NASCAR'sNewest Fan Has Joined Us

Faith Ann Pratt (my daughter) was born yesterday (Nov 16th, 2007) at 10:21 am. 6 lbs 8 oz and 19 inches long.

Jeni woke me up at 4 am and told me it was time to go. Waking me up can be a real treat so after asking her a bunch of "I am still sleeping questions" I finally came to and jumped out of bed. We were up, coffee brewed, T.J. (our 19 month old) dressed and at the hospital by 4:45 am.

We are so happy and Mama and Faith are 100% healthy. Probably going home today.

So my race coverage this week will also probably be next to nothing.

She is a good NASCAR fan comiing into the world when she did, I will be able to see Sundays race, the last race of 2007.

Newman Could Takes Risks At Homestead For A Win

FOXSPORTS

Ryan Newman
The "Rocket Man" has been dominant of late, racing to three top-five finishes in his past four starts and four in his past six rides. Of course, Newman's also seen four of his past eight starts finish early because of accidents and engine issues. Therefore, he's a high-risk, high-reward proposition for this weekend's run at Homestead-Miami. He's raced to two top-10 finishes in five career starts with three top-five qualifying efforts. However, he's also had two efforts end early because of accidents.

Noting Newman - Homestead

-- Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, will make his sixth Cup start at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It will be his 224th career start in the Cup Series.

-- Newman has an average start of 8.0 and an average finish of 20.6 at the 1.5-mile track. All of his starts have been 16th or higher, including three from the top-five.

-- Newman has two top-10 finishes at Homestead. His other finishes have been 23rd, 30th and 37th.

-- Newman has led 133 laps in three races. He has completed 1,187 laps of a possible 1,340 since he made his debut in 2002 at the south Florida track. Newman has a completion rate of 88.6 percent.

-- Crew chief Mike Nelson and the Alltel team are taking chassis PRS-110 to Homestead as its primary car. This was the car Newman raced at Texas where he qualified 11th and finished fifth. The backup car is chassis PRS-108. This car was last raced in Atlanta at the end of October. It qualified ninth, but finished 37th after developing engine problems.

Newman On Homestead: ¿This is our last chance to get a win before the season is over and I think we have a good chance of getting it done. Our team has been solid the last couple of weeks and even though we had some problems in Atlanta, we¿ve still been running really well.¿

¿I¿m really proud of our team and the way they¿ve been able to battle back throughout the season. It seems like every time we have a bad weekend, we come back to the track and have a few good finishes in a row. That shows how dedicated these guys are. They¿re not going to let one bad week keep them from working hard the next week and getting good finishes in the Alltel Dodge.¿

NEWMAN LOOKING FOR WIN

Ryan Newman will make his sixth Cup start at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It will be his 224th career start in the Cup Series.

"This is our last chance to get a win before the season is over and I think we have a good chance of getting it done. Our team has been solid the last couple of weeks and even though we had some problems in Atlanta, we've still been running really well," Newman said.

Newman has an average start of 8.0 and an average finish of 20.6 at the 1.5-mile track. All of his starts have been 16th or higher, including three from the top-five.

Newman has two top-10 finishes at Homestead. His other finishes have been 23rd, 30th and 37th.

Newman has led 133 laps in three races. He has completed 1,187 laps of a possible 1,340 since he made his debut in 2002 at the south Florida track. Newman has a completion rate of 88.6 percent.

Crew chief Mike Nelson and the Alltel team are taking chassis PRS-110 to Homestead as its primary car. This was the car Newman raced at Texas where he qualified 11th and finished fifth. The back-up car is chassis PRS-108. This car was last raced in Atlanta at the end of October. It qualified ninth, but finished 37th after developing engine problems.

"I'm really proud of our team and the way they've been able to battle back throughout the season. It seems like every time we have a bad weekend, we come back to the track and have a few good finishes in a row," Newman said. "That shows how dedicated these guys are. They're not going to let one bad week keep them from working hard the next week and getting good finishes in the Alltel Dodge."

NASCAR overall TV ratings down 2nd straight year

NASCAR ends its season Sunday with ratings down again this year. And while it has fan interest beyond its Southern base, it’s still an also-ran in big cities outside the South. This season’s NASCAR Nextel Cup races — airing on Fox, TNT, ESPN and ABC — are averaging 4.2% of U.S. TV households — down 9% from last year’s average and off 21% from 2005. ABC’s Checker Auto Parts 500 on Sunday — when Jimmie Johnson virtually nailed down the season points title — showed interest still is largely regional.

The race drew 10.5% of households in Greenville, S.C., 9.1% in Knoxville, Tenn. and 7.8% in Birmingham, Ala. But it drew just 1.3% in New York, 1.9% in Los Angeles and 2.4% in Chicago. Dick Glover, NASCAR vice president/broadcasting, notes the average NASCAR race ratings in New York (1.9%), Los Angeles (2.1%) and Chicago (2.9%) — which together constitute about 15% of TV households in the USA — are up slightly or even with last year.

Newman, Busch Lead Dodge Contingent At Phoenix; Hornish Finishes 30th In NASCAR Cup Debut

AVONDALE, Ariz. (Nov. 11, 2007) ¿ Penske Racing led the Dodge contingent in Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway with Ryan Newman finishing fifth and Kurt Busch placing 12th. Sam Hornish Jr. took 30th in his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup debut.

Newman's second straight top-five finish and his seventh this season moved him up one position in the point standings to 13th with one race remaining in the season. He is now 58 points ahead of the 14th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr.

¿The Alltel Dodge was pretty good," said Newman, who led once for four laps after starting 13th in the 312-lap race on the 1-mile track. "We knew we were good enough to get track position with the disadvantage; with two tires or with fuel only, and that was OK. I wasn¿t mad about that, but I wish we just had that extra little speed so we could get on everyone else¿s strategy. You know, being able to take two tires when everybody takes two, or take four when they take four. We¿re getting closer to that. It¿s just a matter of time."

Newman consistently ran in the top 10 throughout the race after gaining track position with a two-tire stop during the first of 10 caution flags. That strategy enabled Newman to gain 11 positions, placing him in second when the race restarted on lap 29.

The Alltel crew gave Newman the lead on lap 236 with a quick pit stop during the eighth caution period. However, when the race restarted, Newman couldn't hold off the charging Matt Kenseth, who was on fresh tires. Newman, however, never dropped lower than sixth in the final 70 laps.

¿To have a top-five finish is great," Newman said. "To build on another top-five finish, that¿s two in a row, that¿s really great. I don¿t know if we¿ve done that all year.¿

Meanwhile, Busch found himself battling a "wicked handling" Miller Lite Dodge Avenger throughout the race. His 12th-place finish also dropped him a position in the standings, leaving him 10th with one race remaining. However, he is only 47 points behind the seventh-place Kevin Harvick.

¿It was pretty wicked handling for him much of the day,¿ crew chief Pat Tryson said about the car that Busch qualified ninth. ¿We kept making some pretty big adjustments throughout the race. It wasn¿t the super day we were looking for out here, but it was a good learning experience. It¿s evident that we have a little catching up to do with our Miller Lite Dodge Avenger and we¿re already focusing on doing all we can during the off-season to be really prepared with this car when the 2008 season kicks off next February in Daytona."

Despite the handling problems, Busch still felt he had a "good run" in his Miller Lite Dodge.

"It was just a little too tight in one spot and a little too loose in another spot," Busch added. "So, all-in-all, we'll chalk it up as a year of experience with the COTs. We have some more work to do."

Hornish's goals were to not cause problems for his teammates and the top two in the point standings, complete as many laps as possible, and finish in the top 30. The 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner achieved all of his objectives.

¿I still have a lot to learn, but I¿m enjoying the challenge. We¿ll keep working our way at it and continue to get better. I¿ll go into Miami with one race under my belt ¿ a little bit less of a rookie, I guess,¿ said Hornish, who will attempt another double-duty weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend.

¿I¿m a bit rusty as far as racing goes lately. It¿s been about two months since I¿ve run this long of a race and that was probably the longest I¿ve run in the COT car. But I was pretty happy with the car, especially at the end. We started out tight and got a pretty long run there at the beginning where we lost a lap, but we eventually got to where the car needed to be.¿

Although Hornish was two laps down at the event's conclusion, 310 laps allowed him to begin to define the physical differences and challenges between the Indy Car and COT car.

¿If you¿re running one or two laps, the Indy Car is definitely a lot more physical," Hornish explained. "But this is very demanding because the temperature that you face inside the car and the amount of footwork that goes into it. Plus, you have 42 other cars so there¿s nowhere to really relax. I didn¿t even find my rhythm to where I was able to try new lines until about the last five laps. The rest of the time, I was in traffic, right at the edge of my seat. The physical effort of racing these cars is very demanding. It¿s like racing in a sauna. With all the heat, I think I drank about 10 bottles of water throughout the day and I still think I¿m dehydrated."

Sunday's Ford 400 season finale will be televised on ABC and broadcast on MRN Radio starting at 3 p.m. EST.

Penske still undecided about points switch

Team owner Roger Penske said Saturday he hasn't decided if he'll move No. 2-Kurt Busch's points to Sam Hornish Jr. to guarantee the driver a spot in the first five races of next season.

Hornish is leaving the IndyCar Series for a full NASCAR schedule next season, but his No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge won't be one of the 35 cars locked into the first five races of the year. As a former series champion, Busch has a provisional that he could fall back on should he fail to qualify on speed.

"We have a number of options and we're looking at all of them ... we'll see," Penske said at Phoenix International Raceway. "This isn't all about the first five races. This is about a long career for a great race car driver and someone who has delivered for us for a long time at Penske Racing."

NEWMAN FINISHES FIFTH FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK

AVONDALE, Ariz., (Nov. 11, 2007) – For the seventh time in 2007, Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger, earned a top-five finish – his second straight – with a fifth-place finish in Sunday's Checkers Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Newman, who started 13th for the 312-lap race, battled a loose condition in his car at the race's beginning, but he was able to maintain a position just outside the top 10 until his first pit stop on lap 27.

After David Gilliland hit the wall coming down the frontstretch, crew chief Mike Nelson brought the Alltel Dodge down pit road for right-side tires, fuel, one round of wedge in the left rear and one round up on the right-side track bar. The two-tire, 6.11-second stop jumped Newman from 13th to second for the restart on lap 29.

Many of the cars behind Newman received four tires to his two. Within five laps of the restart, Newman was back in fourth. However, he was able to hold on strong to a top-five position.

After falling back to sixth on lap 58, Newman told his crew that his car was "really, really tight" in the center.

“I’m going to play with my line a little bit here,” Newman relayed.

Running high on both sides of the track allowed Newman to regain a spot in the top five until the next caution flag waved on lap 86 for debris.

During the next pit stop, the Alltel Dodge crew gave Newman four tires and fuel and kept him in fifth.

At the restart, Newman and Matt Kenseth battled for a few laps for the fifth spot, but Newman won out before another wreck brought out the third of 10 yellow flags.

During the next two caution periods, Nelson kept Newman on the track, allowing him to hold on to third. Newman informed his crew that he was happy with the car and its balance was pretty good. Newman would maintain third until he finally made his third pit stop on lap 140.

Even though Newman received only four tires and fuel and the Alltel crew completed the stop in 13.11 seconds, Newman still came out of the pits in 11th since the top eight cars remained on the track due to pitting earlier.

After the restart on lap 144, Newman needed only two laps to move back into the top 10 and was running ninth when the seventh caution flag waved on lap 148. The car was still pretty good, so Newman stayed on the track with the other front-runners.

Newman steadily moved toward the front of the pack and was sixth on lap 171 when he started having some problems with the car.

“I’m struggling a little bit, mostly with grip,” Newman told his crew. “I’m a little too tight. We need to free it up with bite.”

Despite the balance issues, Newman managed to move into the top five by lap 187, just before green flag pit stops began on lap 190.

Newman was running fourth when he came in for his green-flag stop on lap 220 and received four tires, fuel and two rounds of wedge out of the left rear. Newman returned to the track in 17th, still on the lead lap. By lap 224, Newman was in 10th and he began passing the cars in front of him.

“The car is definitely better,” Newman told his crew. “We need the track position, but we need to free it up a little bit on the next stop.”

Pit strategy played into the team’s hands on lap 234 when the yellow waved for the eighth time for Dave Blaney's spin. Since it had only been 13 laps since Newman had been on pit road, Nelson brought the Alltel Dodge in for fuel and a half round of wedge out of the left rear. The strategy worked and put Newman into the lead for the first time.

After leading four laps and earning five bonus points, Newman’s older tires were no match for cars with fresh tires and Kenseth took over the lead just one lap after the restart on lap 240. Tony Stewart also passed Newman, but no one else could get by him before the ninth yellow flag waved.

Newman remained third for the next 25 laps until the final caution flag, this one for debris, occurred. Newman then pitted for the final time. After receiving right-side tires and fuel, Newman restarted sixth due to two cars remaining on the track.

Newman fought his way back into the top five and for the last 20 laps held off a charging Kevin Harvick to finish fifth. It is only the third time in 11 career starts that Newman has finished in the top five at the 1-mile track. His other eight finishes have all been outside the top 10.

“The Alltel Dodge was pretty good. We knew that we were good enough to get track position with the disadvantage. With two tires or with fuel only and that was OK,” said Newman, who moved into 13th in the point standings. “I wasn’t mad about that, but I wish we just had that extra little speed so we could get on everyone else’s strategy. You know, being able to take two tires when everybody takes two, or take four when they take four. We’re getting closer to that. It’s just a matter of time.

“To have a top-five finish is great. To build on another top-five finish, that’s two in a row, that’s really great. I don’t know if we’ve done that all year, so to finish up at least two out of three would be great.”

Next weekend, Newman will drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger in the season finale Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. ABC and MRN Radio will broadcast the final race of the 2007 season beginning at 3 p.m. EST.

Ryan Newman: “To build on another top-five finish, that’s two in a row, that’s really great”

Avondale, Ariz.
Nov 13, 2007

Penske Racing led the Dodge contingent in Sunday’s Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway with Ryan Newman finishing fifth and Kurt Busch placing 12th. Sam Hornish Jr. took 30th in his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup debut.

Newman’s second straight top-five finish and his seventh this season moved him up one position in the point standings to 13th with one race remaining in the season. He is now 58 points ahead of the 14th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“The Alltel Dodge was pretty good, “ said Newman, who led once for four laps after starting 13th in the 312-lap race on the 1-mile track. “We knew we were good enough to get track position with the disadvantage; with two tires or with fuel only, and that was OK. I wasn’t mad about that, but I wish we just had that extra little speed so we could get on everyone else’s strategy. You know, being able to take two tires when everybody takes two, or take four when they take four. We’re getting closer to that. It’s just a matter of time. “

Newman consistently ran in the top 10 throughout the race after gaining track position with a two-tire stop during the first of 10 caution flags. That strategy enabled Newman to gain 11 positions, placing him in second when the race restarted on lap 29.

The Alltel crew gave Newman the lead on lap 236 with a quick pit stop during the eighth caution period. However, when the race restarted, Newman couldn’t hold off the charging Matt Kenseth, who was on fresh tires. Newman, however, never dropped lower than sixth in the final 70 laps.

“To have a top-five finish is great, “ Newman said. “To build on another top-five finish, that’s two in a row, that’s really great. I don’t know if we’ve done that all year. “

Meanwhile, Busch found himself battling a “wicked handling” Miller Lite Dodge Avenger throughout the race. His 12th-place finish also dropped him a position in the standings, leaving him 10th with one race remaining. However, he is only 47 points behind the seventh-place Kevin Harvick.

“It was pretty wicked handling for him much of the day, “ crew chief Pat Tryson said about the car that Busch qualified ninth. “We kept making some pretty big adjustments throughout the race. It wasn’t the super day we were looking for out here, but it was a good learning experience. It’s evident that we have a little catching up to do with our Miller Lite Dodge Avenger and we’re already focusing on doing all we can during the off-season to be really prepared with this car when the 2008 season kicks off next February in Daytona. “

Despite the handling problems, Busch still felt he had a “good run” in his Miller Lite Dodge.

“It was just a little too tight in one spot and a little too loose in another spot, “ Busch added. “So, all-in-all, we’ll chalk it up as a year of experience with the COTs. We have some more work to do. “

Hornish’s goals were to not cause problems for his teammates and the top two in the point standings, complete as many laps as possible, and finish in the top 30. The 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner achieved all of his objectives.

“I still have a lot to learn, but I’m enjoying the challenge. We’ll keep working our way at it and continue to get better. I’ll go into Miami with one race under my belt - a little bit less of a rookie, I guess, “ said Hornish, who will attempt another double-duty weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend.

“I’m a bit rusty as far as racing goes lately. It’s been about two months since I’ve run this long of a race and that was probably the longest I’ve run in the COT car. But I was pretty happy with the car, especially at the end. We started out tight and got a pretty long run there at the beginning where we lost a lap, but we eventually got to where the car needed to be. “

Although Hornish was two laps down at the event’s co nclusion, 310 laps allowed him to begin to define the physical differences and challenges between the Indy Car and COT car.

“If you’re running one or two laps, the Indy Car is definitely a lot more physical, “ Hornish explained. “But this is very demanding because the temperature that you face inside the car and the amount of footwork that goes into it. Plus, you have 42 other cars so there’s nowhere to really relax. I didn’t even find my rhythm to where I was able to try new lines until about the last five laps. The rest of the time, I was in traffic, right at the edge of my seat. The physical effort of racing these cars is very demanding. It’s like racing in a sauna. With all the heat, I think I drank about 10 bottles of water throughout the day and I still think I’m dehydrated. “

Past Weekend Race Coverage

I feel a need to apologize to the readers of this blog that are interested in Ryan Newman coverage.  I have not been on here for a little while due to a SEVERE sinus infection.  This little booger had me knocked out.  I was in a lot of pain in both my sinus and my teeth.  Unbelievable pain really.  I have had sinus infections before, but nothing like this. 

 

I missed all the postings for Ryan's Practice and Qualifying times (although the times are available on the site - just no postings).  I missed the race.  I did see some of it here and there, but overall I missed it.

 

But I am feeling 85% better now.  Which means I feel great.

 

Next weekend's coverage may be spotty at best also.  My daughter is due come out of Mama on Sunday - Homestead-Miami weekend.  So, hopefully she is ready to come join us before Sunday.  Jeni, my fiance, is ready now.  And to be honest I am ready to.

 

Faith Ann is (will be) her name and we are VERY excited. 

 

Anyway, I will get some stories posted about this weekends race and Ryan Newmans performance. About all that I do know is that that Jimmie Johnson won (again) and that Ryan Newman finished 5th.  Not bad, 4 of his last 6 races have been top 5 finishes.  Maybe a preview for next season?  In fact after looking at the numbers, if Newman did not have Engine problems or an accident during these last ten races (The Chase), then he has finished 9th, 5th, 2nd, 5th and 5th.  Not to shabby. We are 9 races into the Chase with 1 more race left on the schedule for the year.  So that means Ryan had 4 engine or accident problems.  Actually it is 2 a piece.  Of the 2 accidents the one that sticks out in my mind was Lowes.  He had the lead with a couple laps to go and blew a tire.  GRRRRR.

 

Anyway, I will be catching up on things this week.

 

Mike