Was The Race To The 2007 Chase Exciting?

It seems like over the last couple of day/weeks I have read a lot of articles and postings about how NASCAR messed up going with 12 in the Chase instead of 10. Because this year it would have been more exciting with only 10. I realize that everyone is not going to be happy and there are the people out there that will complain.....even if they are happy.

But I thought it was exciting leading up to this point. Every week I was cheering on Ryan Newman (maybe I jinx him?) and Dale Earnhardt JR. I really wanted to see both of them in the Chase.

Newman was out of it as of last week when he finished 39th at California with a blown engine. Dale Earnhardt JR was still in it in last nights race and gave the fans a hell of a show...in my opinion.

I thought last nights race was not only a good race, but also exciting for the Chase to the Nextel Cup. The 2 drivers 12th or better that were on the bubble in 11th and 12th started having problems. Kurt Busch got hit from behind and had pretty good damage. Harvick started seriously over heating spewing water after going through the grass to avoid a wreck, the same one that messed up Busch a little.

And on top of all of that, Dale Earnhardt JR was doing really good and had a strong car. He did not have a car to win with I don't think, but definetly a top 5.

I never really root for anyone to do bad in a race. I of course do root for my favorite drivers to do well. But last night I was rooting for anything to happen to get JR in the Chase. He is my second favorite driver, and since my #1 already missed it, I had to cheer JR on.

JR blew an engine with about 13 laps to go and all of that got sqashed. Actually with 20 laps to go, JR was officially out of the chase as Kevin Harvick could not be beat at that point.

But, it was a little extra excitement for the race and for the chase to the race.

I don't think NASCAR should go anymore than 12. If they want to take it back down to 10 I would be happy with that.

Right now we have
- 44% of the drivers that competed in every race are now in the Chase.
- 30% of the field of 43 drivers are now in the Chase
- 18% of the all the drivers that have been in at least 1 race are now in the chase.

That sounds good to me. I hope they don't increase it any more.

Defining moments in the season that decided Chase

By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
September 9, 2007
12:07 PM EDT

In the course of a season, each team goes through many peaks and valleys. That's understandable, given the level of competition, each team's success rate at different tracks and the length of the schedule.

But given the opportunity for 20-20 hindsight, it's possible to look back and see moments that could be considered a momentum shift either contributing to the success or failure of each team's chances of making the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

In the case of four teams -- two which made it, two which did not -- there were specific instances that proved to be a key to where they stood in the standings after Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway, and not all occured on the racetrack.

Ryan Newman: Lap 21, Allstate 400 at the Brickyard

Newman was 30 points behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the 12th and final spot in the Chase field heading into Indianapolis. He qualified third and expected big things when the race started.

However, he quickly dropped back in the field with handling issues after the drop of the green, and his day went from bad to worse when he made contact with David Stremme in Turn 4, spun and made heavy contact with the wall, sidelining the No. 12 Dodge for the rest of the day.

"I just got hit in the left rear quarter panel," Newman said. "Stremme tried sticking it underneath me when he shouldn't have and spun us around. It's unfortunate. We took a pretty good lick to the wall and ended our day."

Newman knew at the time, the resulting 42nd-place finish was a huge blow to his Chase hopes. He dropped behind Kurt Busch into 14th, 59 points behind Junior. Still, with six races remaining, he believed he could rally.

"It was definitely a devastating blow in more than one way, but we can come back," he said. "It's just a matter of how far we can come back now."

Newman did rally the next weekend at Pocono, finishing seventh. Unfortunately, Busch and Earnhardt finished first and second. And despite putting together four consecutive finishes of 16th or better, Newman steadily lost ground to Busch.

He was eliminated from Chase contention at California when he suffered engine problems and finished 39th.

Read the rest of the article at NASCAR.com HERE

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.

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.

*************
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.
*************

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

Ryan Newman - Mr. Pragmatic

By Jerry Bonkowski, Yahoo! Sports

FONTANA, Calif. – As a college-trained engineer, Purdue University grad Ryan Newman is a whiz when it comes to analyzing numbers, scenarios and probabilities.

For example, if Newman looks at a glass, he not only studies whether it's half-full or half-empty, he also takes into consideration things such as volume of the fluid, thickness of the glass and how quickly it takes to consume said fluid.

But when it comes to his chances of making the Chase for the Nextel Cup, Newman changes from analytical to practical. Throw out scenarios and what-ifs. Forget worrying about what other drivers need to do.

With two races remaining until the start of the Chase, Newman sits 14th in the standings. He's 163 points behind Penske Racing teammate Kurt Busch, who sits 12th in points – last qualifying spot for the Chase. Newman approaches Sunday's race at California and next Saturday's final Chase qualifying race at Richmond pragmatically.

"You just go out and do the best job you can, and where you end up is where you end up," said Newman, who will start Sunday night's Sharp Aquos 500 here at California Speedway from the fourth position (Busch won the pole).

That's a very simple explanation to a very complicated formula

Bottom-line, Newman has to leave California less than 161 points behind Busch or whoever occupies the 12th-place position after Sunday night's race to still have a shot at making the Chase heading to Richmond.

"We do have a chance mathematically, as long as we do what we need to do," Newman said. "We're not in the position we'd like to be, but anything can happen, especially at these bigger tracks between engine failure and fuel mileage and things like that. You just never know."

While not giving up on making the Chase, Newman knows the deck is not exactly stacked in his favor. Yet at the same time, had it not been for a few wrong turns earlier this season, he could have made the Chase with ease.

The big problem was the first 12 races of the season. In the opening third of the season, the driver of the No. 12 Dodge had five finishes of 32nd or worst, plus an additional 23rd-place outing. A major contributing factor was three DNFs (two blown engines and a crash).

But in the second half of the year, Newman has had only two finishes outside the top 20 – including two runner-ups – and just one DNF.

When asked to compare the first third of the season with the middle third, Newman again becomes analytical.

"It's a good rebound season for us," said Newman, who finished 18th in points last season. "Could it have been better? Absolutely. Could it have been worse? Yeah, absolutely. We've had our ups and downs, our hiccups, and yet through it all, we're still sitting here pretty strong. I'd give (the season) a B or B-minus."

While Newman is in a position to help himself and Busch at the same time, he doesn't expect Busch to do the same. And Newman is OK with that, knowing Busch has to race Sunday with a more conservative strategy so that he doesn't cost himself points and leave himself vulnerable to a Dale Earnhardt Jr. (13th in points) or Newman hot streak.

"He can't do (anything)," Newman said. "We just have to keep doing what we've been doing as a team. It's got us to where we're at: the top two Dodge teams out there."

Newman describes California Speedway as being just an "all right" race track, perhaps because his record is less-than-stellar at the two-mile oval. In nine career starts here, Newman has just two top-fives and one other top-10. He finished 33rd in last year's Labor Day event here and was 12th at Fontana this spring.

"I'd rather be at Darlington," Newman said, referring to the former traditional site of the Labor Day weekend event on the Cup schedule. After more than 50 years at Darlington, NASCAR moved this weekend's race to California Speedway in 2004.

Newman's affinity for Darlington isn't surprising. He has five career top-fives and another top-10 in nine starts at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval.

"I'd rather be at Darlington," he reiterates with a big smile after taking a bite from a popsicle.

But in reality, Newman is all the way on the other side of the country and he'll have to make the best of the situation.

Much like how he views his chances of making the Chase.

Why Ryan Newman and Team Won't Make The Chase

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Penske - Only 3 Races Remain Before The Chase

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ryan Newman tries to regain his lost magic

It was not long ago that Ryan Newman was the talk of NASCAR.

 

In 2003, the young Penske Racing driver was teammates with one of the most heralded drivers in racing history, was winning poles at a clip of about one every three races and was making a home in Victory Lane.

 

Times sure have changed.

 

With a bunch of new faces around him, Newman is clinging to the hope that he can drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge into the Chase for the Championship over the next four races starting with Sunday's 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

 

Just four years ago, with veteran Rusty Wallace as his teammate, Newman captured an astounding 11 poles and won eight races. The only other active drivers in the last 10 years to win eight or more races in a season are Jimmie Johnson, who won eight in 2004, and Jeff Gordon, who won 13 in 1998.

 

Newman did not expect to win eight races the next season. He expected to win more.

 

"I thought we would do better the next year and better the year after," Newman said. "That's just the way it would work."

 

It didn't. Newman's team underwent numerous changes over the course of the next few years, including the biggest when crew chief Matt Borland was replaced before this season by Mike Nelson. Results have been slow to come. Newman won a total of three races and finished in the top five 19 total times in 2004 and 2005. During the past two seasons, he has no victories and five top-fives.

 

That's part of the reason he's 13th in the standings with only four races left to determine the 12 drivers who make the Chase.

 

He also developed a rather bitter feud with Wallace, who retired from full-time racing after the 2005 season. The volatile Kurt Busch is now his Penske teammate, not that it matters much to Newman.

 

"I still feel as a driver I'm fully capable of winning those eight races plus per year," Newman said. "The team and the people are what make the difference. We've had pretty much every member of the team, besides the truck driver, change positions or we have new people.

"We're kind of starting over."

 

Starting is one thing, finishing is another. And that's something that's kept Newman's seasons from being better than they have. In his eight-win season of 2003, he finished just sixth in points due to seven DNFs. He had nine more the next year when he was seventh in points.

 

Such poor finishes have not been an issue for Newman at MIS. He owns two victories and two other top-five finishes with one DNF in 12 starts there.

"I think we've got a good opportunity," Newman said. "It's a fun racetrack to race as far as a driver goes. You can do some really good racing there. Just a matter of getting the job done."

Newman, Busch working to grab two open Chase spots

Even though Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch appear to be battling for the final spot in the Chase For The Nextel Cup, the pair of Penske Racing drivers don't see each other as competition.

 

Instead, they say they are fighting a lot of other drivers for spots to get both of them in the 12-driver field that will compete for the NASCAR championship.

 

Entering Sunday's 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Busch holds that final Chase spot while Newman is 13th, 96 points behind him.

 

Yet they don't plan to change the way they operate or alter the team dynamic at all. If anything, Newman and Busch are working together even more closely in an effort to boost the performance of both.

 

"We're not competing against each other," Newman said Tuesday during a national teleconference. "We've got two teams going for the last two spots in the Chase. That's the way we look at it. Obviously we're [96] points out of 12th, but Kurt is not too far behind 11th and 10th. ... With four races to go, there's still opportunity for both of us to get in the Chase."

 

Both Newman and Busch have ramped up their performance in recent weeks. After falling to 17th in the standings following a 100-point penalty, Busch has rallied to the 12th spot after finishing no worse than 11th in the last five races. That's a stretch that includes a win and finishes of third and sixth.

 

Newman hasn't been as solid, but the team has gained ground as well. After dropping as low as 26th in the standings, he's up to 13th on the strength of three top-10 finishes in the last six races. He also has a 13th and a 14th-place finish in that stretch, but his 42nd-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after being caught up in a crash interrupted his recent surge.

 

So what's the difference?

 

"Just teamwork," Newman said. "The cars' performances. The new Dodge nose/hood combination has definitely been a big thing for us. It's been a lot of little things in the honest truth."

 

NEWMAN IN BATTLE FOR THE CHASE

Ryan Newman will make his 13th Cup start at Michigan International Speedway in Sunday's 3M Performance 400. It will be his 211th career start in the Cup Series.

 

Newman has an average start of 9.1 and an average finish of 16.7. Only one of Newman's starts has been lower than 12th - a 42nd in June 2006 after he spun in turn three before completing his first lap. Two starts were from 12th and the remaining 10 have all been from the top 10.

 

Two of Newman's four top-five finishes resulted in victories at the 2-mile speedway. He has two other finishes inside the top 15 and four of 25th or lower.

"I always like racing at Michigan. I've always said that this is my home track, so being there is like going home to race in front of my hometown crowd," Newman said.

 

The No. 12 Alltel team is bringing chassis PRS-108 to the track this weekend. This is the same car Newman drove in Chicago in July to an eighth-place finish.

 

"We're in the hunt for the Chase and each week it feels like we're getting closer and closer to moving into that 12th spot," Newman said. "We've only got four more races left, so this whole team is working extremely hard to do our best and make it into the Chase this year. I think we have a really good chance of doing that and being in contention for a championship run."

 

At Michigan, Newman has led 91 laps in seven races. He has completed 2,161 laps of a possible 2,329, contributing to his 92.8% completion rate at the Brooklyn, Mich. track.

 

Sunday's 200-lap 3M Performance 400 takes the green flag at 2 p.m. (ET). Qualifying is set for Friday at 3:10 p.m. (ET).

Race is tightening to qualify for the Chase

August 15, 2007
The talk is similar to the month leading up to the NCAA basketball tournament, but instead of bubble teams, it's all about bubble drivers.

Only the top 12 drivers in the Nextel Cup standings after the Sept. 8 race at Richmond qualify for the 10-race Chase for the championship, and 2004 champion Kurt Busch currently resides in 12th place with four races left before the cutoff.

Busch trails 11th-place Martin Truex Jr. by 58 points and is 96 points ahead of Penske Racing teammate Ryan Newman, who is 13th. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 14th, four points behind Newman.

"We're in the hunt for the Chase and each week it feels like we're getting closer and closer to moving into that 12th spot," Newman said Tuesday.
Bubble drivers use Matt Kenseth's remarkable 2005 rally for inspiration. After Watkins Glen, Kenseth was 16th and 165 points out of the 10th and final Chase qualifying spot. Four weeks later, he was eighth.

Players in the Chase

FROM ESPN.COM-

 

It's all about finishing in the top 12 in the standings -- the drivers in that group make the Chase -- when the checkered flag flies Sept. 8 in Richmond, Va. Although it is mathematically possible for Greg Biffle and Casey Mears to make the Chase, at 212 and 298 points out of 12th, respectively, they are likely racing for the $1 million bonus that goes to the driver who finishes 13th at the end of the season.

Here's how the drivers on the Chase bubble fared:

9. Clint Bowyer
Position before race -- 10
Chase points safety margin -- 234
Breakdown -- All but a lock to make the Chase at this point, Bowyer got a 16th-place finish at Watkins Glen and heads to Michigan with the confidence of knowing the dreaded road courses are behind him.

10. Kevin Harvick
Position before race -- 9
Chase points safety margin -- 222
Breakdown -- Collected in a late crash by Juan Pablo Montoya, Harvick had a car that could have contended for a top-5 at the very least. He's still a safe Chase bet.

11. Martin Truex Jr.
Position before race -- 11
Chase points safety margin -- 154
Breakdown -- Increased his safety margin by 109 points with a solid sixth-place finish. He needed a good day to stave off not only Kurt Busch, but more importantly teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Truex got what he needed.

12. Kurt Busch
Position before race -- 12
Chase points safety margin -- 96
Breakdown -- He picked up a whopping 89-point cushion over last week, and now his nearest pursuer is teammate Ryan Newman, not Earnhardt. He cost himself a shot at contending with a speeding penalty on pit road on his final stop at Watkins Glen, but finishing 11th still got the job done.

13. Ryan Newman
Position before race -- 14
Points out of Chase -- 96
Breakdown -- Busch's Penske teammate actually lost six points on the 12th spot in the standings, but he did manage to pass another driver. Newman has four races to make up ground, and the Penske garage will be watching Truex very closely the next few weeks.

14. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Position before race -- 13
Points out of Chase -- 100
Breakdown -- Disaster struck -- again. Needing a good day to hang with Busch (Earnhardt started the day a scant seven points out of the Chase), Junior blew a motor -- again. He was running as high as second in the race, and a good finish seemed in the cards. Now, the No. 8 team has little margin for error, and has to hope the worst for at least two other drivers.

 

K. Lee Davis is a motorsports editor at ESPN.com. He can be reached at kevin.davis@espn3.com.

Newman inches his way closer to top 12

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – The 90-lap race at Watkins Glen International on Sunday nearly turned into a 90-lap circus before the checkered flag waved. Drivers got into shoving matches, an extended red-flag period to clean up oil and debris in turn one had crew members wondering if they should take rags to the site to help move things along, and a fan ran down to the stopped cars for an autograph.

 

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger, had his own share of excitement during the 220.5-mile race. Newman, whose car sported a special Kodak paint scheme, finished 13th. Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet, won the race.

 

Earlier in the weekend, Newman fought off a tenacious Andy Lally in the closing laps of Saturday's Zippo 200 NASCAR Busch Series race at Watkins Glen to bring his No. 12 Dodge Charger home in ninth place. It was the second top-10 finish for Newman in five Busch Series races this season.

 

Sunday's field was set by owners' points after rain canceled Friday's qualifying session and Newman started 15th. Eleven laps into the event, the Dodge Avenger wheel-hopped entering turn 10 and sent the Indiana native spinning into the gravel pit. Fortunately, he kept the tires rolling and made it out on his own, carrying about 20 pounds of debris with him on the car's splitter. David Ragan was not as lucky and he spun into the same gravel pit shortly after Newman. The first of eight caution periods began on lap 12, providing Newman the opportunity to come into the pits to fix his car.

 

A brake duct was damaged in the spin, forcing Newman to pit before pit road was open and that resulted in a penalty. NASCAR officials ordered him to the rear of the longest line and that sent him to the 41st position for the race's restart on lap 14.

 

Although Newman's car was tight going through the 11-turn road course, he was still able to pick up a few spots before the next caution flew for debris on lap 23. Crew chief Mike Nelson brought Newman back onto pit road for adjustments to free up the car, giving him one round of wedge out of the left rear, one round of wedge in the right rear and two rounds up on the right-side track bar along with a full tank of fuel. This stop put the team back on its original pit strategy and moved Newman to 21st for the race's restart on lap 26.

 

The car was loose when he returned to the track, but he was able to make his way into the top 15 and hovered there until the third caution period began on lap 41.

 

Newman pitted for a third time to go back on the previous adjustments that had only hurt his car's balance. Nelson had the Alltel team put 1 1/2 rounds of wedge into the left rear, take 1 1/2 rounds of wedge out of the right rear and supply four fresh tires and fuel. Once again, Newman restarted near the rear of the field in 34th. Unfortunately, the changes didn't help his car once the field returned to green-flag conditions.

 

"The balance is no good," Newman told his crew on lap 49. "It's really loose off [turns] 10 and 11."

 

A few laps later, he was racing Clint Bowyer when both men suddenly found themselves in one of the winding track's gravel pits. Both, however, maintained their momentum and continued.

 

On Newman's fourth stop, Nelson gave him fuel only and went three rounds down on the right- side track bar. The quick stop allowed Newman to gain 15 spots and placed him 15th in the running order.

 

For 12 of the final 25 laps, the field ran under yellow-flag conditions as four caution periods occurred during that time frame. When a five-car accident occurred on lap 73, the clean-up was lengthy, even bringing out the red flag for 26 minutes 4 seconds as crews worked in turn one to clean up the oil that spilled onto the track. It was during this time that drivers Kevin Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya, who were involved in the incident, began yelling and shoving each other before NASCAR officials could come between them.

 

The lengthy cleanup created an antsy feeling among drivers and crewmembers, and left them wondering what they could do to accelerate the track clearing procedure. While the race was stopped, Matt Kenseth received a surprise when a fan ran through a grassy area to the track and shoved an object inside the car's window for Kenseth to autograph. Kenseth told the fan he was a little busy and eventually, the man gave up and left the car. Track security later took him away in handcuffs.

 

When the field finally received the green flag again, only 12 laps remained and Newman was in 16th. There was one more caution flag before the checkered flag waved, but when the race finally ended he had advanced to 13th. Due to engine troubles that eliminated Dale Earnhardt Jr. from the race, Newman moved into 13th in the drivers' standings, 96 points behind the Chase-eligible 12th position held by Penske Racing teammate Kurt Busch.

 

Next weekend, Newman will drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger at the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway for the 3M Performance 400. ESPN and MRN Radio will broadcast the event at 2 p.m. EDT Sunday. 

 

Newman and Dale Earnhardt JR - Talking

I just liked this picture and wanted to post it.

Wonder what these 2 could be talking about at Watkins Glen?

DEI VS Penske - I'm Lovin' It - The Fight For The Chase Is On

I have to say. I am lovin all this talk about DEI VS Penske. Don't get me wrong. Besides being a Ryan Newman Fan, I am also a huge Dale Earnhardt JR fan. Martin Truex JR is also towards the top of my list. Newman's teammate Kurt Busch.....not so close to the top of my list.

But how exciting is this? For me it is exciting....and nail biting. I realize that Newman has to have some real good finishes with a splash of Busch, JR or both not doing so good. Am I torn.....no. I want Newman in the chase. After that, I want JR in the chase. After that....I could care less.

This week could definetly have an impact on Newman's points standing.

LEt's take a look at these 4 drivers and Watkins Glen.

Martin Truex JR has only raced here 1 time in the Nextel Cup Series. He started 35th and finished 28th. That is all there is to really say about Truex on this track. He only has 3 Nextel Cup Series road races under his belt with no poles, wins, top 5's or top 10's. He has an average finish of 22.3 on road courses.

Kurt Busch has raced at Watkins Glen 6 times with 1 pole, no wins, no top 5's and 1 top 10 finish. His average finish here is 25. At road courses Busch has 13 starts, no wins, 3 top 5's, and 4 top 10's. His average finish on road courses is 20.8.

Dale Earnhardt JR has raced at Watkins Glen 7 times. JR has no poles, no wins, 2 top 5 finishes and 3 top 10 finishes. His average finish here is 17.6. On road courses JR has 15 races with no poles, no wins, 2 top 5 finishes and 3 top 10 finishes with an average finish of 19.9.

Ryan Newman has raced at Watckins Glen 5 times with no poles, no wins, 1 top 5 and 3 top 10 finishes. His average finish here is 15. On road courses Newman has 11 races with no wins, 3 top 5 and 7 top 10 finishes. His average finish on road courses is 12.2.

Now that all of that is typed out, lets look at it in simple form.

DRIVER	Starts	Wins	TOP 5	TOP 10	AVG FIN
Ryan Newman	5	0	1	3	15.0
Dale Earnhardt JR	7	0	3	10	17.6
Kurt Busch	6	0	0	1	25.0
Martin Truex JR	1	0	0	0	28.0

The order that you see them above in the table is the order that I am picking them for the race on Sunday. I think by far it is obvious that Newman and Dale Earnhardt JR are better here then the other 2 here. Looking at these numbers JR is better than Newman, but Newman really needs to step up his game and I think he is going to.

And while Marin Truex JR was stepping up his game for a while, he has been slightly falling back off. But by no means is he doing bad.

I do believe that the real battle here will be between Newman and JR. (Maybe not actually battling on the track, but battling for the best finish).

Oh yeah, and here is a snap shot of the point spreads between the racers. Truex is in 11th position with 2437. Busch is in 12th, -38 points behind 11th. JR is in 13th only -7 points behind busch. Newman is in 14th -83 points behind JR.

This means that there is only a 45 point difference between Truex, Busch and JR. Ad Newman to the mix and there is a 138 point difference.

Close behind Newman is a tie between Mark Martin and Greg Biffle. They are 126 points behind Newman. So they could still be in the game as well.

Ahead of Truex JR is Clint Boyer in 10th. He is 127 points ahead of Truex JR.

So, there is about the same "cushion" both ahead and behind of these 4 drivers.

GOOD LUCK TO RYAN NEWMAN AND THE #12 KODAK DODGE TEAM THIS WEEKEND!!!

DEI vs. Penske Racing

by Steve Waid @ SceneDaily.com

 

With just five races before the Chase For The Nextel Cup begins, all types of scenarios can play out.

 

That's because we don't yet know which 12 drivers will make the Chase and with time running out, some of them might adopt some "desperate" strategies. The outcome is certainly unpredictable.

 

It's pretty certain Jeff Gordon is definitely in, and I don't think there's much concern for Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart and a few others, either.

 

Where we should focus our attention is on positions 11th through 14th. The drivers there are the ones in the biggest scrap for a place in the Chase.

 

It's Dale Earnhardt Inc. vs. Penske Racing.

 

Martin Truex Jr. of DEI is 11th in points, followed by Kurt Busch of Penske, Dale Earnhardt Jr. of DEI and Penske's Ryan Newman.

The gap between Truex and Newman is just 128 points, certainly not insurmountable in five races.

 

Busch is just 38 points behind Truex, and he's only seven ahead of Earnhardt Jr. Newman has the most ground to make up as he's 90 points out of 12th place. Again, that can be made up in the time remaining.

 

Busch vaulted into 12th place after a dominating win at Pocono. Earnhardt Jr. finished second but dropped to 13th place because Busch, who had been 13 points behind Earnhardt Jr. going into the race, accumulated 20 bonus points with his victory.

 

Any kind of scenario could be played out over the next five weeks, but it's clear the obvious battle for a spot in the Chase is between DEI and Penske.

And it will rage right on through Richmond.

 

UTTERLY SHAMELESS: Listen to Steve on Fox Sports Radio's "Race Day on Fox" at 8 a.m. EDT Sunday. Check out your local Fox Sports Radio affiliate or XM Radio Channel 142.

BUSCH, NEWMAN PUT SQUEEZE ON CHASE

Penske Racing's fortunes seem on an upturn -


In one respect it almost seems unfair.

As Dale Earnhardt Jr. attempts to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup, he is facing a 2-on-1 battle.

Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR's most popular driver and 13th in points, trails Penske Racing's Kurt Busch by seven points for the 12th and final Chase spot entering Sunday's Centurion Boats at the Glen at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. Sitting in 14th is Busch's teammate, Ryan Newman.

Busch catapulted past Earnhardt Jr. for the 12th spot last weekend with his dominating win at Pocono (Pa.) and ended a 51-race winless streak. Earnhardt Jr. has a sizable (47 races) winless streak of his own.

Newman "came to Victory Lane and congratulated us. The team chemistry is really on its peak right now with the way we share information and help each other on the track," Busch said.

"If we have a fast car guys know it out on the track and Newman definitely helped us get to this point."

In recent weeks, Busch and Newman have made considerable gains. Earlier this season it appeared Penske Racing's hopes for contending for a series championship would have to be put off until 2008.

Busch's 100-point penalty after driving into Tony Stewart's pit during the June 4 race at Dover, Del., left him 17th in points. Newman at the time was 15th.

Since then, Busch has picked up a victory and moved into the Chase with five races left before the field is set. Newman has four top-10 finishes during the span and is 83 points behind Earnhardt Jr.

The performance is a big step up over last year when Busch finished 16th in points and Newman a career-low 18th.

"Kurt's win came at the right time. Everybody keeps saying, `What's the matter?' But we've been running good but not delivering at the end of the race," said team president Don Miller.

"It's frustrating. This is the reward. It's been there all along. Our team performance has been great the past three months. This is the type of sport where one weekend you're happy and the next weekend it will rip your guts out.

"This is an indication of what we are about."

Unlike many Cup organizations, Penske has avoided the increasing temptation to expand.

"I've been where there's five cars and where there's single cars. But having the right teammates is more important than having the numbers," Busch said. "Everybody has to want to work together and like working together.

"Obviously four is better than two if it's working right. But if it's not working right, it can be worse than two."

While a road course might not seem like the best place to pick up ground in the standings, Busch and Newman have shown promise. Busch won the Busch Series race at Watkins Glen last year; Newman won the series' race in 2005.

"I think we have two really good road racers and I fully expect this momentum to continue," Miller said. "They both are going to run both races this weekend. They're going to have extra time on the track and considering their records, we have a good chance at a win or two."

Chasing the Chase

In the past nine races Penske Racing teammates Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch have gone from afterthoughts to the verge of qualifying for the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Here's a summary of their seasons:

Newman Busch
Points position 14 12
Position 9 races ago 15 17
Wins 0 1
Top-fives 3 4
Top-10s 9 6

Newman wants to capitalize, move into Chase field

CONCORD, N.C. - Ryan Newman finished seventh in the Pennsylvania 500 and still lost ground on the two guys he's battling to get into the Chase For The Nextel Cup.

Newman's Penske Racing teammate, Kurt Busch, won the race to move into 12th, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. was second and dropped to 13th with just five races remaining before the 12-driver Chase field is set.

 

Newman's Penske Racing teammate, Kurt Busch, won the race to move into 12th, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. was second and dropped to 13th with just five races remaining before the 12-driver Chase field is set.

 

Earnhardt Jr. is seven points behind Busch, and Newman is 90 points behind Busch.

 

"We just have to stay focused and be doing what we've been doing and take it to the next level," Newman said Monday at Lowe's Motor Speedway, where he was testing for Goodyear. "We've had good runs, but we didn't capitalize on the guys we need to capitalize on, and that's what it's all about."

Newman had started fourth in the race at Pocono, while Busch started second.

 

"It was a great run for both Penske drivers," Newman said. "It wasn't the finish I thought we were capable of, but it was a good run for both teams."

The series heads to its final road-course race of the season this weekend at Watkins Glen. Michigan, Bristol, California and Richmond also remain before the Chase.

 

And with two short-tracks and a road-course race, Newman believes it's wide open as far as who makes the Chase.

"Crazy stuff can happen between Bristol, Richmond and the road course," he said.

With 6 races left, drivers aiming for Chase spots

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) - Kurt Busch should be the driver that everyone outside the top 12 is pursuing for the final spot in the Chase.

Instead, the former Nextel Cup champion is the one lagging behind.
When Busch was docked 100 points for reckless driving in early June at Dover, the penalty plummeted him six spots and out of a place for the 12-car, 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup championship.

Those points could now deny him a chance to race for the title.

"Yeah, that's what everybody will write about if we don't make it," Busch said. "There's been times where we've let quite a few points get away from us. Hopefully the 100 from Dover won't come into play."

Busch is one of a handful of drivers vying to claim one of the few slots up for grabs in a six-race stretch that stars in Sunday's 500-mile race at Pocono Raceway and ends at Richmond. The final six races of the 26-race regular-season put the drivers, their fans and everyone in the sport on edge about how it will all end.

"It's real nerve-racking," said Clint Bowyer, who is in 10th. "It's up to us to ensure that we're in it."

For drivers at the bottom of the top 12 like Martin Truex Jr. (11th) or Dale Earnhardt Jr. (12th), this stretch is like the college basketball conference tournaments: Win and you're in. Lose and, well, you'll need some help.

"I think everyone's on the Chase bubble," Truex said.

Had Busch not been docked those 100 points for reckless driving and endangering one of Tony Stewart's crew members on pit road, he would have 2,304 points, enough to bump Earnhardt (2,217) outside the top 12.

Busch fell from 11th to 17th in the Chase standings after NASCAR penalized him, and has since worked his way back to 13th on the strength of five top-10 finishes in the seven races since Dover. Busch is followed by Ryan Newman (59 points out of the Chase), Jamie McMurray (113) and Greg Biffle (128), all legitimate contenders to catch Earnhardt, Truex and Bowyer.

Even Jimmie Johnson, once considered a lock for the Chase, has put himself in a vulnerable position by dropping from fourth to ninth in the past three races.

"There is a concern. We don't want to be in this situation," said Johnson, who swept Pocono in 2004.

Perhaps it's a coincidence, but the drivers in the hunt for those spots all had strong qualifying efforts for the Pennsylvania 500. Earnhardt took his first pole since 2002 and Busch will join him on the front row. Newman was fourth and Johnson seventh.

"I think most of the teams are hitting their peak and everyone's running strong," Busch said. "Whoever gets the most consistent finishes will be in the Chase."

Truex and Earnhardt, DEI teammates, would have been fighting to make the Chase under the old rules. But the field was expanded this season from 10 to 12 drivers.

Earnhardt believes his final season with Dale Earnhardt Inc. will end with a spot in the Chase.

"I feel like we're not a 12th-place team. We're a fifth-place team, if not even more successful than that," Junior said. "I still feel like we'll make the Chase with ease because we're such a good team. If we don't make the Chase, I'll be the most surprised person, not only in this room, but in this garage, because I feel totally confident that we've got control of it and can get it done."

"We know exactly how far we're behind and who we're tied with and in front of," said Denny Hamlin, in second. "We're aware of it, but we're not overly concerned with it. We can't be going crazy over 10 points here and there because if it affects your performance and kills your momentum going into the Chase, it's not going to matter anyway."