Newman Qualifies 9th, Busch To Start 14th At Sonoma




Ryan Newman earned his second straight top-10 starting position at Infineon Raceway on Friday.

SONOMA, Calif. (June 22, 2007) – Ryan Newman snared the ninth starting position for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350, while Kurt Busch claimed the 14th spot, as preparations began Friday at Infineon Raceway for the season's first road course race.

Sunday's 110-lap race on the 1.99-mile winding track at the entrance to California's Wine County also is the first such venture for the Dodge Avenger.

"The COT on the road course has been just a little bit different trying to get it to turn and stick off the corners, but it's been the same old deal," Busch said after his lap of 91.744 mph, 78.087 seconds, in his Miller Lite Dodge. "The car doesn't do much for you. The driver has got to muscle it."

Time trials began late Friday afternoon with Busch listed as third in the qualifying order among the 52 cars, while Newman was at the opposite end of the field in 51st. Busch possessed the provisional pole immediately after his one-lap timed run, but was bumped from it by Boris Said, the next driver on the track.

"I thought it was OK, considering we went out real early," Busch said about his qualifying lap. "We didn't pick up speed. We lost speed and that's going to hurt us in the long run, but wherever we start is where we start.

"We were loose to the right. I couldn't get the car to turn and then I couldn't power down out of the right-hand corners. That slows you up a little bit.

"It's a fun road course. I wouldn't say I've got it mastered. I have an upbeat attitude when I come to these tracks. We come here to have some fun and gain some points."

Despite earning his second straight top-10 start at Infineon in his Alltel Dodge, Newman was disappointed in his lap of 92.051 mph, 77.826 seconds,

"I thought we were going to be better than that," Newman said. "We had a really good draw. It was a conservative lap. I was conservative on purpose, but I thought it was going to be faster than that even being conservative. I think I was probably too conservative in the first part of the track and got too aggressive in the wrong spot. I hurt myself double.
"We're working on some things to make the car better, but I think we'll be good in the race. It's going to be interesting. The cars definitely don't react the way the old cars did.


Kurt Busch with new crew chief Pat Tryson, right.

"I enjoy road courses. I don't think they're the best things to race, but as far as driving them and hustling the car around, I enjoy them and the guys gave me a fast car."

Sunday's race begins at 5 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast by TNT and PRN radio.

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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Ryan Newman (12) and Kurt Busch ran in the top 10 for much of the event before having to settle for 20th- and 22nd-place finishes, respectively.

SONOMA, Calif. (June 24, 2007) – Penske Racing's NASCAR teams knew pit strategy was the key to a good finish in Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway, but the fuel mileage issue bit Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch, leaving them in the middle of the pack at the conclusion of the season's first road course race.

Newman's Alltel Dodge Avenger finished 20th, while Busch's Miller Lite Dodge Avenger placed 22nd.

“It was unfortunate. We got beat by fuel mileage,” said Newman, who started ninth. “We did what we had to do to get to the end and that was it. Those other guys got the fuel mileage. Our strategy just didn’t win the race. We got a 20th-place finish with a top-seven race car. That’s disappointing.”

Despite the disappointing finish, Newman still gained two positions in the point standings, moving up to 13th. He is now 96 points behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 12th, the cut-off position for this year's title chase.

Newman and his Alltel team chose to remain on the track when the seventh and final caution period began on lap 68 of the 110-lap race. With a pit window of 35 to 38 laps, the Alltel team believed the drivers who stopped during the yellow would have to pit again before the checkered flag. When the race returned to green-flag conditions on lap 70, Newman was fourth.

With 37 laps remaining, Newman was third, but he still had to make his final stop, a move that would leave him 30th with 27 laps to go. Of the cars that had stopped on lap 68, more made it to the finish than were expected and that left Newman in the middle of the pack when the checkered flag waved.

Busch had a similar experience, but he also was involved in a lap 61 incident with eventual winner Juan Pablo Montoya. Busch, who started 14th, was running ninth when Montoya's Dodge clipped the right rear of Busch's in turn 11. Busch spun toward the outside wall, but did not hit anything. He fell to 23rd in the running order before he was finally able to get back running with the pack

Originally, the plan was to pit on lap 72, but after the spin, crew chief Pat Tryson decided to pit Busch on lap 58 during the race's sixth caution period. However, that forced Busch to make a third pit stop before the race ended.
"We were on a two-stop strategy and it ended up being three," Busch said. "It wasn't good for us. We could have made the car a little better. We'll come back at The Glen with a stronger Dodge Avenger. We got tagged in turn 11 by Montoya, a Formula One winner and a NASCAR winner. That doesn't happen every day."

Tryson, who made his debut Sunday as Busch's new crew chief, said he never thought the race would go the final 40 laps without a yellow flag.

"We got behind and we had to take that chance of pitting early," Tryson said. "If we'd gotten a couple of cautions, we might could have salvaged a top-10 finish out of it. But with no yellows, we were forced to hit pit road again with a few laps left to get a splash of fuel and that put us on back there in the finishing order."

With 10 races remaining to determine who makes the 2007 "Chase for the Championship", Busch remains 16th in the standings, 171 points behind 12th.

The NEXTEL Cup tour now moves to the flat, 1-mile New Hampshire International Raceway for the LENOX Industrial Tools 300. Sunday's race is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast by TNT and MRN Radio.

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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Kurt Busch (2) and Ryan Newman (12) work their way through the field by drafting with each other.



DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 7, 2007) – With eight races remaining before the Chase for the Championship begins, Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman continued to inch closer to this year's cutoff position with their performances in Saturday's Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

Kurt Busch, who finished third in his Miller Lite Dodge Charger, and Ryan Newman, who placed 14th in his Alltel Dodge Charger, cut their deficits to the 12th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. in half. Busch, in 15th, trails Earnhardt by 121 points, while Newman, in 14th, is only 61 points behind the third-generation driver.

“That’s a huge gain there, but a lot of it was due to the No. 8 car [Earnhardt] having their problems and finishing on back there [38th],” Busch said. “Tonight really worked to close things up all the way around. The bottom line is that we do not just have to focus on catching Dale Jr.; it’s becoming a tight battle between a lot of teams hoping to make the cut.”
Newman and Busch started 14th and 16th, respectively, since the grid was determined by car owner points due to rain interrupting qualifying. The Penske Racing teammates quickly moved into the top 10, and from the race's beginning, they had good luck riding in their Dodge Chargers.

When a five-car accident occurred on the frontstretch on lap 14, Newman and Busch were among the first to dive down pit road to avoid the crashing cars. When the race restarted on lap 20 of the 160-lap event, Newman was sixth and Busch was 14th. Busch cracked the top 10 for the first time on lap 27 and remained there for the rest of the event on the 2.5-mile track.

Busch and Newman drafted together for much of the event, with Busch, his younger brother Kyle, and Newman forming a freight train on the inside lane at one point.

By lap 76, Busch had maneuvered his way into second. He took the lead for the first time on lap 78 when then leader Clint Bowyer fell off the pace with ignition problems. Busch set the pace for the next 31 laps before pitting on lap 109 during a round of green-flag stops. When the stops sequenced around three laps later, Busch was back in the lead and Newman was seventh.

Then the fifth of eight caution flags waved on lap 115, Busch and Newman elected not to pit since they had only six laps on their tires. That decision left Busch second and Newman fifth on the restart.

Busch continued to run in the top five, but with 38 laps remaining, Newman, who was then fourth, got shuffled backwards. He dropped out of the top 10, falling as far as 17th before fighting his way back to the front.

With 15 laps remaining, Newman had again reached the top 10, but he was unable to maintain the position and had to settle for a 14th-place finish.

“We started 14th, finished 14th and fell to 14th in the standings," Newman said. "The only good result was we’re only 61 points out of 12th now and we entered the race 127 out of 12th. It’s going to be tough, but we really want to qualify for The Chase. We had a good car tonight, but we didn’t get a good finish with it. We’ll try to bounce back and get ‘em next week in Chicago.”

While Newman was fighting for a top-10 finish, Busch was battling for a victory in the last restrictor-plate race for the Dodge Charger. Busch aligned himself with his younger brother on the low side, while Carl Edwards positioned himself behind Jamie McMurray in the high line. They raced that way, side-by-side, nose-to-tail for the final two laps around the mammoth facility before McMurray edged ahead of the younger Busch for the second closest finish in NASCAR history. Kurt Busch inched by Edwards for third.

“I’m real proud of this team and real proud of this year," Busch said. "It feels good to come to a plate track and do well. We definitely came back strong to Daytona, looking for a good finish after the Daytona 500 didn’t turn out like we wanted. To build a car five months in advance with more downforce, we felt like that was the way to go.

"We were really strong on the long runs … [but] long runs were minimal tonight with yellows early and yellows late. Everybody was real strong at the end. We expected everybody to be out there three wide and never lifting. That’s what’s so exciting at these plate tracks. For me to finish third, it feels great to do that. It would have been great to win it, but we’re real happy with that."

Busch also praised crew chief Pat Tryson, who was in his third race with the Miller Lite team.

"Pat Tryson is an experienced crew chief," Busch said. "He’s confident in his pit calls. This was the first car he got his hands on. Our Sonoma car and Loudon car had already been built and setup and put on the trailer. This one here he was able to put some ideas into.

"We’ll be able to go to the wind tunnel with our Chicago car this week and double-check where we are. It’s going to begin to roll. I’m happy about that. I can’t express my thanks about him being able to come over to this team. I think we can put a good thing together. We’re excited to have him. I think he’s excited to be here and Miller Lite wants us to do better. This was a good sign of that."

The NASCAR circuit travels to Chicagoland Speedway next weekend. Newman will compete in Saturday's Busch Series race – USG Durock 300 -- in his No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger. The USG Sheetrock 400 NEXTEL Cup race is scheduled for Sunday at 2:30 p.m. CDT. It is the last telecast for TNT this season. MRN Radio will broadcast the event.

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman owned the front row for a short time during qualifying Friday at Pocono


LONG POND, Pa. (Aug. 3, 2007) -- For the second time this year, rain interfered with a Penske Racing driver emerging in the No. 1 position at Pocono Raceway, as Kurt Busch was bumped from the pole for Sunday's Pennsylvania 500 after a shower interrupted qualifying on Friday.

Busch, who snared the provisional pole in his Miller Lite Dodge Charger with a 52.984-second, 169.863-mph lap, possessed the top starting spot until there were nine drivers left to qualify. Rain began falling during Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s qualifying lap and NASCAR officials ruled he could make another timed run if time trials resumed. With a clean, cooler track, Earnhardt Jr. pushed his car to a lap 0.035-second faster than Busch on the 2.5-mile, triangular-shaped track.

"I thought there might be somebody that would sneak out there and get it," Busch said. "If it would have rained out qualifying, we would have been bumped all the way to 14th. To be outside pole is great and gives us the chance to be towards the front.

"Track position is very important at Pocono. We¿re happy to be outside pole and have a shot to get those elusive five points for leading a lap. Big picture is what we¿re racing for right now [a position in the title chase].¿

In June, Ryan Newman was relegated to a second-place finish in the Pocono 500 when it began raining just as Newman passsed Jeff Gordon for the lead.

For a brief time Friday, Busch and Newman shared the front row, but Busch's younger brother, Kyle, bumped Newman to third by 0.014 second. He was relegated to fourth, directly behind his Penske Racing teammate, when Earnhardt Jr. made his qualifying run.

"I just missed a little bit on my lap, but it was still a good effort by the Mobil 1 Dodge team and we¿ll have a good car on Sunday, as well,¿ Newman said after his 53.023-second, 169.738-mph lap in his Mobil 1 Dodge Charger. ¿We¿re running the same car that we had in June, so we know that this car is good at Pocono. I don¿t think we have a ton of work to do on the car before Sunday, but we¿ll tweak it a little during tomorrow¿s [Saturday] practice sessions and get it as close to perfect as we can for Sunday. I just hope the rain holds off this time.¿

Sunday's Pennsylvania 500 will be televised by ESPN and broadcast by MRN Radio starting at 1 p.m.

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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BUSCH, NEWMAN PUT SQUEEZE ON CHASE
Penske Racing's fortunes
seem on an upturn
By JIM UTTER - jutter@charlotteobserver.com
Related Content

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."

I will say, it's going to be a really good Race to the Chase!

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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NP, I'm glad that you liked the article. Your mojo didn't work last week as Jimmie had a good run

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Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman battle for position in the closing laps at Watkins Glen.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (Aug. 12, 2007) Kurt Busch strengthened his hold on 12th place in the standings with his 11th-place finish in Sunday's Centurion Boats at The Glen, while Ryan Newman gained a position with his 13th-place performance at Watkins Glen International.

With four races remaining before the "Chase for the Championship" begins, Busch leads 13th-place Newman by 96 points and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who dropped to 14th, by 100 points. Busch trails 11th-place Martin Truex Jr. by 58 points. Newman moved into the standings' 13th position due to Earnhardt Jr.'s Chevrolet losing an engine during the season's final road course race.

Even though both Penske Racing drivers improved themselves in the overall picture, it wasn't an easy 90-lap event on the 2.45-mile course for either competitor. Newman experienced handling issues with his Kodak Dodge Avenger and took two side trips into the gravel pits that provide run-off areas at various turns. The first occurred on lap 11 and the second shortly after the 50-lap mark when he and Clint Bowyer tangled. Newman also incurred a penalty after the first gravel pit excursion for pitting before pit road was open. That left him 41st on the lap 14 restart.

Fuel only and a chassis adjustment on Newman's fourth stop vaulted him into the top 15 where he remained for the final 25 laps.

"We're competitive, but I wasn't happy with the car today," Newman said. "It didn't drive the way it should have."

Newman noted his 13th-place finish helped in the point standings, but then added "we could have capitalized more."

"The balance wasn't good (in the car)," Newman continued. "I drove it off the race track, which got us behind and then we fought back with a good strategy. We just got beat around out there."

Busch's frustration stemmed from his car's poor fuel mileage and a speeding penalty on pit road.

Busch was running second in his Miller Lite Dodge Avenger on lap 65 when crew chief Pat Tryson called him down pit road for his final scheduled stop. Unfortunately, Busch was tagged with a speeding penalty on his exit and was sent to the rear of the longest line for the lap 67 restart.

Busch lined up 37th for the return to green-flag racing, and had made it back to 23rd when the race was red-flagged on lap 76 for a five-car crash that left debris and fluids in turn 1. After the race was stopped for 26 minutes 4 seconds, it resumed on lap 78. However, it went back under yellow on lap 80 when P.J. Jones spun into the gravel on the inner loop.

Busch was 18th on the lap 83 restart and was able to climb an additional seven spots during the remaining laps to post his 11th-place finish.

I realize that it was a good day for us in the points and all, but it really gets frustrating when you have a car as strong as we did here today and only get an 11th-place finish out of it, Busch said. We were running second and had a car strong enough to win here today, but the fuel mileage situation bit us again and we had to pit. Then, to top it off, we got a speeding penalty leaving the pits.

When I looked up there before we went back to racing after they pulled the red flag and saw the [No.] 07 car [Clint Bowyer] and the [No.] 1 car [Martin Truex Jr.] in front of me, I knew I had to do all I could to try to get around those guys. I raced my guts out 'til the very end and we still only got an 11th out of it. We have to get this fuel mileage deal figured out; we absolutely have to. With the way things went here today, we could have very well won the race. I know I'll calm down and see the big picture view of things later on, but it sure is frustrating to not finish any better.

Next weekend, the series moves to the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway for the 3M Performance 400. ESPN and MRN Radio will broadcast the race scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. EDT.

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