the Alabama track.
-- The primary car for Talladega is chassis PRS-521, a new car that was tested at Talladega last month. That's the only time the car has been on the track. The backup car is PRS-515. It was tested at Talladega and was used during the June race at Dover where Newman qualified on the pole and finished second.
Newman On Talladega: This weekend is pretty much going to be a blank slate for everyone. Its the first time any of us will really get a chance to see how the COT car works on a superspeedway and I dont think theres any one driver or any one team that has a noticeable advantage this weekend. Weve had some bad luck the last couple of weeks, so were hoping to see some improvement this weekend and get another top 10 at Talladega like we did back in April.
ESPN officials say the late-day coverage of Sunday's LifeLock 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Kansas Speedway set a record as the highest-rated and most-viewed auto race in ESPN2's history.
The race, which was switched from ABC after two rain delays, earned a 2.8 rating and was seen by 2.7 million households and 4.1 million viewers.
Nationwide is moving into the final stages of negotiations to replace Anheuser-Busch’s Busch beer as title sponsor of NASCAR’s #2 series, sources are telling Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Daily. Michael Smith of Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal this morning reported in the Daily that Nationwide submitted an offer last Thursday, as did Subway, the sandwich franchise operation that had been considered the frontrunner.
Nationwide’s talks with NASCAR progressed over the weekend, the story said, and a contract proposal is believed to be in the legal pipeline at Nationwide. Officials at NASCAR say that it does not have a deal with a new sponsor, but sources say an agreement with Nationwide could be finalized in the coming days.
Rain was the least of Ryan Newman’s problems on Sunday during the LifeLock 400 at Kansas Speedway, as Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, completed just 108 laps of the 210-lap rain-shortened race at the 1.5-mile track.
Newman started the day from the 42nd position after his qualifying time was disallowed for a low roof and a high right-rear quarter panel. The car was fast in Saturday’s practice sessions and Newman was happy with the car heading into Sunday’s race.
When the green flag dropped, Newman quickly made his way through the field and seemed to be on his way to the front. The yellow flag waved early and many of the lead-lap cars came in for fuel-only stops. Newman was still happy with the car for the most part, but informed crew chief Michael Nelson that the car was just a tick loose, so Nelson called for fuel and one round down on the right-side track bar.
The stop put Newman into the 16th position, but the first rain delay of the race would occur on lap 15 and last for 45 minutes 10 seconds.
When the race restarted on lap 19, Newman moved up to the 12th spot and made his way into the top 10 on lap 29 during the second of 12 caution periods.
The car was still loose when Newman came in for his second stop to receive four tires, fuel and one round down on the right-side track bar. Many teams took two tires only, leaving Newman to restart in 15th.
Newman informed his crew the car was still really loose and that it felt like there was a lack of air in the left-rear tire, but the loose condition would be the least of Newman’s problems.
On lap 38, he came on the radio and told his crew the motor was blowing up.
“I dropped a valve,” Newman radioed in. “I’m running on seven cylinders.”
Newman kept running, hoping a caution would come out and allow the Alltel crew to check under the hood. The caution finally came out on lap 60 and Newman was able to come in for work on the car.
After a four-tire-and-fuel stop, engine tuner John Payne was able to assess the extent of the damage to the engine. He found that valve six had broken, but he made temporary repairs in order to keep Newman in the race.
On lap 84, Newman thought the engine was ready to expire for good and reported smoke in the car. When the crew was able to get another look at the engine, they made more repairs and found that a piece of plastic was burning in the car, which was causing the smoke. By the time Newman got out of the pits, he was five laps down in the 40th position.
When Newman completed lap 108, he came back over the radio and told his crew the motor had expired completely and he was headed back to the garage.
The checkered flag flew after 210 laps – 57 laps short of a complete race – with Newman in 43rd place.
Next weekend, Newman will drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger in the UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. This will be the first Car of Tomorrow race at a track larger than 1.366 miles. ABC and MRN Radio will broadcast the race live beginning at 1 p.m. EDT.
By Terry Blount
ESPN.com
KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- The Land of Oz became NASCAR's version of the Twilight Zone on Sunday at Kansas Speedway in the wildest race of the season.
Now things may get a little crazier.
Talladega always is a wild show -- big packs, big wrecks and white-knuckle racing on every lap. But as spooky as it is, the drivers have learned what to expect on the high banks in the red clay of Alabama.
Not this time. NASCAR's biggest and most dangerous track is a 2.6-mile asphalt mystery for everyone involved in this weekend's UAW-Ford 500.
It's a world of unknowns for the first restrictor-plate race in the Car of Tomorrow. Theories abound, but no one knows for sure what will happen when the green flag falls.
"It's going to be a little bit more scary than usual," said Clint Bowyer, who ranks third in the Chase after his runner-up finish at Kansas. "We will be closer together, so the least little mistake is going to be catastrophic."
That's one view. Jeff Gordon prefers to look at the bright side.
"It's going to be spectacular," Jeff Gordon said. "I expect it to be pretty wild, pretty crazy and a heck of a show for the fans."
The Cup drivers had a two-day test session at Talladega three weeks ago to get a feel for how things will go in the COT. But the test seemed to bring more questions than answers.
"The test was kind of up and down, but you don't have the big draft in a test," Kasey Kahne said. "It's only like 10 cars in a pack. It's going to change a lot with all the cars out there in a big pack."
But Kahne doesn't think it's a bad thing.
"I think it's going to be the best Car of Tomorrow race we've had yet," he said. "The way the cars line up [on a restrictor-plate track], you can do things out there and have fun. I think it's going to be the most fun we've had in the new car."
That's if you consider it fun racing inches apart at 190 mph, not knowing how your car is going to react in the draft.
"This new car is more violent and more dramatic in the draft," Kurt Busch said. "If you lose draft, which is easier to do, you're a fish out of water."
The COT is bigger and boxier, so it cuts a bigger hole in the air than the old car. Drivers should be able to draft on each other more easily and create more passing, but the racers have mixed opinions on it.
"I really think the race is going to be different than what we've seen in the past," Jimmie Johnson said. "The greenhouse [driver compartment] is much larger [in the COT] and we didn't realize how that extra couple of inches really made a difference in the draft. They do suck up better, but for whatever reason, they don't pass all that well."
Passing up front has been a problem in other COT races, but Busch said he thinks the car will react differently on a restrictor-plate track.
"With the old car, we did the same thing every plate race," Busch said. "But we have things we can work on this time to see how it affects the COT -- the sway bar, the track bar, the front springs. It makes this Talladega race even more of a wild card than usual."
NASCAR experimented with plate openings, wing angles and wicker size at the test. But Cup director John Darby said those things could change before the race, depending on how fast the cars are in practice Friday.
The COT enables NASCAR to use a larger opening on the restrictor plate, which should add about 80 horsepower. The additional power could give the drivers more throttle response, which could cause more passing.
But one of the biggest problems in recent Talladega events -- increased bump drafting -- could get worse in the COT. Drivers slam into the car ahead of them to get a run in the draft and try to boost both cars forward ahead of the pack.
But the practice is dangerous and can lead to the typical big wreck if the cars aren't lined up properly, or if a bump comes in the turns.
Most of the drivers believe bump drafting will increase in the COT. The cars line up better nose to tail, but it's still risky. A driver could damage the front splitter in the COT if he bumps too aggressively.
"In the test, you could push each other all the way around the track if you wanted to," Bowyer said. "But I don't think there's much of an advantage to it anymore. If you bump someone, they don't seem to go anywhere in the COT cars."
At least you can see them if you're close enough to bump someone. Not so if you're the one getting bumped, according to Johnson.
"Right now, you're driving blind out there,'' Johnson said. "The rear wing, the rear glass angle and the way the sunlight hits the back window, it's tough to see through the glass."
A driver usually waves his right hand inside the car to let the driver behind him know he is pitting. That doesn't work in the COT. You have to stick your left hand out the window.
Signaling other drivers at Talladega is critical because the cars are running so close to each other.
Talladega is all about thinking ahead, avoiding disaster, picking the right time to make a move and reacting quickly when your chance presents itself.
Many drivers believe the need for those skills is magnified in the first restrictor-plate race for the Car of Tomorrow
"I'll predict a lot more moves up front you have to react to," Busch said. "Whoever does it best has a shot at winning."
Terry Blount covers motorsports for ESPN.com. He can be reached at terry@blountspeak.com.
RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 alltel Dodge Charger)
“We dropped a cylinder there just a little bit after the rain delay. Then it went all together there at the end. It’s just unfortunate. The Alltel Dodge was definitely fast. I had a fast car. I could hold my own in the corner; actually I was gaining about four lengths in the corners and losing about six on each straightaway. Eventually it expired, so it’s unfortunate for the Alltel Dodge.”
KURT BUSCH (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger)
“I thought we had a really fast racecar, it just didn’t pan out on the fuel strategy. Around half way when the rain came out, what it did is it took all the guys that were about 15th to 25th and put them up front, and we just got into Tony (Stewart) when he had a flat tire. That took our chances away at coming up through the pack. Eleventh is alright.”
KASEY KAHNE (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger)
“The car was good all day. We had the problem and had to make an unscheduled pit stop which got us a lap down, but we were able to make that up. Fortunately, we were able to come back after the long delay and run more laps. Actually, we would have preferred to run more laps because we were one of the fastest cars on the track at the end. It’s good to see the two Dodge Dealer cars in the top 10 and competitive. We need to get the front end of our Charger a little better, but we’re making progress and it showed today. Kenny (Francis, team director) and the crew will work on the front end the next couple of weeks, but I think we’ve got a good car to take to Charlotte.”
In every race, some one has to come in dead last. That is where Ryan Newman and his #12 Alltel Dodge finished....dead and last - 43rd. This was caused by yet another engine failure for Newman this year.
This infraction regulated that Newman start in the back of the pack at 42nd. The pole setter Jimmie Johnson also had to start at the back because he wrecked his car in Happy Hour and had to resort to his back up car.
Newman made his way up in the field fast. After the first pit stop Newman advanced to 16th by only taking 2 tires on that pit stop.
But around lap 50 (NOT 50 to go - LAP 50) Newman reported that he had lost a valve and was only running on 7 cylinders - that ended his day.
Sundays finish dropped Newman to 16th in the point standings. Newman is now -227 points in behind Dale Earnhardt JR. in 13th (the top position for the non-Chasers). In 14th is Gregg Biffle and 9 points ahead of Newman in 15th place is Casey Mears.
On lap 149 of the race, NASCAR threw the red flag due to weather. Rain, wind and lighting were strong. The race finally got back underway after 7pm. Nascar also announced that the race was going to be shortened to 225 laps due to night fall coming.
After 2 more cautions, NASCAR announced that they were going to have to shorten the race again due to the cautions and time constrants of night fall.
The race ended under caution with Gregg Biffle taking the checkered. There was some controversy though because under caution, Biffle ran out of gas and could not cross the finish line. NASCAR contends that under the caution the field was froze - regardless.
Clint Boyer took second and Jimmie Johnson finished third. Clint was interviewed and politley stated that he thought Biffle should have had to cross the line under his own power and there for making him (Boyer) the winner. I think I agree.
This was overall a bad weekend for Ryan Newman and his #12 Alltel Dodge team. After qualifying 2nd for the race, post qualifying inspection deemed that the Alltel Dodges roof was to low and that the right rear quarter panel was to high.
TOP TEN FINISHERS -
1 Greg Biffle
2 Clint Bowyer
3 Jimmie Johnson
4 Casey Mears
5 Jeff Gordon
6 Kevin Harvick
7 Reed Sorenson
8 Elliott Sadler
9 Kasey Kahne
10 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Ann Arbor News - Ann Arbor, Michigan
By - Judy McGovern
Bill Wells has long lamented the deterioration of the vintage camp facilities at Mill Lake in the Waterloo Recreation Area.
Built in the 1930s under Depression-era New Deal employment programs, the rustic cabins and lodges display craftsman-like details and were home to summer youth camps for generations.
But time has taken a toll on the cedar-shake roofs. The electrical service, plumbing and mess-hall kitchen all need attention.
And while Wells and other members of the Waterloo Natural History Association raise and contribute as much as $25,000 a year to provide recreation and education activities at the sprawling state park, the project is simply too big for the community group.
"It's a shame,'' says Wells, a Sylvan Township resident who taught an outdoor class for elementary school kids from nearby Chelsea at the Mill Lake Outdoor Center. "It's a beautiful location and a perfect place for kids.''
But as he strides through the tall grass that's grown between the clusters of cabins, Wells' dismay at roofs collapsed since his last visit is tempered by the knowledge that help is - unexpectedly - on the way.
NASCAR driver Ryan Newman and his wife, through the Ryan Newman Foundation, are leading an effort to put $500,000 into the facilities by next June. And another $3 million to $4 million will go into restoring all 14 structures at Mill Lake.
Yes, NASCAR.
And, no, Newman isn't a local guy.
But the South Bend native apparently does have fond memories of fishing with his grandfather in Michigan waters. And a fairly chance meeting between the popular driver and a staff member the Conservation Fund led to an initiative dubbed "racing for wildlife.''
That national conservation group contacted the state Department of Natural Resources looking for a project proximate to Michigan International Speedway, which was ready to pitch in, says Ron Olson, Ann Arbor's longtime parks and rec boss who now heads the DNR's parks and recreation bureau.
"We're working on ways to get kids and families back outdoors,'' Olson says. "When we explained the idea, the resources at Mill Lake - which has the water, trails and the Eddy Discovery Center nearby - and the historic and cultural significance of the cabins, the Newmans got excited about it. They came out to see it and fell in love with it.''
For their part, DNR and Conservation Fund officials are so in love with the philanthropy that they're suddenly fluent in NASCAR.
Newman, No. 12, has finished in the top 20 the past five years, says Olson, an MIS virgin until last month.
The collaboration does create unusual bedfellows, says Conservation Fund spokeswoman Kathryn Brown. "But,'' she says, "the NASCAR community loves outdoors. And if you talk about getting kids outside, we're all on the same page.''
Beyond Mill Creek, the goal is to launch similar projects across the country, she says. Newman and the Conservation Fund are working with other drivers and tracks to identify projects.
Back at Mill Lake, Wells points out an area that was a canoe launch and a large glacial bowl where weathered benches ring a campfire area that hasn't burned in many summers.
He and DNR staffer Matthew Millar, who's come to check on us, have an animated conversation about skat (too big for raccoon) and revel in the sight of leaves that pour down when a strong blast of wind shakes the trees.
"You see tons of turkey out here and loons, mink and deer,'' says Wells, a native Detroiter who was as a child, in the late 1950s, first exposed to the outdoors at a camp held at nearby Cedar Lake.
A tall guy with a bristly mustache, Wells teaches special education in Dexter. "I told the kids about what the Newmans are going to do,'' he says. His middle-schoolers corrected Wells, who had called the driver Randy instead Ryan, and they seemed to approve of the NASCAR connection.
Some kind of private-sector help was going to be necessary, says Wells, who - as he daydreamed about salvaging the property - had imagined a photography park with corporate sponsorship.
The disrepair doesn't leave much room for argument. And there are plenty of models, among them public radio, where sponsors and the public enjoy mutual benefits in such arrangements.
But there's nothing ungrateful about wondering how public parks - and other institutions - got to this point. Or whether, in the end, the Mill Lake Outdoor Center is more apt to resemble NPR or NASCAR.
Judy McGovern can be reached at 734-994-6863 or jmcgovern@annarbornews.com.
