Penske: No decision on Hornish in a third Penske Cup car for ‘08

Nextel Cup team owner Roger Penske said that said rumors of Indy Car driver Sam Hornish, Jr moving to a third Penske Cup entry are premature and that no decision has been made.

“We haven’t made any commitment on [a third team] at this point,” Penske said Sunday prior to the Pocono 500. “There’s lots of speculation. Sam has run some Busch races, is going to run ARCA in fact at Michigan next week. We’ve got a lot of moving parts right now, and I’m not committing to a third team at this point at all.”

As far as Hornish possibly making his Nextel Cup debut in the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Penske said that won’t happen.

“We need to go to the Brickyard with the 2 [of Kurt Busch] and the 12 [of Ryan Newman] and execute there,” he said. “We don’t have a car. We need to go with our two best guys there and let him complete his season. We’re done in September [with the IRL], which gives him a lot of time to run some races, which would give him a real opportunity to see where we are.”

Ryan Newman Wins Third Straight Pole; Dodge Qualifying Quotes from Pocono

RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 alltel Dodge Charger)
NOTE: Newman captured his third straight pole, fourth of the season and the 41st of his career in career start No. 202.

“It felt really good. Obviously the conditions got pretty good just like right now with the cloud cover around the track. It was a good run for the alltel Dodge. I thought I could have pushed it a little harder because it stuck so good. I just hope Mother Nature cooperates with us. These guys are doing a great job. We did six laps today in practice, three in race trim and two in qualifying trim and an idle lap besides that. It was an abbreviated practice for us, but they did a good job unloading a fast racecar right off the truck. That makes a big difference. We had a measurement issue (before qualifying). It was two tenths off. It was good before. That was a good lap. I can’t complain about it at all. The guys are doing a great job. I don’t know what else to say. They’re making them comfortable for me to drive and I’m just pushing the pedals. We had a good car at Dover, just not quite good enough. I think this car has potential to be a dominant racecar.”

“I really didn’t know what was going to be a good draw first of all. We were right in the middle of the pack. We just happened to be a little late getting through the house and caught a good cloud. That was nice, but the guys have done an awesome job with the alltel Dodge to be fast off the truck. We did three laps in race trim and two more in qualifying trim and just really can’t complain. These guys are doing an awesome job for me. It makes my job a lot easier. It was a good lap. It was smooth. The track picked up so much grip after practice that we totally bypassed the 53-second bracket. We went from a 54.18 to a 52.90. Part of that’s the racetrack and part of that is the guys stepping it up so much.”

COMMENT ON WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE TO ALLOW YOU TO WIN THREE STRAIGHT POLES “Just that performance I talked about. The guys doing a good job, bringing a fast car to the racetrack with the right balance. The momentum we have going back winning the pit crew challenge has definitely helped the entire team, and that makes a big difference. Taking nothing away from Martin Truex that race win last week definitely helped him in qualifying today, I guarantee it. You can’t put a time on it, but success breeds performance.”

DID THE RUN YOU HAD LAST WEEK GET OVERSHADOWED? “I wouldn’t say I got overlooked. Obviously more things were important. Just from our team’s perspective. We had a really fast car at Dover. It just wasn’t quite as fast as Martin’s. I think both teams did an excellent job all day. Aside from his starting position, outside the top four or five, that’s not easy to do for 400 miles anywhere. It was a good momentum-building experience the entire last weekend was for us or four days ago or whenever it was.”

TALK ABOUT HOW TRUEX HAS EVOLVED “Back in 2005 I got a chance to race against Martin a lot in the Busch Series. He’s a great driver. We’ve always raced clean. I’ve never had an issue on the track or off. I have a lot of respect for him. We both have a lot in common with fishing and racing. My wife likes to shop and so does his girlfriend. Everything is good.”

WHY WERE YOU LATE GETTING TO THE LINE? “There was a measurement on the car that we had passed this morning. We didn’t change anything. The measurement wasn’t meeting it, so we had to go back to the stall and change one thing to get back through, which was just a time delay basically to get back out there. There was nothing intentional. That’s the way it works out when you’re trying to put the numbers right on the number.”

DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GETTING CLOSE TO GETTING BACK TO WINNING FORM? “I’d like to think so. I never thought it would have slipped away in the first place, but to answer your question I think as long as we keep putting ourselves in position and qualifying as well as having fast racecars in the race as well as getting those top five and top 10 finishes, we’ll be in position at some point. It’ll be nice to click off three wins in a row and not just three poles in a row.”

SINCE IT DID GET AWAY FROM YOU, DOES THAT MAKE YOU APPRECIATE SOME OTHER DRIVERS MORE? “I watched Gordon go through his so-called slump where he hadn’t won any poles or races in so long. When it’s not happening to you, you don’t think it’s gonna happen. I guess at some point whether it’s the team or driver of the combination, it may get away. It’s definitely difficult to go through that time and it makes you appreciate when you get back running better, those times even more.”

Ryan Newman 4th Fastest in Practice 2 and 14th Fastest in Practice 3 at Pocono

Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge team had their second and third practices at Pocono Raceway today for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Pocono 500.

Newman had the 4 fastest practice speed of 167.004 mph / 53.891 sec in practice 2.

Newman was -0.117 seconds behind the leader Tony Stewart who had a practice time of 167.367 / 53.774.

In Practice 3 Newman had the 14th fastest practice speed of 164.225 mph / 54.803 sec.

Newman was -0.511 seconds behind the leader Denny Hamlin who had a practice time of 165.77 / 54.292.

Practice 3 Results

Practice 2 Results

Practice 1 Results

Qualifying Order

Ryan Newman Captures The Pole At Pocono

Man oh Man....The Rocket Man Is Back

Ryan Newman once again has grabbed a pole position. This time it is for the Pocono 500 at the Pocono Raceway.

This makes it Newman's 4th pole for the season although he is still winless.

Newman had a time of 170.062 / 52.922.

He was almost a quarter of a second faster than the second place qualifier Denny Hamlin who swept the 2006 season at Pocono.

LINE UP



Good luck to Ryan Newman and his #12 Alltel Dodge Team!!

Ryan Newman 7th For Pocono 500 1st Practice

Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge team had their first practice at Pocono Raceway today for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Pocono 500

Newman had the 7 fastest practice speed of 166.101 mph / 54.184 sec.

Newman was -0.183 seconds behind the leader Jimmie Johnson who had a practice time of 166.664 / 54.001.

Practice 1 Results

Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway

NASCAR Finally Penalizes Kurt Busch

I have not posted anything about this subject because I was waiting and waiting for the NASCAR penalty. NASCAR has fined Kurt Busch $100,000, 100 championship points and placed him on probation until Dec. 31st of this year for his "on pit row road rage" at Dover last weekend with Tony Stewart (and crew) after he was spun after having contact with Stewart.

Is this enough? Who am I to say. But I thought his actions on pit road were completely uncalled for and absolutely ridiculous. I honestly think he should have sat out for at least one race. You keep the action on the track and not on pit row, especially when the over the wall guys are - over the wall.

Rodger Penske was also docked 100 championship owner points. Was this right? I don't know.

"I regret the incident that occurred at Dover and apologize to NASCAR, my sponsors, the fans, my Penske Racing team and Joe Gibbs Racing," Busch said in a statement. "I understand that safety is crucial to the sport and I accept the points penalty, fine and probation that NASCAR hasimposed on me."

The penalty drops Busch from 11th in the championship standings to a tie with Greg Biffle for 18th at 720 points behind leader Jeff Gordon.

GOOD NEWS for Ryan Newman.
---Newman is now is 15th position in points
---Newman is now only 38 points outside of 12 position
---Newman is now the highest ranked Dodged driver
---Newman is now the top dog at Penske (probably more than just points standing)
---Newman is now 50 points ahead of his team mate Kurt Bush.

This is Newman's second advancement in points due to other drivers penalties. He also gained a position when Dale Earnhardt JR was penalized points for having an unauthorized rear wing holder on his COT car. JR has since advanced back up to 14th place one spot ahead of Newman.

Other than Penske being docked points, Newman should thank Kurt Busch.

Rocketman seems to be back in form

Capturing 35 poles over his first 150 races earned Ryan Newman the nickname “Rocketman.”

However, in his next 49 races, Newman won only three poles and was in danger of losing that status as the top qualifier in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.

Judging by the last two races, it appears as if the “Rocketman” is back.

First at Charlotte and then at Dover, Newman put his No. 12 Dodge owned by Penske Racing on the pole. He will try to make it three straight today at 3:40 during qualifying for the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond.

“I wouldn’t say we’re back full force, but a percentage of us is,” Newman said. “We need some better results on race day, and we’re working on that.”

Actually, qualifying isn’t the only area where Newman is making a comeback.

During Monday’s race at Dover, Newman led 135 laps and placed second to Martin Truex Jr. It was his best finish of the season, and his fourth top-10 finish in the last five races.

After finishing in 38th place at Phoenix, Newman was mired in 26th place in the point standings. With his recent surge, however, he has climbed 10 spots in the standings to 16th. And, he is only 46 points out of 12th place — the final qualifying spot for the “Chase for the Championship.”

“There’s no doubt about it. I think we can make the Chase,” Newman said. “Tons of racing to go, and I think our performance needs to speak for itself when it comes to the points. We look forward to the opportunity.”

Winning a third straight pole today would not be a surprise for Newman since he has performed well at Pocono in the past.

In July 2003, Newman sat on the pole and went on to win the race. He also has an ARCA victory at Pocono in 2000.

Besides his back-to-back poles at Charlotte and Dover, Newman also won the pole this season at Atlanta.

Jeff Gordon has been the man to beat in qualifying so far this season with five poles — California, Bristol, Phoenix, Talladega and Richmond. He also started first a sixth time when qualifying at Texas was rained out and the starting lineup set by points.

Leading the standings by 152 points over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson, Gordon has two career poles at Pocono.

Four drivers have won one pole each this season: David Gilliland (Daytona), Kasey Kahne (Las Vegas), Denny Hamlin (Martinsville) and Clint Bowyer (Darlington).

Last season, Hamlin swept the poles for both Pocono races. Kahne holds the track qualifying record at 172.533 mph, set in June 2004.

Bill Elliott and Ken Schrader share the record for career poles at Pocono with five each.

thetimestribune.com

Ryan Newman to sign copies of Pit Road Pets trackside in Michigan in June 2007

NASCAR Fans and Their Four-Legged Friends Get Up Close and Personal with Ryan Newman and Meaty Bone®’s Meat the Better Bone™ Experience

Ryan Newman, driver of the #12 Penske Racing Alltell Dodge in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, will sign copies of the charity book Pit Road Pets™: NASCAR Stars and Their Pets during the upcoming Michigan race weekend. The book features first-person stories and intimate photographs of nearly 50 NASCAR celebrities and their pets—including Ryan, his wife Krissie, and their four rescued dogs Harley, Digger, Mopar, and Socks.

The session will be limited to the first 125 fans holding an autograph session ticket. Autograph session tickets may be picked up at the Meaty Bone® tent beginning Friday, June 15 at 1-5 PM and Saturday 11AM-3 PM. Fans may either bring a previously purchased copy of the book to the signing or purchase the book at Newman’s Motorsports Authentics trackside souvenir rig. Newman will sign up to two copies of Pit Road Pets in addition to one other item per person during the autograph session.

Meat the Better Bone™ Experience:
The Meaty Bone® brand is giving NASCAR fans and their four-legged best buds an experience that’s “Bad to the Bone” during this weekend’s race at Michigan International Speedway. Race over and Meat the Better Bone™ at the Juniper Hills Campground:

Meaty Bone® sampling tent at the Juniper Hills Campground:
·Feel Like NASCAR’s ‘Lucky Dogs’ at the Meat the Better Bone™ Tent: Dogs, and their human companions, are invited to visit a special Meaty Bone® tent to get free Meaty Bone® and Chew-lotta® dog snack samples, coupons for free product and water for those hot dogs.

Make Your Mark With Games, Contests and More: The tent also features some entertainment for pet parents including a pet-inspired “Boldest Dog Bark” contest and a Mark Your Territory™ Squirt Gun Game – complete with rotating fire hydrants. Only the boldest win the coveted Meaty Bone® red ring t-shirts, tattoos and more!
This stop is one of thirteen stops that the Meaty Bone® brand will be making during major NASCAR races this season.

WHEN:

Book signing:

Saturday, June 16, 2007 from 3:30 PM-4:30 PM
Meat the Better Bone™ Experience:

Friday, June 15: 11AM-5 PM
Saturday, June 16 10 AM-5 PM
Sunday, June 17: 9 AM-2 PM
WHERE:

The Meaty Bone® tent located in the Juniper Hills Campground across from Michigan International Speedway’s main gate.
About Pit Road Pets™: NASCAR Stars and Their Pets:
Meaty Bone® is committed to supporting the Ryan Newman Foundation and has sponsored the reprint of the foundation’s charity book Pit Road Pets™: NASCAR Stars and Their Pets. The Ryan Newman Foundation is donating 100% of its net proceeds from the book to the Humane Society of Catawba County’s capital campaign to build a no-kill animal shelter, education center, dog park and regional public low-cost spay/neuter clinic in Hickory, North Carolina that will serve the counties in the heart of NASCAR country. The spay/neuter clinic is part of the National Spay/Neuter Response Team initiative, for which Ryan and Krissie Newman volunteer as spokespersons. The book’s photographer is Karen Will Rogers and writer is Laura Lacy. Pit Road Pets™ is proud to be part of the NASCAR Library Collection. For additional information, visit www.pitroadpets.com.

ABOUT MEATY BONE®:
Meaty Bone® dog snacks include original Meaty Bone® dog biscuits and Meaty Bone®
Chew-lotta® dog snacks. Dogs love the beefier, baked-in taste of Meaty Bone® – beats ordinary dry biscuits any day! Chew-lotta® delivers unbeatable meaty taste in a long lasting chew bone. For more information visit, www.meatybone.com. Meaty Bone® is a brand of Del Monte Pet Products, a division of Del Monte Foods (NYSE:DLM)—one of the country's largest and most well-known producers, distributors and marketers of premium quality, branded food and pet products.

First Night Of Fast Cars And Superstars Review

Well......I watched it. Even though it is set up as a reality show, I really don't consider it one. More like a competition show. There really isn't any drama or story and it was just three stars competeing for the fastest 3 lap time.

Kurt Busch led Laird Hamilton, John Elway and Serena Williams around the track as they competed for the fasted times (individualy). And that was the order of their times as well. So Williams is off the show.

If I was not a NASCAR fan, I probably would have been even more bored during the show. I say I was bored, but I found myself rooting for Elway and it was cool seeing the intensity of Hamilton and the fear - then confidence - of Williams.

Basically I thought it was a boring show, but I also know I will probably keep watching but not clearing my calendar for it. The exception will be on June 14th I will TRY a little harder to be there to see how Ryan Newman does on the show.

Mike

Fast Cars & Superstars debuts on ABC tonight

TONIGHT (JUNE 7TH) 8PM ABC

----PERSONALLY I CAN NOT THINK OF ANYTHING ON ABC THAT I LIKE TO WATCH. AND THIS SHOW IS NOT GETTING GOOD REVIEWS, BUT OF COURSE, I WILL BE CHECKING IT OUT TONIGHT.

I THOUGHT I READ THAT NEWMAN WILL BE FEATURED ON THE JUNE 14TH SHOW.

MIKE

Celebrities including Jewel, Tony Hawk, Serena Williams and William Shatner are dreaming of life in the fast lane as they race to the finish in the new reality show, "Fast Cars & Superstars -- Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race," a seven-episode series to premiere THURSDAY, JUNE 7 (8:00-8:31 p.m., ET) on ABC. Twelve celebrity drivers will partner with the Gillette Young Guns - six of stock car racing's most talented and popular drivers - to learn what it takes to win on the race track.

The show will explore the interaction of top young stock car drivers with stars from the world of sports, music and entertainment, featuring drama and competition on and off the race track. In each episode, viewers will watch celebrities train with a Gillette Young Guns driver. The show will culminate in a one-hour finale where the celebrities will be coached from the pits by their Gillette Young Guns instructors, and compete against each other during a time-trial race.

In the premiere, "Episode 101," Kurt Busch pushes John Elway to the limit in the cars.com car, Laird Hamilton confirms that nothing scares him and Serena Williams screams her way to shattering her own personal challenge.

The series is hosted by ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne and co-hosted by former Cleveland Cavaliers center and current ESPN NASCAR analyst Brad Daugherty.

Celebrity Drivers are singer Jewel, actor William Shatner, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, actress Krista Allen, seven-time World All-Around Rodeo Champion Ty Murray, former NBA Champion John Salley, former NFL Super Bowl Champion John Elway, World Wrestling Entertainment Champion John Cena, tennis star Serena Williams, volleyball great and model Gabrielle Reece, legendary surfer Laird Hamilton and former NFL Super Bowl-winning Head Coach Bill Cowher. Gillette Young Guns are Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray.

"Fast Cars & Superstars - Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race" was co-created by BBDO and Gillette and produced by Radical Media in association with Embassy Row Sports.

Newman Finishes 18th At Eldora Speedway

RESULTS -

1. Carl Edwards
2. Kyle Busch
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Ken Schrader
5. Clint Bowyer
6. Kasey Kahne
7. Matt Kenseth
8. J.J. Yeley
9. David Reutiman
10. Mark Martin
11. Aric Almirola
12. Dave Blaney
13. Kenny Wallace
14. Kevin Harvick
15. Juan Montoya
16. Denny Hamlin
17. Red Farmer
18. Ryan Newman
19. Cruz Pedregon
20. Mike Wallace
21. Bobby Labonte
22. Tony Stewart
23. Ray Evernham
24. Ron Capps

Newman says it's only a matter of time before he wins

Ryan Newman says it's just a matter of time before he and Penske Racing's No. 12 Dodge are back in the winner's circle.

Newman last won in September 2005 at New Hampshire International Speedway, but he believes the team has turned around this season.

"I'm very happy with the way this team is running, and it's just a matter of time before it's our turn to be in victory lane again," he said after finishing second in Monday's rain-delayed event at Dover International

Raceway.

Newman has certainly turned up the level of performance lately. He has four top-10 finishes in the last five races and has been a valid contender in each of those.

Coming off a season in which the team did not make the Chase For The Nextel Cup, the driver and crew seem relieved to be contending once more.

Now they just need a victory.

"The guys in the shop and at the track are working so hard, and they've been giving me really great cars," Newman said. "The pit crew did an awesome job last week in Dover, and I'm really looking forward to racing at Pocono and getting this Dodge back into victory lane."


scenedaily

Ryan Newman and the Pocono Raceway

Welcome to Pocono Raceway located in Long Pond, PA.

Ryan Newman and his Penske Racing #12 Alltel Dodge will be racing here this weekend in the Pocono 500.
Pocono Raceway
***Location : Long Pond, PA
***Completed : 1968
***Distance : 2.5 miles
***Shape : Tri-oval
***Seating : 76,812


***Nextel Cup Top Race Speed : 144.892 by Rusty Wallace on 7/21/1996
***Nextel Cup Top Qualifying Speed : 172.533 by Kasey Kahne on 6/11/2004


MANUFATURER WINS AT Pocono Raceway SINCE 2002
DODGE = 2
FORD = 3
CHEVROLET = 5


NEWMAN'S STATS AT Pocono Raceway

STARTS = 10>>>Poles = 1>>>Wins = 1>>>Top 5 = 4>>>Top 10 = 4

Avg Start = 10.4>>>Avg Finish = 15.4>>>%Laps Comp = -0.9645>>>Laps Led = 140

Crew chief Mike Nelson and the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger team will take chassis PRS-104 to Pocono as the primary car. This car last ran during the California race in February when Newman started 19th and finished 12th.

The back-up car is PRS-097. This chassis has been tested at Kentucky and Nashville this year, but has not been raced.

Newman's Thoughts On Pocono: “We had a really strong run earlier this week at Dover and we came so close to getting a win, but we just didn’t have as fast a car as Martin [Truex Jr.] did. I’m very happy with the way this team is running and it’s just a matter of time before it’s our turn to be in Victory Lane again. The guys in the shop and at the track are working so hard and they’ve been giving me really great cars. The pit crew did an awesome job last week in Dover and I’m really looking forward to racing at Pocono and getting this Alltel Dodge back into Victory Lane.”

In the last 10 races at Pocono, all but one of the winners has started in the top 14. 7 of the wins have come from the top 5 and 4 of those have been from the pole position. Newmans win in July of 2003 came from the pole position. Denny Hamlin swept the 2006 season with poles and wins at Pocono.

NEWMAN'S STATS AT Superspeedway 's
Races = 27>>>Wins = 0>>>Top 5 = 4>>>Top 10 = 8>>>Average Start = 16>>>Average Finish = 18.8

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


Mike Pratt

Watch Ryan Newman Tonight in the "Prelude to the Dream"

Ryan Newman will be racing in tonight Nextel Prelude to the Dream race at Eldora.

WHAT: Prelude to the Dream
WHERE: Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio
WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday
DISTANCE: 30-lap feature
CARS: Dirt late-model stocks
PAST WINNERS: Kenny Wallace, 2005; Tony Stewart, 2006

HBO: Pay-per-view
COST: $24.95
ANNOUNCERS: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Kyle Petty
PITS: Dick Berggren, Matt Yocum
HOW TO ORDER: www.hbo.com/sports
LIVE BROADCAST AT 7 P.M. EASTERN


LINEUP
Aric Almirola Promising NASCAR driver has limited dirt experience
Dave Blaney Won 1995 World of Outlaws title and 1997 Knoxville Nationals
Clint Bowyer Grew up on dirt and won the 2002 track title at Kansas' Lakeside Speedway
Kyle Busch Four-time Cup winner grew up on asphalt, but adapts quickly
Ron Capps NHRA star will have to get used to turning left -- and doing it on dirt
Carl Edwards Four-time Cup winner will be at home in a dirt late model
Bill Elliott Plenty of dirt experience for the 1988 Cup champion
Ray Evernham Trading his ownership hat for a helmet and a steering wheel at Eldora
Red Farmer A legend, who even at more than 75 years of age is not afraid to mix it up on dirt
Jeff Gordon Four-time Cup champ will race at Eldora for the first time since 1991.
Denny Hamlin Not a lot of dirt experience, but plenty of late-model experience
Kevin Harvick Made his dirt-track debut two years ago at the Prelude to the Dream
Kasey Kahne Cut his teeth on dirt in USAC competition
Matt Kenseth 2003 Cup champ has limited dirt experience
Bobby Labonte Owns a dirt late-model team, but has not driven much on dirt
Mark Martin One of the all-time greats, doesnt have much dirt experience, but can adapt quickly
Juan Montoya Zero dirt experience, but can become the first to win at Indy, Monaco and Eldora
Ryan Newman Like Kahne, cut his teeth in USAC competition on dirt
Cruz Pedregon Like Capps, this NHRA star will have to get used to turning left on dirt.
David Reutimann Began racing in dirt late models
Elliott Sadler Three-time Cup winner has limited dirt experience
Kenny Schrader Could be the favorite as he will race anywhere, anytime - especially on dirt.
Tony Stewart Liked Eldora so much he bought it in 2004
Kenny Wallace 2006 Prelude winner, grew up on dirt
Mike Wallace Plenty of Midwest dirt experience
J.J. Yeley Cut his teeth on dirt in USAC competition

Newman is back, but it's not a comeback

DOVER, Del. -- Don't call it a comeback; he's been here for weeks.

Ryan Newman's runner-up finish in Monday's rain-delayed Nextel Cup race at Dover International Speedway marked the driver's fourth top-10 in five weeks.

For Newman, who led 135 of 400 laps, it's a much-needed turnaround from where he started in the Daytona 500 season opener.

"These guys are doing a good job. We've just got to keep working on it. We're not in the best points position. We've got to stay focused on that," Newman said. "We don't have anything to give, we have to keep taking."

On top of consecutive pole starts, one at Lowe's Motor Speedway and the other at Dover, Newman's second-place finish is a season-best for the Dodge manufacturer. His recent string of top-10s has moved the driver up from 26th to 16th in points in the past five races.

"It was a good run for our Alltel Dodge, something to build on for sure," Newman said. "Believe it or not, I get out of the car with a smile, but I get a smile driving the car, too. It's nice."

Newman, who has been winless for nearly two years, has commented that his pit crew, the same crew which won the Pit Crew Challenge in May, is making strides as well.

Crew chief Mike Nelson agrees.

"The guys did an awesome job in the pits [Monday]," he said. "I don't think they could have done any better and that's all I can ask for."

source - NASCAR.com

Dodge and Ryan Newman Statements on Bill France, Jr.

DODGE STATEMENT ON BILL FRANCE Jr. “Everyone in the Dodge Motorsports family was saddened to hear the news of Bill France, Jr.’s passing. His leadership of NASCAR was fundamental in creating the dynamic motorsports industry we have today, and his contributions were innumerable. His vision, pragmatism and steady guidance will be missed, but his legacy will never be forgotten.” — Mike Accavitti, Director, Dodge Brand Marketing and SRT Communications

Ryan Newman – “Our thoughts go out to the France Family today. Obviously it’s a tough day in respect to that. I didn’t know Bill France Jr. real well, but obviously he helped build the sport. Without him and his dad the sport wouldn’t be what it is and it’s going to change with him gone. They’ve got a big, strong family and they’ll stand by his memory and help NASCAR keep growing as well. My condolences go out to the France Family.

Ryan Newman Interview Today - "On Pit Row"

Ryan Newman will be "on the air" this evening with Steve and Charlie. Steve and Charlie host "On Pit Row" Tuesday evenings from 5-7 pm (est). On Pit Row is live from Toledo, OH on 1230 WCWA.

Here is the exact information that I recieved about the interview.

"Ryan is confirmed to be ON PIT ROW today at 6:30 pm EDT. If you can't listen, you can still call at 877-502-8255 either before during or after the interview. "

I can not seem to find an affiliate here in Lansing, MI. If I am wrong, please let me know! I MIGHT be able to pull the signal into Lansing. Stirng up a big ol' antenna. Ok, I don't have time for that, but I will see what my home radio can do!

So check it out. I am hoping to be able to get it!!

On Pit Row Blog - http://benchracing.typepad.com/

On Pit Row website - http://www.onpitrow.com/

Mike

UPDATE - RYAN NEWMAN WAS UNABLE TO MAKE THE INTERVIEW. HOPEFULLY NEXT WEEK. I WILL POST WHEN I KNOW SOMETHING! THANKS TO CHARLIE FOR THE UPDATE!

Ryan Newman Finishes 2nd In the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover

Ryan Newman and his #12 Alltel Dodge team had a great day at Dover International Speedway for the Autism Speaks 400 finishing 2nd!

Newman ran in the top 5 all day and usually was in the top 3. Newman led 135 out of the 400 laps.

Newman appeared to be good on restarts then would either fall off just a little, or everyone else would get a little better.

Martin Truex JR. won the race today. This is his first Nextel Cup series win. Congratulations to him.

I had to listen to the race on the radio while at work and followed it on Fox Trax, but I was at work and could not pay 100% attention.

More news to follow.

Unofficial Results.

Pos. Driver Starting Pos. Car No. / Mfg.
1 Martin Truex Jr. 26 #1 / Chevrolet
2 Ryan Newman 1 #12 / Dodge
3 Carl Edwards 5 #99 / Ford
4 Denny Hamlin 29 #11 / Chevrolet
5 Matt Kenseth 17 #17 / Ford
6 Greg Biffle 10 #16 / Ford
7 Mark Martin 21 #01 / Chevrolet
8 Clint Bowyer 15 #07 / Chevrolet
9 Jeff Gordon 6 #24 / Chevrolet
10 Robby Gordon 33 #7 / Ford
11 Kasey Kahne 4 #9 / Dodge
12 Jeff Burton 9 #31 / Chevrolet
13 Casey Mears 41 #25 / Chevrolet
14 David Ragan 31 #6 / Ford
15 Jimmie Johnson 27 #48 / Chevrolet
16 Sterling Marlin 37 #14 / Chevrolet
17 Kyle Busch 19 #5 / Chevrolet
18 Bobby Labonte 3 #43 / Dodge
19 Brian Vickers 24 #83 / Toyota
20 Kevin Harvick 18 #29 / Chevrolet
21 Tony Raines 25 #96 / Chevrolet
22 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2 #8 / Chevrolet
23 Scott Riggs 11 #10 / Dodge
24 Jamie McMurray 8 #26 / Ford
25 Joe Nemechek 35 #13 / Chevrolet
26 Elliott Sadler 7 #19 / Dodge
27 Reed Sorenson 28 #41 / Dodge
28 Michael Waltrip 23 #55 / Toyota
29 David Gilliland 36 #38 / Ford
30 Jeff Green 38 #66 / Chevrolet
31 Juan Pablo Montoya 16 #42 / Dodge
32 Johnny Sauter 42 #70 / Chevrolet
33 A.J. Allmendinger 43 #84 / Toyota
34 Kyle Petty 39 #45 / Dodge
35 Bill Elliott 14 #21 / Ford
36 David Stremme 34 #40 / Dodge
37 J.J. Yeley 32 #18 / Chevrolet
38 Jeremy Mayfield 20 #36 / Toyota
39 Ricky Rudd 40 #88 / Ford
40 Tony Stewart 30 #20 / Chevrolet
41 Ward Burton 13 #4 / Chevrolet
42 Kurt Busch 12 #2 / Dodge
43 Dale Jarrett 22 #44 / Toyota

Bill France Jr. dies at 74

Bill France Jr., who learned the stock car racing trade at his father's knee and who expanded NASCAR's reach with new television and promotional initiatives, died today.

France, who was 74, had battled cancer and respiratory illness for several years.

He was vice chairman of NASCAR and chairman of International Speedway Corp., which operates racetracks across the country.

France was the individual most responsible for bringing reality to the vision his father, William H.G. France, had in the 1940s - one of a strong national organization running, promoting and expanding stock car racing.

France led NASCAR as its president from January 1972 to November 2000. Over that span, NASCAR grew from a generally regional curiosity to a fully national sport, one coveted by television networks and Madison Avenue moneychangers.

"He had the vision and pragmatism that made a fundamental sport become acceptable, grow and widen its horizons beyond imagination," said NASCAR President Mike Helton, the man who followed France into the organization's leadership position.

That decision in itself was a major one for France. Placing Helton in day-to-day control of the organization his father had started put someone other than a France family member in charge for the first time. France knew that the vast sporting arena he had helped to create had reached a level above and beyond the control of one person or one family. Growth had brought new challenges, and he was determined to meet them head-on with new people and new ideas, even as he retained a strong grip on the heart and soul of the organization.

After stepping down as president, France served as NASCAR chairman until October 2003, when he named his son, Brian, to replace him.

Even in "retirement," even in the years when disease and the natural negatives associated with advancing age limited his reach, France wielded significant power. It was clear that all important decisions crossed his desk until the final months of his life. Even with routine matters, his advice and counsel were sought.

France was practical and pragmatic. A tireless worker, he often expected the same of those in his top ranks. He also expected them to do their homework. Decisions and choices that demanded major research and planning were analyzed from every angle, and France expected those involved in the process to have the answers to each and every question he might pose.

He was particularly attuned to detail. Although most of his professional life was lived in the NASCAR orbit, he also was heavily involved in the inner workings of ISC. The operation of speedways - and the planning, preparation and policies involved in making them successful - was perhaps the thing he enjoyed most about being in a position of authority.

On a race day at Daytona International Speedway, he sat with track managers over lunch. The conversation evolved to the topic of possible heavy rain in the area, and France was told track workers were prepared if the possible weekend total of eight inches arrived. "But you have to be ready for more than eight," he said.

That was France. Cover every contingency.

His father, known by most as Bill France Sr., founded NASCAR in 1948. Although its marquee series, first known as Strictly Stock and later Grand National before eventually becoming Winston Cup and then Nextel Cup, ran races outside the South in its early years, NASCAR didn't shake its reputation as a Southeastern sport until growth spurts in the 1970s and 1980s. Critical to that change was the sponsorship of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., which brought its Winston cigarette brand to the sponsor table in 1971, and increasing coverage by network and cable television entities.

Bill France Jr. grew up around the sport, helping his father by working at speedway concession stands and by nailing promotional posters to roadside poles. He soon advanced to flagging races, promoting events and working the control tower during Cup races.

When his father decided to retire from the organization's presidency in 1972, France Jr. was the obvious choice to succeed him.

scenedaily

Weather Forecast For Rain Delayed Autism 400 at Dover

The weather forecast for the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway is today is.... RAIN.

There is an 80 percent chance for rain today in Dover - all day. Weather report that I heard last night said that between noon and 4pm (during the race) might be the best chance of not getting any rain.

I think we will see teams racing today with "rain stradegy". Maybe staying out a little longer, if possible, while they watch the radar and see rain moving in. Or on the same note, they could pit really early if they see a storm coming off in the deistance so that they are good by the time it gets there.

At any rate, it looks like it will be rain. I will miss the race due to work. I really want to take a half day off, but it looks like it will be rained out anyway. Or if there is delay after delay, maybe I will still get to see the end.

Rain Delays Autism 400 at Dover until Monday at Noon

Ryan Newman will have to wait until Monday at noon to start the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway due to mother nature.

Rain fell for hours leading up to the race's scheduled time and continued to fall after the race was suppose to begin.


Nascar decided to postpone the race until Monday at Noon, on FOX. So make sure you see catch Ryan Newman lead the field to green from the pole position. (I will be at work )

Newman Had Bad Engine Noise In Final Practiced - Now Fixed

Late in the final practice for today's NASCAR Autism Speaks 400, pole sitter Ryan Newman reported a strange noise in his Roger Penske Dodge Avenger. The Penske Racing team examined a malfunctioning engine but remained baffled as to the nature of the problem. Changing an engine would have meant giving up the pole and starting at the rear of the field in the 400. Before the team made that drastic move, it was decided that the noise involved the air conditioning system, according to a Penske Racing representative. Evidently an AC hose to Newman's helmet disconnected making unfamiliar noises. That proved to be an easy fix.

Ryan Newman Practice Num 3 For Autism Speaks 400 1s3rd Practice

Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge team had their third practice at Dover International Speedway today for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Autism Speaks 400

Newman had the 7 fastest practice speed of 148.063 mph / 24.314 sec.

Newman was seconds 0.192 behind the leader Jimmie Johnson who had a practice time of 149.241 / 24.122.


Practice 1 --- Newman had the 13 fastest practice speed of 150.42 mph / 23.933 sec.
practice 2--- Newman had the 3 fastest practice speed of 149.124 mph / 24.141 sec.
.
Ryan Newman Qualified 1 for the Autism Speaks 400.
Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway

Practice 3 Results

Practice 2 Results

Practice 1 Results

Qualifying Order

Ryan Newman 3 For Autism Speaks 400 2nd Practice

Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge team had their second practice at Dover International Speedway today for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Autism Speaks 400
Newman had the 3 fastest practice speed of 149.124 mph / 24.141 sec.

Newman was seconds behind the leader Jimmie Johnson who had a practice time of 149.309 / 24.111.


Practice 2 Results

Practice 1 Results

Qualifying Order



Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway

Name that car: Nicknames or numbers?

The number stenciled on the dashboard of Ryan Newman's car means one thing: That car has yet to win.

In fact, the garage at Penske Racing South is full of numbered cars. That means they haven't won, either.

Car owner Roger Penske started a tradition years ago of giving cars nicknames, but only after they win. A car with a name has character. It has history. It has a proven track record.

When they come off the assembly line, they're given numbers. Jimmie Johnson's car in last Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 was 48- 363. That means it was the 363rd car produced at Hendrick Motorsports since that racing organization opened its doors in 1984. But unlike Newman, Johnson's car always will be 48-363. No matter how many times it may take Johnson to Victory Lane, the Hendrick team doesn't want to get too personal with their cars.

Others feel a nickname creates a deeper connection between man and machine.

"Usually the driver has the input on the naming of it," Newman said. "When Matt (Borland) was crew chief, he named a couple of them. It's all about the situation. We actually had a car that hadn't won, but it ran so good and it should have won so many times, we called it 'Patches' because it had been patched up so many times. It hauled the mail whenever we took it to the track.

"It's a Penske tradition."

The first car Newman named was "Olive Oyl," because that was his wife's nickname. The team stuck with the Popeye theme by naming another car "Poopdeck Pappy" after Popeye's father, as well as "Popeye" himself.

"Another one of my favorites was 'Thumper.' That was the Busch car I won my first Busch race with," Newman said. "It was 'Thumper' because it put the hammer down."

Some of Newman's other cars were named "Goldie Locks," "Silver Locks," "Faith" and "Patience."

Rusty Wallace's favorite cars at Penske were "Captain," "The Predator" and "Midnight." Darrell Waltrip's favorite car was called "Big Bertha." It wasn't easy, but Davey Allison learned to love "Fido." Allison didn't like "Fido" at first and his team played on that. Allison called it "Fido" because it drove like a dog, and his team had fun by putting a dog collar and dog tag in it after making repairs.

Allison won with it, and it became one of his favorites in the Robert Yates Racing stables.

Allison's favorite cars, however, had a spectacular demise. "James Bond 007" was destroyed at the finish line in a crash with Kyle Petty in the 1992 Nextel All-Star Challenge. "James Bond 007" finished on its roof; Allison celebrated in the emergency room of Carolinas Medical Center.

Not all nicknames are nice. Johnny Sauter said he's used a lot of names for his car, and most of them included profane names of is cars with "Son of a ..."

"I've had a lot of cars that have won races, but I've never named one," Sauter said. "I've called race cars names, but I've never named one. I don't know what makes a good car other than it will drive like you want it to. Then there's cars no matter what you do to it, they don't run any good."

One of the most famous nicknames was "Grover" for a Pontiac driven by Kyle Petty. Car owner Felix Sabates taped a $1,000 bill featuring president Grover Cleveland to the dashboard to entice Petty to drive hard.

Dale Jarrett once called a car "Lawnmower" because he could run so close to the grass along the track apron.

Jeff Green hasn't given a car a name since he won the Busch Series championship in 2000. After thinking about it, he's now considering about doing it again since he hasn't won since moving up to the Nextel Cup Series in 2002.

"I got so many cars, it's hard to keep up with them," Green said of his current ride at Haas CNC Racing. "We had a car in Busch, back in the Nesquik days, we called 'Bonus.' The guys got a bonus because every time we run it, it seemed like we were in the top five. We ran that car to death. Now, they're all by number. I've got 20-something cars so it's hard to come up with names.

"But thinking about it, maybe we should start thinking about it. We had a lot of success when we did."

jacksonville.com

Ryan Newman On The Pole At Dover - 2 Weeks In A Row

Ryan Newman grabbed his 3rd pole position of the year today at Dover. This is also Newman's 2nd pole position in 2 weeks. Last week Nemwan blew and engine during the race and finished towards the end of the field.

Hopefully Newman can get a good finish with this pole position. Newmans most recent string of top 10 finishes have come from him starting in around the 30th position.

5 Dodges 3 Chevrolet's and 2 Fords qualified in the top 10 for the Autism Speaks 400. Only one of the Chevy's was a Hendrick (thank God) and another was Dale Earnhardt JR. Hopefully Dodge (and of course Ryan Nemwan) can finish this race out front.

Good luck to Ryan Newman and his #12 Alltel Dodge NASCAR Nextel Cup team.

On another note, Dale Jarred qualified 22nd and Michael Waltrip qualified 23rd for this race. Thats right...Waltrip qualified!!!

Complete Line Up For Autism Speaks 400 At Dover

Ryan Newman and the Pooper Scooper

Ryan Newman recently wanted a shirt from this guys company. The shirt reads "Got Poop?".
The article talks about how this guy (Pat Kelly) wanted to find a way to better promote his business - Pet Waste Removal.
Well, he went to Home Depot and got the material to build his imitation Doggie Doo that now rides on top of his car.
I was cracking up through most of this article.
Anyway, I guess Ryan Newman approached him and wanted one of his "Got Poop?" t-shirts. This guy said sure, if you pose in front of my "Poop Removal" vehicle with me.
Anyway, that is what the picture is all about.
READ ARTICLE

Court won't move up NASCAR's AT&T appeal

NASCAR's appeal of an injunction issued by a U.S. District Court judge to allow AT&T's logos on the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing car will not be moved up earlier than the previously scheduled hearing date of Aug. 2.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta denied the request from NASCAR and Sprint Nextel for the hearing to be held sooner.

U.S. District Court Judge Marvin H. Shoob issued his injunction May 18 to allow the AT&T logos on the car driven by Jeff Burton.

AT&T sued NASCAR to get the logos on the car after it merged with Cingular. NASCAR and Sprint Nextel (sponsor of the Nextel Cup Series) argued that a grandfather clause that allowed the Cingular logos did not permit a change because of a merger.

The judge ruled in favor of AT&T because NASCAR's annual licensing agreement with RCR did not explicitly prohibit the change in logos because of a merger.

Sprint Nextel argues that the value of its sponsorship - estimated at $700 million-$750 million over 10 years - has been diminished because of the ruling.

Ryan Newman 13 For Coca-Cola 600 1st Practice

Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge team had their first practice at Dover International Speedway today for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Autism Speaks 400

Newman had the 13 fastest practice speed of 150.42 mph / 23.933 sec.

Newman was -0.27 seconds behind the leader and team mate Kurt Busch who had a practice time of 152.136 / 23.663.

Practice 1 Results

Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway

Fan races home with $200,000 in Alltel ‘My Circle 500’ sweepstakes

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, and his NASCAR competitors weren’t the only ones racing for big-time prize money this weekend in Charlotte, N.C.

In a race unlike any other, more than 110 race fans took to the track for the Alltel "My Circle 500." Ten national sweepstakes finalists and their ‘pit crews’ of 10 friends competed in the ultimate go-kart and pit crew challenge, with grand prize winner Joan Goldsberry of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and her ‘Circle’ racing home with $200,000 from Alltel Wireless.

Newman himself traded in his Alltel Dodge for a go-kart this past Saturday, setting the time to beat in an intense, head-to-head go-kart competition. After burning rubber on the track, Goldsberry and her ‘Circle’ headed to the pits where the team clocked an impressive, winning time of 32.6 seconds in the pit crew competition to seal a trip to Victory Lane.

"As a race fan, it doesn’t get any better than taking the checkered flag for an amazing grand prize," said Goldsberry, one of thousands of fans across the country who entered Alltel’s text-to-win sweepstakes. "We’re so thankful that Alltel brought us to Charlotte for the chance to be ‘My Circle 500’ champions."

"All of the finalists had a blast out there on the track," said Samira Zebian, director sponsorship marketing for Alltel. "We wanted to offer race fans a true racing experience – both behind the wheel and in the pits – and we were thrilled to award Joan a check for $200,000 from Alltel."

For the 10 finalists and their ‘Circles,’ the "My Circle 500" was more than just a race. As part of the all-expense paid trip to Charlotte, they also received a behind-the-scenes look at Penske Race Shop, an exclusive meet and greet with Newman and the No. 12 Alltel Dodge team, as well as first class treatment during NASCAR race weekend in Charlotte.

Newman Looks To Continue Success At 'Monster Mile'

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 31, 2007) – Dover International Speedway has been a very good track for Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Dodge Avenger.

Newman, who will make his 11th Cup start at the "Monster Mile" and the 201st of his Cup Series career this weekend, possesses the best starting average of all active drivers at the 1-mile Delaware track with a 6.2. He also is just behind Tony Stewart for the best finishing average at 9.0. Stewart has an 8.9 finishing average.

All but one of Newman’s 10 starts have been from the top five, with three of them being Bud Pole Awards. His lone start outside the top five occurred in his Cup debut at Dover in 2002 when he qualified 38th.

Along with his three poles, Newman has visited Dover's Victory Lane three times, while seven of his 10 starts have concluded with a top-10 finish. Newman’s first win at the track came in June 2003, the same weekend he earned his first pole on the high-banked, concrete speedway.

In 10 previous races, Newman has led 672 laps in seven events, fifth among the active drivers. He has completed 3,975 laps of a possible 4,004, giving him a 99.3 percent completion rate. Newman has also been running at the end of every Cup race in which he has competed at Dover. In only two of those events, Newman did not finish the race on the lead lap.

Crew chief Mike Nelson and the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger team will take chassis PRS-515 as the primary car to Dover for yet another COT race. This car was last used in Richmond where it was a new car for that race. In that event, Newman started 30th and finished sixth.

The back-up car is PRS-509. This chassis has been taken to every COT race this year, but has not been used.

The Autism Speaks 400 presented by Visa will be broadcast live from Dover International Speedway by FOX and MRN Radio beginning at 1 p.m. EDT.


penske

Toyota and Penske?

According to sources, Toyota has approached Gibbs, Penske and others about going with them in 2008.

Penske, who has been with just about every manufacturer in racing over the years and who is one of the world’s biggest Toyota dealers, could be making the move to Toyota for next year. According to sources close to the situation, Penske could be looking at a merger with Michael Waltrip’s struggling Toyota operation.

Penske might not be that much of a stretch to go with Toyota. Dodge contracts are suppose to be good until 2009, but with Daimler-Chrysler being bought out by private equity groups, Dodge may be getting out of the game. My guess is that they would be more than happy to rip up the contract.

And of course there was/is speculation that Newman was looking for a new ride, which I think is just bogus. But if he was even considering it, could this help him make up his mind?

I can't really say how I feel about that right now. At first I did not want Toyota coming in. Now I find myself looking for Waltrips qualifying performance (and rooting for him) right after I find Newman's. And on top of that, I admit, I do root for the Toyota's to have at least a decent finish during the races ---- behind Newman of course.

There is speculation that Gibbs is not interested in the deal, but it is being reported that they have not turned the idea down either.

What impact would that have on Dale Earnhardt JR's decision making process. He has said that he wants to stay with Chevy. If he went with Gibbs, then he would more than likely have to drop Budwieser as a sponsor. Would he drop Chevy as well. HMMM.

Toyota remains one of the big stories bubbling in the NASCAR garage, and it may be ready to make some big, bold moves for 2008, according to Detroit sources.

Toyota, sources said, has approached the Gibbs team with a proposal to leave Chevrolet, which would give it Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley. Gibbs’ management doesn’t appear to be that interested, but the offer hasn’t been rejected, according to team sources.

And there is speculation that Robert and Doug Yates may be willing to listen to Toyota offers, even though they have long-standing ties with Ford.

information from the Winston-Salem Journal

600 ratings drop 11.8 percent but beat Indy

Fox's broadcast of Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Nextel Cup race from Lowe's Motor Speedway earned a final Nielsen Media Research rating of 4.5 and a 10 market share, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports.

The rating is 11.8 percent lower than the 5.1/11 the race earned last year. The NASCAR race, however, again outdrew ABC's coverage of Sunday's Indianpolis 500, which earned a 4.3. ABC's ratings for the IndyCar event were down 15.7 percent from a 5.1 last year, the Daily reported.

The open-wheel Indy race had earned a 4.6 overnight rating, edging the 4.5 the Cup race drew overnight in the nation's largest markets.

Penske - Noting Newman -Dover 400

-- Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger, will make his 11th Cup start at Dover International Speedway. It will be his 201st career start in the Cup Series.

-- Newman has an average start of 6.2 and an average finish of 9.0. All but one of Newman’s 10 starts have been from the top five. His first Cup career start at Dover in 2002 was in the 38th position. Newman has earned three Bud Poles at the Dover, Del., track.

-- Newman has seven top-10 finishes at Dover, including three trips to victory lane. Newman’s first win at Dover came in June 2003, the same weekend he earned his first pole at the track.

-- In 10 previous races, Newman has led 672 laps in seven events. He has completed 3,975 laps of a possible 4,002, giving him a 99.3 percent completion rate.

-- Newman has been running at the end of every Cup race in which he has competed at Dover. In only two of those events, Newman did not finish the race on the lead lap.

-- Dover International Speedway is the only track where Newman has earned three victories in his eight-year career. Along with his Cup Series success, Newman has also earned two Busch Pole Awards and one Busch victory at the 1-mile track.

-- Newman is one of five teams featured on DirecTV's NASCAR HotPass this weekend at Dover.

-- PRS-071: This car was last run at Texas in April; it has been used at all of the intermediate tracks this year. In Las Vegas, Newman earned his first top-10 finish of the year. In Atlanta, Newman earned the 38th pole of his Cup Series career.

-- PRS-053: This is the car Newman drove in the all-star race. It started and finished in the eighth position.

-----I THOUGHT THESE WERE CHARGER CHASIS, NOT AVENGER CHASIS...I WILL TRY AND FOLLOW UP.

Newman On Dover: "I like racing at Dover and this team has had a lot of success at the track. I’m not worried about the problems we had at Charlotte last week continuing in Dover. Every team has bad races; something happened that was out of our control. We’ll move on and go to Dover knowing that we have a car and a team that are capable of winning this race.”

Alltel rethinks deal after AT&T ruling

The court ruling that allowed AT&T to rebrand the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet has Alltel thinking about challenging the restrictions placed on its NASCAR team sponsorship.

Until now, Alltel has abided by a set of rules that aren't specifically written into its deal with Penske Racing, and many of those rules restrict Alltel from activating its deal the way other sponsors do.

Because it is a wireless company that competes directly against Sprint Nextel, which spends close to $100 million a year to be NASCAR's top series sponsor, Alltel can't set up interactive displays, it can't title sponsor a race, it can't do any more than put its mark on driver Ryan Newman, the car, the pit crew and a single merchandise trailer.

And like Cingular, Alltel has always been told that it can't change its name if ever acquired by another company. But these prohibitions could be subject to debate after a judge's ruling on May 18 that allowed Cingular's No. 31 car to carry AT&T sponsorship. Sprint Nextel has said that the ruling diminishes its exclusivity in the sport.

U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Shoob granted AT&T a temporary injunction to put its blue globe on the No. 31 car because, in part, NASCAR's restrictions weren't specifically outlined in Cingular's team contract with Richard Childress Racing.

Alltel's restrictions are likewise vaguely referenced in its contract with Penske, said Samira Zebian, Alltel's director of sponsorship marketing.

"Could this allow us to leverage the race track and other platforms that have been off-limits to us?" Zebian asked. "What has been conjecture in the past now must be formalized. We've always been very respectful of Nextel's rights, but we need a better understanding of how far-reaching those rights are.

"What the suit brings to light is that a league deal shouldn't impact our category so negatively that we can't put our product in front of the fans the way every other team sponsor can."

Alltel has no plans to challenge NASCAR legally, Zebian said, but "it does force a conversation" about Alltel's activation rights.

"It's a learning situation because you can never predict everything that may happen," said Ron Schneider, president of Sport Dimensions, which has represented Shell, Best Western and others. "I doubt Nextel or anyone else would have predicted that Cingular, the industry leader, would go away. It's going to lead to strong clauses being written into these contracts to address that."

NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said the case could prompt NASCAR to review the way its team contracts are written. The governing body has purposely kept the wording in the contracts as neutral as possible to maintain flexibility with the teams and sponsors, he said, but that flexibility could be lost in future contracts. NASCAR likely will be much more specific in its wording on any sponsor restrictions.

"We've usually found ways to make things work and our model has been considered pretty sponsor-friendly, but now our hand might be forced to get rid of some of those gray areas," Poston said.

Once the AT&T trial concludes, though, the issue still might not be settled. Alltel was recently acquired by TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners and while the name is expected to remain the same, some analysts believe Alltel remains a target for one of the larger wireless companies.

Ryan Newman and the Dover International Speedway

Welcome to Dover International Speedway located in Dover, DE.

Ryan Newman and his Penske Racing #12 Alltel Dodge will be racing here this weekend in the Autism 400.

Dover International Speedway

***Location : Dover, DE
***Completed : 1969
***Distance : 1 mile
***Shape : Oval
***Seating : 140,000



***Nextel Cup Top Race Speed : 132.719 by Mark Martin on 9/21/1997
***Nextel Cup Top Qualifying Speed : 161.522 by Jeremy Mayfield on 6/4/2004

MANUFATURER WINS AT Dover International Speedway SINCE 2002
DODGE = 3
FORD = 3
CHEVROLET = 4


NEWMAN'S STATS AT Dover International Speedway

STARTS = 10>>>Poles = 3>>>Wins = 3>>>Top 5 = 5>>>Top 10 = 7

Avg Start = 6.2>>>Avg Finish = 9>>>%Laps Comp = -0.9938>>>Laps Led = 672

Newman won from the pole here in June's 2003 race and then turn around and won again in the September 2003 race.

NEWMAN'S STATS AT Short Tracks
Races = 33>>>Wins = 1>>>Top 5 = 9>>>Top 10 = 17>>>Average Start = 7.9>>>Average Finish = 15.8

Good luck to Ryan Newman and the Penske Racing's #12 Alltel Dodge NASCAR Nextel Cup Team at Dover International Speedway for the Dover 400 this coming week and weekend!!!


Mike Pratt

Charlotte: Dodge teams race quotes

RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 alltel Dodge Charger)

“We had a good car. We got the Lucky Dog, and we were going to be one of 15 cars on the lead lap. The car was good from the start. There was a little give and take. We fell back track position wise and worked our way back up. We just had a bad set of tires there at the end. We chunked out a right rear which never should have happened. It just shouldn’t have happened. I don’t know what happened with that tire, but either way, we had a good run with the alltel Dodge. We were back on the lead lap with a bad set of tires and the engine let go. Streaks always end (Newman had recorded three straight top 10 finishes entering the Coca-Cola 600). They never really begin. Everybody at Penske Racing has been doing a great job. We’ve just got to keep it up and stay focused. This is something that could get us down, but it shouldn’t. I’m looking forward to Dover. It’s one of my favorite race tracks. Our car of tomorrow program has been strong, so it’s something that can be very positive for us. We’ve just got to make it happen. I don’t think anything was out of character tonight for the 600. There was one big accident and it was because of a cut left rear tire on the 48 car. That’s just going to happen sometimes.”

***

KURT BUSCH (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger)

“We had a really good car early on and every time I came in it was like roulette. What tires are we going to get? How’s the car going to handle? I was in position for the Lucky Dog and the car just jumped out from underneath me. Truex was on us, but I just lost it I guess. I just can’t wait to get to Dover. I thought we had a really good car early on. It just didn’t stick for us when the track got better for everybody. It’s funny how we just ran the same lap times all night. We were really good in the daytime but horrible at night “


REED SORENSON (No. 41 Target Dodge Charger) — 4th

“One of the few buddies I have out here won the race, so I’m pretty pumped up I had a good run and my boy won, so I’m pretty excited right now. We took a little gamble right there at the end. We’d run in the top 10 all day. We might not have had a fourth-place car, but we had a 10th-place car. The last four laps I wasn’t even going full throttle, maybe half throttle trying to save a little fuel, and as soon as I crossed the line it ran out. We got lucky, but the numbers came out right. I was very worried about the fuel lasting. When we first started they said we were two laps short. It was going to be close, but I’m pretty happy we made it.

“We need a boost. We needed to win, but this is close enough right now. It was a good run. We had a top 10 all day, so we’ll take fourth. Luck finally fell our way a little bit. I can count on my hands my number of friends out here. Casey and I are pretty good friends. He was my teammate last year and we still talk a lot, so I wanted to go congratulate him.”

***

BOBBY LABONTE (No. 43 Betty Crocker/Chocolate Chex Dodge Charger) — 13th

“Kyle had a good car yesterday in practice, and he got a lap down tonight. I think he had a little trouble in that wreck. He was able to come back and stay out there at the end and make up a few spots. That was good for him. We were terrible all night long. We just missed all the wrecks. We just weren’t good enough.”

***

Ryan Newman Finishes 39th After Blowing An Engine For The Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's

Ryan Newman was having a decent run Sunday night at Lowe's Internation Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 until his engine blew on lap 176. The field was under caution and Newman had just been given the Lucky Dog when Newman started smoking. He immediatly went to the garage.

In an interview Newman stated that the car had not fully blown and that they were going to try and get back on the track in order to just rack up laps.

Newman got lucky a couple of other times during the race. Caution number 2 came out when the field started wrecking right behind him. Jimmie Johnson had a tire going down and had to slow down causing the accordian effect.

On caution number 3 Raines got into Gordon a little sending Gordon into the grass. Gordon then came back across the track after almost saving it in the grass. He got a hard lick when he hit the wall head on and at the same time Allmindinger T-Boned him. Everyone was O.K. After Gordon hit the wall and was coming back down the track, Newman and another driver had to navigate there way through and made it.

Newman led the first 10 laps before reliquishing the position to his team mate Kurt Busch. After that Newman was all over. He fell to 17th one lap down and then got the Lucky Dog right before blowing up.

Thats to bad for Newman and his #12 Alltel Dodge team. They were feeling great after finishing in the top ten for 4 consrecutive races, winning the Pit Crew Challenge and finishing 8th for the All-Star Challenge.

I made the comment before that I did not think engine's blowing would come into effect. I was wrong. But at lap 176...come on. Oh well.

The end of the race was great. It was based on fuel mileage. Stewart had a stong lead but had to come in for fuel with a couple of laps to go. So did most of the other drivers. Except a few conserved and gambled on everyone else having to pit.

It paid off for Casey Mears. He took the checkered followed by J.J. Yeley and Kyle Petty. Who, what....thats right. I love it. 6 of the top 10 finishers have not finished in the top ten yet this year. I think that is awesome even though it was a Hendrick car in victory lane...it wasn't you know who or the other one.

Here is the top 12.

1 Casey Mears
2 J.J. Yeley
3 Kyle Petty
4 Reed Sorenson
5 Brian Vickers
6 Tony Stewart
7 Ricky Rudd
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
9 Denny Hamlin
10 Jimmie Johnson
11 Mark Martin
12 Matt Kenseth

Race Day - Memorial Day Weekend

Memeorial Day Weekend is a great time to remember our troops and what they have sacrificed for us. Maybe I am a bit bias after spending 8 years in the Army, but I love Memorial Day Weekend and the 4th of July. In fact, for the 4th this year I will have my house decorated like Christmas (lights and all) only in a red, white and blue theme!!

In honor of this great weekend, 10 Nextel Cup drivers will be sporting "military themed" cars. I think this is awesome and shows great respect. Of course JR is one of those and the BUD car, in camo will be GREAT. America's beer......camo'ed up! And it's all for a great cause. A percentage of the money raised from sales will go to the USO who will then disseminate the money to military families. The goal is to raise the same amount awarded for the All-Star Challenge....$1 Million. So make sure you help out, I will. Don't know what I am going to buy yet (got to check with the boss - but she is a big JR fan, so we will get something).

And how great is it that on this great Memorial Day Weekend my driver, Ryan (The Rocket Man) Newman will be making his 200th Nascar Nextel Cup start from the pole. And going even bigger his owner, Roger Penske also has Newman's team mate Kurt Busch sitting in second, giving Penske the whole front row at Lowe's Internation Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600.

And let's go even bigger. Penske also has his Indy car sitting on the pole for the Indy 500 with Helio Castroneves behind the wheel. And his team mate Sam Hornish Jr is starting in the second row.

If nothing else, Newman's last 4 consecutive top 10 finishes has got his name in the news alot this week. There was even speculation of him leaving Penske. Newman has said in his Podcast and other interviews that he has no plans on leaving Penske. But the amount of article "tagged" Ryan Newman this week has been awesome. Usually I am searching and searching for "Newman News" and this week it is almost to much. (yeah, I am never happy)

Of course I have not seen anyone pick Nemwan for a win this week. I keep hearing (reading) things like "1 win from the pole in the past 17 races at Lowe's: Jimmie Johnson in May 2004." At "Pick'em - Charlotte" on nascar.com Newman is picked only as a Dark Horse by 3 memebers - Jarrod Breeze, Raygan Swan and David Caraviello. Kurt Busch did get a pick for a win, but he's starting 2nd and not in the pole.

Well, I don't care. I think Newman is due and it appears that he has a great car for todays race.

Engine wear on this 600 mile race is also brought up quite a bit, but as Mike over at TroubleInTurn2 points out, there have only been 7 blown engines in the last 4 races. An almost 2 a race avrage. That is not that bad at all and is not a concern of mine for this race.

Overall I hope for a great race this Memorial Day Weekend.

Good luck to Ryan Newman and his Penske South #12 Alltel Dodge Nextel Cup Team this weekend (go ahaed, say that fast 10 times).

We should also expect GREAT pit times from this #12 team now.......RIGHT!!!!

Indiana's Newman at home in stock cars

CONCORD, N.C. - Sitting on the pole for the Indianapolis 500 is a Brazilian driving for Roger Penske.

Helio Castroneves' roots are a long way from Indiana.


But sitting on the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 is a Hoosier driving for Roger Penske. Ryan Newman's roots are in South Bend, Ind., where he was born, and on dirt tracks across Indiana.

Funny, isn't it, that the native Hoosier is here instead of there?

Not to Newman. The Midwestern dirt tracks wouldn't lead him to Indianapolis, at least not in an open-wheel car. No, his path was always headed toward NASCAR.

Growing up, Newman and his father, Greg, knew NASCAR would be the place to be.

"We used to go downstairs and play slot-cars all the time," Newman said. "I'd say 90 percent of the time, my slot cars were stock cars. We used to always talk about racing doorhandle-to-doorhandle and things like that. That's what I always wanted to do.

"I'm happy to be sitting here where I am, thankful, gracious. I guess there's a little bit of irony involved, but that's fine by me."

Newman has had chances to race in the Indy 500, but he said running at the Brickyard in May would take away from his focus: Nextel Cup racing.

"We kind of joked about it in 2002 and 2003," Newman said. "It never became serious. [Penske] always told me there's a car there if I want it. But I always said I never wanted to take focus away from my efforts in the Cup series. Taking any time practice time away, I didn't feel would be fair for them. It's as much their job and their way of life as it is mine."

And Newman's way of life as taken him to North Carolina, not back home to Indiana.

scenedaily

Is This Newman's Race? 1st For Practice 2 and 3rd For Happy Hour

Could this be Newman's race?

He captured the pole in qualifying. He was the first fastest in practice 2. Then he followed that up with a 3rd fastest happy hour.

I did not get a chance to watch any of those (except the qualifying) so I can not say how exactly he did. Alot of things going on this weekend, but I WILL see the race!! In fact I am in the middle of 3 things right now!!

Good luck to Ryan Nemwan and the #12 Alltel Dodge Team.

Newman hopes hot streak results in victory at Lowe's

After a slow start to the season, Ryan Newman finally is getting up to speed.

Newman earned his sixth career pole at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Thursday night as he attempts his fourth consecutive top-10 finish when the grid lines up for the Coca-Cola 600 (5:30 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX).

Newman had only one top-10 in the first eight races of the season, and when he finished 38th at Phoenix he was 26th in points. He has since moved up 13 spots in the standings in the span of three points races.

After posting his first top-five of the year most recently at Darlington, Newman found himself 14th in points. He moved up another spot without ever having to take to the track when Dale Earnhardt Jr. was penalized 100 points for a rules violation at Darlington.


Newman has put together runs of ninth, sixth and fourth place in the past month, and two weeks ago led 39 laps at Darlington, the first time he's led more than one lap in any race this season.

"We've been running really well the last few weeks and it's showed at the end of the race," said Newman, who has gone 56 consecutive races without a win. "We've improved our finishes each of the last three weeks and it's just a matter of time before we get this Alltel Dodge back into Victory Lane. We'd really like to do that this weekend in front of all of our family and friends."

Newman just wasn't blowing smoke when he praised his car this week. During Bud Pole Qualifying, Newman raced around the 1.5-mile track in 29.140 seconds (185.312 mph) to earn his second pole of the season.

"We're bringing a good car with us to Charlotte this weekend," said Newman, who lowered his average starting position at Lowe's from 4.5 to 3.8 with his 39th career pole.

The last time Newman, who will be making his 200th career start, had four consecutive top-10 finishes was two years ago. Lowe's Motor Speedway was a part of that string, too, as Newman started the 2005 Coca-Cola 600 from the pole and finished fifth.

Penske racing teammate Kurt Busch will start on the outside of Newman. He navigated his Dodge around LMS in 29.179 seconds (185.065 mph). Busch also has make a significant jump in points, going from 20th to seventh in six races.

But Busch has only two top-10s in 13 LMS starts, and has a 25.2 average finish in six 600-mile races. He finished 39th and 32nd at LMS last year, his first in the No. 2 Dodge. But Busch has never qualified well at Lowe's, either, with only one top-10 start previously.

"I'm smart enough to know that this weekend's Coke 600 is a major big-picture hurdle for us, but we're confident we'll be prepared as possible for the challenge we're facing there this weekend," Busch said.

"As always, it'll still be about survival again in the 600 on Sunday. With the hard tires and the smaller fuel cells, it'll be extremely challenging for the pit crews. With all the stops we'll be making, their role in winning the race will be incredibly important."

The only other qualifier to top the 185 mph mark was the No. 19 Dodge of Elliott Sadler, who posted a time of 29.189 seconds (185.001). Sadler hasn't scored a top-10 since finishing sixth in the Daytona 500.

"Josh [Browne, team director] and the team have put together a good package for our Dodge Charger," Sadler said.

Sadler has only one top-10 finish in nine previous 600-mile races.

"The Coca-Cola 600 is the most demanding race in the Nextel Cup Series," said Sadler, who finished fifth in 2004. "It starts late afternoon and ends at night, four-and-a-half hours of racing. Staying focused as a driver is essential. Keeping up with the changing track conditions is a challenge for the teams."

Ryan Newman Gets Pole Position For Coca-Cola 600

The Rocket Man grabbed the pole position for the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's International Speedway.

And to top that off, Penske Racing owns the front row. Ryan Newman's team mate Kurt Busch grabbed 2nd. Busch was 0.039 seconds slower than Newman.

This is a great pole position for Newman because this is his 200th start in the Nextel Cup.

This means, hopefully that Ryan and Kurt will be working together, which has always ended good for Penske.

Good luck to Ryan Newman and his Penske Racing #12 Alltel Dodge Team and CONGRATULATIONS ON GETTING THE POLE!!!

Mike


Practice 1 Results

Qualifying Order

Ryan Newman 26 For Coca-Cola 600 1st Practice

Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge team had their first practice at Lowes International Speedway today for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Coca-Cola 600

Newman had the 26 fastest practice speed of 179.289 mph / 30.119 sec.

Newman was -0.422 seconds behind the leader Elliott Sadler who had a practice time of 181.837 / 29.697.



Practice 1 Results

Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowes International Speedway

Happy 200th Race Ryan Newman

The Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will be Ryan Newman’s 200th Nextel Cup start of his career.

With 199 races under his belt, Newman has 12 wins, 55 top 5’s and 87 top 10’s and 38 pole positions since his first race in the Checker Auto Parts/Dura Lube 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 5, 2000 .All that topped off with 31 DNF’s. OUCH!! I have not really studied anyone else’s stats to compare Newman’s too, not do I want to! But over all his record does not seem that bad to me. It may not be great, but definitely not bad.

Newman joined Penske in 2000, won 3 of 5 ARCA races and made his NEXTEL Cup debut.

In 2001 Newman raced in the ARCA, Busch, and Nextel Cup series. He had a very full schedule that year and managed to graduate from Purdue University with a degree in vehicle structure engineering.

In 2002 Newman had his first full year in the Nextel Cup finishing sixth in the points; tied Mark Martin for the most top-10 finishes in a season with 22, a rookie record; became just the second rookie to win The Winston all-star race; led the series with six poles, another rookie record that broke the one established by Davey Allison in 1987; posted 14 top-10 finishes, second only to series champion Tony Stewart with 15; and tied Stewart in races led, holding the No. 1 position in 22 events. He also claimed his first career Cup victory in a rain-shortened race at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Newman backed up his outstanding rookie performance with the most prolific sophomore season by a Cup driver since Dale Earnhardt won the series championship in 1980. Newman and the Alltel team won eight races, 11 poles, and led the most miles with 1,509.13. His series-high 11 poles were the most since 1985. Newman also tied Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the most races led during the season at 24, and ended the year with a series-high 17 top-five finishes. Newman’s sophomore year complimented his rookie year. He finished the year with 8 wins, 11 poles, and led the most miles with 1,509.13. His 11 poles were the most in one season since 198. Newman also tied Dale Earnhardt JR. with the most races led during the season at 24. He also ended the year with a series high 17 top 5 finishes.

2003 and 2004 were “slow” Newman. He had a win in 2003 at Michigan. In 2004 he barely made it into the chase (first year of the chase) and ended 7th in points.
2005 saw a better season for Newman, but nothing like his first two seasons in a Cup car.

2006 was by far the most disappointing season for Ryan Newman and his Alltel Dodge. This was the first year for him and his ALLTEL team to finish outside the top 10 finishing in 18th.

This year is looking up for Newman. He is currently 13th in the points standing and only 51 points away from 12th. With 11 races completed this year already, Newman has 1 pole, 1 top 5 and 4 top 10 finishes. He had a slowish start, but seems to be picking up steam.

Is the Coca-Cola 600 Newman’s time for a win?? Let’s hope so. He is over due. 56 races since a win! That would be great if on his 200th race, his “races since last win” number goes back to 0.

Mike

New Newman Podcast Available After All-Star Challenge

Newman addresses the "Rumor Mill" about him leaving Penske. Once again he states that he is not looking for a new ride and is happy at Penske.

They discuss what Newman thinks about expanding Penske to 3 teams. Newman says he thinks that it could be beneficial or it could hurt. He says Penske is good as it is right now.

He states that he had a lot faster car at the All-Star Challenge than his 8th place finish shows.

States that he and Montoya are both hard drivers and there is NO rivalry between them. (HHMMM)

---Of course, in my opinion Montoya is trying to have a rivalry with everyone!

They talk about how good Newman is with the fans.

Check it out....All 2007 podcasts are available through this site....look left.

Mike

All-star race sets ratings record for Speed

Speed officials said last Saturday's broadcast of the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway earned the highest rating in the network's history.

The all-star event had a rating of 3.53, a 7 percent increase over the 3.30 for last year's race, which was carried on the cable network FX.

The rating represented Speed's highest rating ever, topping previous mark of 2.1 for the 2005 Craftsman Truck Series race from Daytona.

Speed, which is now available in more than 75 million homes, said the event averaged 2.48 million households.

Penske - Noting Newman - Coca Cola 600

Noting Newman - May 21, 2007

-- The Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will be Ryan Newman’s 200th start in the NASCAR Cup Series. Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, will make his 13th Cup Series start at the Concord, N.C., track.

-- Newman has an average start of 4.5 and an average finish of 20.08. He has 10 top-five starts at the track, including five Bud Pole Awards. Newman earned his first Bud Pole at Charlotte in 2001. His other two starts have been from the 18th and 15th positions.

-- Newman has five top-10 finishes at LMS, including three top-fives.

-- In 10 previous races, Newman has led a total of 222 laps in six events. He has completed 3,488 laps of a possible 4,282, giving him an 81.5 percent completion rate.

-- Newman is going for his fourth-consecutive top-10 finish this Sunday. The last time Newman had four straight finishes in the top-10 was in early 2005 at Darlington, Richmond, Charlotte and Dover.

-- Chassis PRS-071 is the primary car for Coca-Cola 600 weekend. This car was last run at Texas in April; it has been used at all of the intermediate tracks this year. In Las Vegas, Newman earned his first top-10 finish of the year. In Atlanta, Newman earned his 38th pole of his Cup Series career.

-- Chassis PRS-053 is the backup car. This is the car Newman drove in the All-Star race where he started and finished eighth.

Ryan Newman On Lowe's Motor Speedway: "We’ve been running really well the last few weeks and it’s showed at the end of the race. We’re bringing a good car with us to Charlotte this weekend. We’ve improved our finishes each of the last three weeks and it’s just a matter of time before we get this Alltel Dodge back into Victory Lane. We’d really like to do that this weekend in front of all of our family and friends.”

It's Official : NASCAR Will Run COT Full Time Staring 2008

Well, it is official. NASCAR's sanctioning body has decided to run the COT full-time in starting in 2008. In 2006 NASCAR said that it was going to be a three year phase in with 16 races in 2007, 26 races in 2008 and then a full 36 races in 2009. But they also said that if team owners wanted to go full time with faster, then they would.

The average margin of victory through the first five Car of Tomorrow races has been .505 seconds (compared to 1.286 seconds at these same races a year ago) and there have been six fewer DNFs through this same race sequence from 2006.

Some drivers are ready to go with it full time and other are not. There are complaints about it's handling. Jeff Gordon made the comment that he does not understand how they can go forward with this decision when the car has not been raced on a 1.5 mile track yet.

"We feel like making this decision now gives teams an idea of what is coming and lets them put more resources into the new car," Pemberton(NASCAR's VP of Competition said. "Teams can work on program for next year and everyone will be able to get a better grasp on the entire project."

The COT is the culmination of a seven-year project undertaken at NASCAR's Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. The new car was built primarily with safety in mind, but during the development process, NASCAR also discovered ways in which the car could improve competition and enable teams to be more cost-efficient.

The car of tomorrow is designed to be a safer car as well as being less costly to run because it could be used at a variety of tracks.
According to NASCAR, 13 teams have used the same chassis for three of the five races; four teams have run the same chassis in four of the five races; and one team - the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing team - has run the same chassis in all five car of tomorrow races.

Penske Racing - Memorial Day Weekend

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 19, 2007) -- In conjunction with the Memorial Day weekend events at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the Penske Racing gift shop and fan walk will be open May 26 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Msy 27 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Penske racing will be closed Memorial Day Monday in observance of the holiday. However, if you're in town early for the races, stop by Friday when the first 300 fans to visit the gift shop will receive a gift when the doors open at 8:30 a.m.

Penske Racing also is raffling off two gift baskets. Each $1 raffle ticket that is purchased enters you in the drawing to win either a Kurt Busch or a Ryan Newman gift basket that retails for more than $425. Raffle ticket purchases must me made at the gift shop by 3 p.m. on May 27. The two winners will be contacted on May 29. Please see below for gift basket details.

All proceeds from the raffle benefit Friends In Need Animal Shelter in Lexington, N.C. For more information on Friends In Need Animal Shelter, go tohttp://www.friendsinneednc.com.

Ryan Newman Gift Basket - ALL ITEMS WILL BE AUTOGRAPHED BY RYAN NEWMAN BEFORE IT IS SHIPPED TO THE WINNER
Retail Value (Unsigned): $475

60"X50" Stadium Throw
12" Plasma Motion Clock
Black Penske Racing Tee (XL)
Ladies Baby Blue Sparkle Tee (L)
ALLTEL Crew Shirt (XXL)
NEWMAN Chase Embroidered Heavy Weight LS Tee (XL)
alltel Pit Cap
Penske Racing Cap
2007 Motorsports Authentics Drivers Select 1/24 Scale No. 12 alltel Diecast
2006 Team Caliber Preferred Series 1/24 Scale No. 12 SONY Diecast
alltel Chase Leather Jacket by Wilson's Leather (M)
No. 12 Coffee Mug
3" Round No. 12 Decal
Drivers Select No. 12 Pin
Tattoo Silver No. 12 Pin
Newman Magnetic Photo
Wheels American Tradition 2006 Trading Card
TRAKS Penske Racing Trading Card (also signed by Kurt Busch)

Kurt Busch Gift Basket - ALL ITEMS ARE AUTOGRAPHED BY KURT BUSCH UNLESS SPECIFIED BY *
Retail Value (Unsigned): $425

Ladies Baby Blue Sparkle Tee (L)
Black Penske Racing Tee (L)
Miller Chase Leather Jacket by Wilson's Leather (L)
MILLER Crew Shirt (XXXL)
2007 Motorsports Authentics Drivers Select 1/24 Scale No. 2 MILLER LITE Diecast
2006 Team Caliber Preferred Series 1/24 Scale No. 39 Penske Truck Rental Diecast
No. 2 Coffee Mug
2006 Press Pass TRAKS Penske Facility Trading Card
2006 Press Pass Legends Kurt Busch Trading Card
Fruit of the Loom Hooded Gray Sweatshirt (L) *
No. 2 Drivers Select Collectible Lanyard & Pins *
Photo Magnet *
No. 2 Tattoo Silver Pin *
No. 2 Rhinestone No. 2 Keyring *
3" Round No. 2 Decal *
60"X50" Stadium Throw *

The baskets will be shipped a minimum of three weeks after the winner is notified.

Ryan Newman and the Lowe's Motor Speedway

Welcome to Lowe's Motor Speedway located in Concord, NC.

Ryan Newman and his Penske Racing #12 Alltel Dodge will be racnig here this weekend in the Coca-Cola 600.

Lowe's Motor Speedway

***Location : Concord, NC
***Completed : 1959
***Distance : 1.5 miles
***Shape : Quad-oval with Seating : 165,000
***Please refer to picture for banking information

***Nextel Cup Top Race Speed : 178.512 by Ryan Newman on 5/18/2002
***Nextel Cup Top Qualifying Speed : 193.216 by Elliott Sadler on 10/13/2005

NEWMAN'S STATS AT Lowe's Motor Speedway

STARTS = 12
Poles = 5
Wins = 0
Top 5 = 3
Top 10 = 5

Avg Start = 11.3
Avg Finish = 28.3
%Laps Comp = -0.7052
Laps Led = 222

NEWMAN'S STATS AT INTERMEDIATE TRACKS
Races = 27
Wins = 0
Top 5 = 4
Top 10 = 8
Average Start = 16
Average Finish = 18.8

Good luck to Ryan Newman and the Penske Racing's #12 Alltel Dodge NASCAR Nextel Cup Team at Lowe's Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 this coming week and weekend!!!


Mike Pratt

Ryan Newman and His Contract - Alltel Bought Out

Recently I was asked about Ryan Newman's contract. It got me thinking, I have no idea about his contract. And on top of that, it was announced Sunday that TPG Capital, formerly Texas Pacific Group, and GS Capital Partners, a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs have bought Alltel for $27.5 Billion.

This buy out could mean Newman's sponsorship is in the wind. It will depend on what these private equity groups want to do with Alltel. Do they want to chop up the compnay and sell it off in peices, or do they want to run a wireless company. Even if they want to keep the compnay do they want to spend the money to have a NASCAR Nextel Cup Team.

On top of all of that, Daimler-Chrysler was bought out by a private equity group as well. So were will that leave Ryan Newman and his Dodge race car.

With the buy out of Daimler Chrysler, I thought that I had read that all Dodge's had contracts until 2009 and that those contracts were going to be honored.

I found a couple of articles dated 2005 that talk about Newman extending his contract for 3 years with Penske Racing. So that would put him in contract with Penske until the end of 2009.

I can not find anything as far as his contract is concernerd with Alltel. And to tell the truth, I don't know exactly how the contracts work. I don't know if Alltel, Dodge and the other assosiate sponsors are part of the contract with Penske, or if they are all seperate contracts. I could see the Penske and Dodge contracts being rolled together and the other sponsors all being seperate, but I just don't know.

Dodge has said that it will honor all of its contracts (meaning at least through 2009) with the NASCAR teams.

While still under contract with Penske Racing South, through 2009, the Winston-Salem Journal seems to think that Newman could be looking for a new ride. This coming at the time the #12 Alltel Dodge Pit Crew was wrapping up a win over the #43 team in the Pit Crew Challenge. Needless to say, it probably isn’t going to get any better as we roll towards Homestead, with just a race over the 2/3 mark remaining in the season. The Journal eludes to this, but I can not find details on it anywhere.

This is the main quote from the Winston-Salem Journal that is being posted everywhere I look. "It might be difficult to see a ride better than with Roger Penske, one of the most famous names in racing. But Ryan Newman's name is suddenly out in the rumor mill."

But I can not find anything to back any of it up. I can not find where this possibly could have even originated from.

I was also asked what I thought about Newman going to DEI. I don't like that idea. I think Newman is fine where he is and any changes could hurt him with getting use to new cars, new owner and everything involved with that. At least in the short term. Overall I would like to see Newman stay right there at Penske. Things seem to be turning around there. Newman has been running better and team mate Kurt Busch is running up front a few spots ahead of Newman.

Alltel to be sold, effect on Penske sponsorship?

Alltel Corp. announced that it has signed a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners (’GSCP’), in a transaction valued at approximately $27.5 billion. Alltel’s Board of Directors has unanimously approved the merger agreement after a comprehensive review of the company’s strategic options, and has recommended the approval of the transaction by Alltel’s shareholders.

Completion of the transaction, which is currently expected to occur by the fourth quarter of 2007 or by the first quarter of 2008, is contingent upon customary closing conditions, including approval by Alltel’s shareholders and certain regulatory approvals. Shareholders will be asked to vote on the proposed transaction at a special meeting that will be held on a date to be announced. Scott Ford, Alltel’s chief executive officer, will remain in his current role.