Kentucky Speedway, Press Release

SPARTA, Ky. – Penske Racing headliner Ryan Newman’s Kentucky Speedway test took on a different flavor today when he received a special visit from Kentucky Lt. Gov. Steve Pence.
“I’ve been to the speedway several times, but it’s neat to be in the garage here and see all that goes into the NASCAR races for each and every car. Ryan Newman is here today who is one of the top echelon drivers on the circuit. To have him and his crew here is very exciting. Seeing what goes into NASCAR with each and every race, it just makes the sport all that much more exciting for me.”

Lt. Gov. Pence, an avid NASCAR fan, looked on while Newman turned laps in wintry temperatures to gather intermediate track knowledge that may pay dividends as early as this Sunday’s race on the newly-configured 1.5-mile track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“We’re working on our intermediate car, some specifically for Vegas and some specifically for the rest of the season,” Newman said. “We’re trying to map some things out. It’s a cool day here so the track is pretty quick and everything’s pretty good. We’re trying to collect some data. It’s tough anymore to get good testing in, especially at the NEXTEL Cup tracks, and this is the closest place we could come.”

Newman ended a string of top-10 finishes in final NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points standings at four last season. After entering the year owning 12 wins, 50 top-five and 74 top-10 finishes through three full-time series seasons, he closed out the 2006 campaign with a career-low 18th-place showing in championship standings after picking up two top-five and a total of seven top-10 finishes.

He opened this season with a 38th-place finish in the Daytona 500 and followed with a 12th-place effort at California Speedway in the series last race Feb. 25. He plans to sustain his competitive momentum at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“We were happy to run 12th at California after struggling (there) last year and it was obviously a disappointment at Daytona. We had a car that was capable of winning and we were running up front 180 laps in, but we had duct work fail and that closed the radiator off. Therefore, it burnt the engine up. The bottom line is we’ve been competitive in both races this year. After last year, that’s a great way to start.”

Newman, who spent portions of last season lobbying NASCAR to change the Dodge Charger template, said he is relatively pleased with the current design of his No. 12 Alltel Dodge.

“The Dodge Charger’s been pretty good. We have a new nose and a new hood. The downforce is different and balance seems to be pretty good. It’s a matter of being more competitive and I think we are,” he said.

He added he’s eager to team with new crew chief Mike Nelson to take on the challenges presented by the Car of Tomorrow design that makes its debut at Bristol Motor Speedway March 25.

“We were middle of the road last week at Bristol speed wise in the Car of Tomorrow test. We’ve got some work to do to make the car ride a little better on a really bumpy racetrack. We’re working with the lack of suspension travel to make the car ride good.

“It’s definitely different, but it’s not a huge difference. It’s just a matter of getting it balanced and getting it trimmed out aero wise. Even at a place like Bristol, the aerodynamics are very important. We’re just looking forward to getting back on the track and racing there,” he said.

During his visit with Ky. Lt. Gov. Pence, Newman discussed the potential for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series schedule changes and the addition of new tracks to the circuit.

“I think there are a few racetracks that we go to that we don’t need to go to twice. They don’t pack the place full so there’s no point in going back. Obviously, we don’t want to take away from the people that enjoy having it twice, but there are other places we can go to serve the entire United States a little bit better. Some tracks are nice to go twice and some tracks we only need to go to once, that’s the bottom line,” he said.

Pence asserted that a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup event at Kentucky Speedway would create a success story for both the Commonwealth and the series.

“First, I think it’d be great for NASCAR because there are so many race fans in this area and this (television) viewing area in driving distance (of this facility). There’s no question that what (Kentucky Speedway Chairman and Co-Owner) Jerry Carroll has built here is a great thing and they (the fans) would fill this up. It would be a huge impact economically for the state.

“A NEXTEL Cup race is just not a one-day event. It is a week event or more. That would have the same impact as a Kentucky Derby or greater. There are that many people that come to the track, it’s a televised event and it’s an opportunity to market Kentucky and the great job we’ve done in starting to do that.

“So, I think it would be something all of the people of Kentucky would benefit from. It is a wholesome sport and it’s the type of thing we want people to know Kentucky for. I hope, and I believe it will happen, that a NEXTEL Cup race will come here eventually. The sooner the better,” Pence said.

He recommended the state and its race fans openly demonstrate their passion for the sport to make his belief become reality.

“Let NASCAR know that the state cares about this. That’s one of the reasons I’m here today, to let the people on Ryan Newman’s team know that the state does care about this and they want to see a NEXTEL Cup race here. I like to hear and talk to guys like Ryan Newman because they believe a NEXTEL Cup race would work here.

“All the drivers who test here now say it’s a great track. So, if the state gets behind it with all its effort, the fans get behind it, and we have a few drivers who say it’s a great place to race, it will happen eventually. You know, there’s always some resistance. If we do what Jerry Carroll is doing, and that’s to keep plugging along day-by-day, eventually, there will be a (NEXTEL) Cup race here.”

Newman closed out the NEXTEL Cup test docket for the week at Kentucky Speedway. A scheduled session for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., driver Martin Truex, Jr., was canceled earlier in the day.


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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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Georgia Power Qualifying Night
Atlanta Motor Speedway, Press Release

HAMPTON, Ga. (March 16, 2007) – Ryan Newman earned a record-tying seventh career pole position Friday during Georgia Power Qualifying Night by posting a lap of 193.124 mph (28.707 seconds). Newman tied mentor Buddy Baker’s record with the fast lap, which eclipsed the rest of the field by more than two miles per hour.

“I’ve been around the track with him backwards and forwards and he’s showed me what to do and what not to do,” said Newman, who first toured the high banks of Atlanta with Baker in a passenger car, learning the nuances from a master. “It’s gratifying, it’s rewarding; I couldn’t think of a better person to share the record with than Buddy Baker.”

Newman won six straight poles at Atlanta from 2003-2005, but that streak was snapped last spring when Kasey Kahne stole the spot.

“I had my name on (the pole) for a while, but we came back last spring and were second to Kasey by just a couple thousandths,” Newman said. “It’s a little bit sweeter for sure, based on the struggles from last year.”

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MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 25, 2007) – For the first time in the NASCAR Cup Series, Kodak colors will adorn the hood of the No. 12 car as a primary sponsor, ending the company's 15-month hiatus from NASCAR's top series in that role. This is also the first year Kodak has been a sponsor on the 12 car.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger, will make his 11th start at Talladega Superspeedway and his 197th in the Cup Series this weekend.

Of course, the main concern at Talladega is the same one that exists at every restrictor-plate track -- avoiding the “big one”.

“Like every race at the superspeedways, you have to stay out of trouble,” Newman said. “We’re taking the car that finished third at the Daytona 500 in 2006. We’ll be looking for some people to work with and hopefully, earn a good finish on Sunday without getting caught up in a wreck.”

Newman’s average start at Talladega is 10.8 and his finishing average is 20.9. He has led six races for a total of 25 laps and has completed 1,515 laps of a possible 1,888 for an 80.2 percent completion rate.

“Talladega is a fun track to race at and the race is exciting for everyone, especially the fans,” Newman continued. “One lap you could be fifth and the next lap you might be 25th. You never know what’s going to happen and the winner always seems to emerge at the very end, so it’s a lot of fun to watch.”

Crew chief Mike Nelson and the No. 12 Kodak Dodge team will take chassis PRS-056 as the primary car. The car's third-place finish in the 2006 Daytona 500 occurred after Newman started 18th. The back-up car will be PRS-099, which Newman drove in the 2007 Daytona 500. This car was also used last year at Talladega in May when Newman started 18th and finished 33rd.

The Aaron’s 499 will be broadcast live by FOX and MRN Radio beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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Ryan Newman enjoys racing at Darlington.,

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 8, 2007) – The last time Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger, had three consecutive top-10 finishes he had just made the Chase for the second straight year and had started the final 10 races of 2005 with a win at Loudon, a fifth at Dover and a fourth at Talladega.

In 2006, of Newman’s seven top-10 finishes, only two of those came back-to-back – an eighth at Richmond in May followed by a sixth at Darlington. This weekend, Newman rolls into Darlington looking for his third straight top-10.

Newman will make his ninth Cup Series start at Darlington Raceway Saturday and his 199th in the series. In eight previous races, Newman has an average start of 4.375 and an average finish of 11.5. He has seven top-10 starts at the track deemed ‘Too Tough to Tame", including five from the top five. Newman has one pole — August 2003.

“I’m really looking forward to Darlington. Obviously, the Hendrick cars are the ones to beat, and from what I’ve heard, they got a head start on everybody with testing, and that kind of shows up,” Newman said. “But the bottom line is I like Darlington and I look forward to going there because it’s a fun track for me. Our Car of Tomorrow program is strong. I’m not saying we can’t make it stronger, but it’s definitely strong right now.”

Newman has earned five top-10 finishes at Darlington, including four top-fives. He has led a total of 210 laps in six events at the 1.366-mile track and he has completed 2,671 laps of a possible 2,717, giving him a 98.3 percent completion rate.

For the second straight week, the Cup Series will use the Dodge Avenger COT car. Crew chief Mike Nelson and the No. 12 Alltel Dodge team will take chassis PRS-513 to Darlington for Saturday night’s Dodge Avenger 500. This chassis ran three weeks ago at Phoenix International Raceway. The car was strong and running in the top five before a miscommunication in the pits left the Alltel Dodge Avenger 11 laps down in the 38th position.

Chassis PRS-509 will be the back-up car once again. This car has only been tested at Richmond.

Another possible streak for this weekend that every team will be paying close attention to is the chance of rain postponing the race until Sunday. At the moment, the weather looks like thunderstorms could turn another Saturday night race into a Sunday afternoon event.

The Dodge Avenger 500 is scheduled to air live on FOX and MRN Radio beginning at 7 p.m. EDT on Saturday.

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 11, 2007) - Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger, possessed a fast car for Friday night's Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington Raceway, but instead of running in the front for most of the race, Newman had to fight his way back from the rear of the field.

Newman had earned a spot in the top 10 by lap nine and he told his crew his car was "pretty good".

"I can get loose into turn three, but that's about it," Newman said.

By the time the first of 10 caution flags had waved on lap 23, Newman had made his way into sixth and he was really happy with his car. However, crew chief Matt Gimbel called for four tires, fuel and a half round of wedge in the left rear on the first pit stop to loosen the car in anticipation of the track tightening up as the night progressed. The stop allowed Newman to gain one spot for the restart, leaving him in fifth when the green flag waved.

When Brent Sherman's spin bought out another caution on lap 53, Newman was in fourth and did not want any adjustments to his car on his second stop of the night.

"The car is not bad," Newman relayed to his Kodak Dodge crew. "It's not as strong in (turns) three and four as it is in (turn) one, but if I get a little track position, I think I'll be gone."

Newman received four tires and fuel only on the second stop, but 19 cars had pitted on the previous caution period, leaving Newman to restart in 25th.

After falling back one spot on the restart, Newman began making his way through the field, picking up five spots in five laps. Then came the spin.

Tony Stewart was in the process of passing Newman when he began running into the Kodak Dodge, beating and banging on the No. 12 car until Newman backed off. However, the damage had already been done and the left-rear tire was cut on Newman's car, causing him to spin.

Newman had to pit for new tires, but after putting on fresh rubber, the Kodak Dodge team had to bring the car back onto pit road because debris from the cut left-rear tire had wrapped around the axle and caught fire.

When Newman came back to his stall, rear-tire changer Larry Robinett got the tire off the car and tried to pull the burning rubber off of the axle, but the fire was so intense that fire crews had to extinguish the blaze. Robinett and rear-tire carrier Dustin Coonfield worked together to remove the rubber, but the fumes from the extinguisher hampered their efforts. When new tires were finally on and the damage to the left-rear quarter panel had been repaired, Newman was one lap down in 38th.

The green flag waved on lap 72, but two laps later the yellow came out again, giving Newman the Lucky Dog Award and his lap back. Gimbel brought the car back down pit road just to make sure all of the damage to the car had been repaired.

On lap 79, Newman restarted the race in 36th. By lap 95, Newman was up to the 18th position, gaining 18 spots in 16 laps.

Newman continued moving towards the front until the yellow flag hampered his drive on lap 112, leaving Newman in the 11th position.

"I need a good stop guys," Newman rallied his Kodak crew. "This will be the last one."

After four tires, fuel and one round up on the right-side track bar, Newman remained in 11th for the restart. One more caution period occurred before Newman finally made it back into the top 10. However, by that time, there were only 20 laps left and no one planned to pit again. Newman would have to battle his way to the front.

Unfortunately, during the race's closing laps, Casey Mears passed Newman to take away the Kodak Dodge's top-10 finish. Newman ended up 11th in Friday night's race.

Newman won't be back in the No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Busch Series until the USG Durock 300 at Chicagoland Speedway in July.

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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By Gary Graves
USA TODAY

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Little by little, Ryan Newman draws closer to where he needs to be in his quest to return to where he wants to be.
Many steps remain, but the Penske Racing driver is progressing toward making last year's absence from the Chase for the Nextel Cup seem like a fluke after competing in the first two. Sunday's fourth-place finish in the Dodge Avenger 500 marked Newman's third consecutive top 10 and second in a row in NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow.

He has climbed 12 spots to 14th over that span, two below the final Chase berth. Not only does Newman seek to join seventh-place teammate Kurt Busch in the Chase, he's growing more comfortable with the COT, which will race in five of the 10 Chase events.

"I guess the Car of Tomorrow is here today," Newman said after leading 39 laps at Darlington Raceway before older tires on his No. 12 Avenger cost him ground to winner Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson. "We had a good run with it, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the races this year."

Change has been good for Newman and Busch after neither qualified for last year's Chase. Both got new crew chiefs this season, with Mike Nelson succeeding Matt Borland with Newman while Troy Raker followed Roy McCauley with Busch.

In a generally uneven season for Dodge, Busch and then Newman have come on lately to restore Penske's profile. Busch has surged six spots in three weeks, gaining two Sunday despite finishing 12th.

"We're running better," Raker said after Sunday's race. "There's no doubt about that. Everybody is a little frustrated that we're not getting the finishes, and they ought to be. We know they'll come."

Conversely, someone who entered the season with 37 poles has at times seemed vexed in qualifying. Newman's pole at Atlanta marked his only top-10 start this season, and he qualified 29th at Darlington.

Within 60 laps he had rallied to be a top-10 regular, spending the final two-thirds of the race in the top five. For a driver who started his Cup career as a front-runner, it was nice to get that feeling again.

"We just finally got results," said Newman, coming off a ninth at Talladega and sixth in the COT at Richmond. "We've had good performances, and we've had great race cars. Once we get everything back on track, we'll be just fine."

Pit crews on stage: In the same way Major League Baseball awards home-field advantage in the World Series to the league winning its mid-summer All-Star Game, prime pit position in Saturday night's Nextel All-Star Challenge awaits the winning NASCAR crew in Wednesday night's Pit Crew Challenge.

"I think that makes everybody feel special and allows us a chance to go run against the best, and that's what everybody wants to do," said No. 17 Ford crew chief Robbie Reiser, whose team won the event two years ago. "With the way the All-Star Challenge is set up, it allows the guys that work on the car every week to get to step out on stage and see what the fans all think of them."

Twenty-four teams will compete at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena. The winning team collects $70,300, with $10,000 to each crewmember.

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 22, 2007) – The last time Ryan Newman posted four consecutive top-10 finishes it was early in the 2005 season.

The streak began in Darlington and continued through Richmond, Charlotte and Dover. In those four races, Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, earned a fifth, a third, a fifth and an eighth-place finish, respectively.

This weekend at the Coca-Cola 600, Newman will be seeking his fourth-consecutive top-10 finish at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Newman also will be celebrating a milestone in his eight-year career in NASCAR’s top series -- his 200th start.

Newman, who has 12 previous starts at LMS, has an average starting spot of 4.5 and an average finish of 20.08 at the 1.5-mile track. Lowe’s was also the first track where Newman sat on the pole back in May 2001. Total, Newman has earned the Bud Pole Award five times at LMS and has five other top-five starts at the track. Newman also has finished in the top-10 five times, including three top-fives. His best finish came in October 2003 when Newman finished second to Tony Stewart.

Newman has led at least one lap in six of his 12 races at LMS, setting the pace for a total of 222. Of the 4,282 laps in those 12 races, Newman has completed 3,488 of them, giving him an 81.5 percent completion rate.

“We’ve been running really well the last few weeks and it’s showed at the end of the races,” Newman said. “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 friends and family.”

Crew chief Mike Nelson and the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger team will take chassis PRS-071 as the primary car for the season’s longest race. This car was last used in Texas and has been the primary at every intermediate track this year. In Las Vegas, Newman earned his first top-10 finish of the season – eighth – and in Atlanta, he drove the car to his 38th career Bud Pole Award.

The back-up car is PRS-053. It was used last weekend in the All-Star Challenge where it started and finished eighth.

The Coca-Cola 600 will be broadcast live from Lowe’s Motor Speedway by FOX and PRN radio beginning at 5 p.m. EDT.

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#


# Career start #200 for Newman: The last time #12-Ryan Newman posted four consecutive top-10 finishes it was early in the 2005 season. The streak began in Darlington and continued through Richmond, Charlotte and Dover. In those four races, Newman, driver of the #12 Alltel Dodge Charger, earned a fifth, a third, a fifth and an eighth-place finish, respectively. This weekend at the Coca-Cola 600, Newman will be seeking his fourth-consecutive top-10 finish at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Newman also will be celebrating a milestone in his eight-year career in NASCAR’s top series -- his 200th start.(Penske Racing PR)(5-23-2007)

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By Bill Marx - SportingNews

What has gotten into Ryan Newman?

On April 21, Newman left Phoenix International Raceway with a 38th-place finish that dropped him to 26th in the points standings.

The Rocket Man was challenging the apogee of obscurity.

But when Newman lines up for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, he will be 13th in the points standings, 51 points out of 12th, the cutoff for the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup.

How did Newman turn around his season in three races?

"We just finally got results," he says of finishes of fourth, sixth and ninth. "We've had good performances, and we've had great racecars. It's not the championship Chase right now. We're just working our way to it. We'll keep building on it."

Newman built his career on getting results, especially in his first four full Cup seasons -- 2002-05 -- when he won 12 races and 34 of his 38 career poles in 144 events and made the Chase twice. But Newman hasn't won since September 2005, a span of 56 races.

At least he's getting closer. His fourth-place finish at Darlington two weeks ago gave him three consecutive top 10s for the first time since last fall. The 39 laps he led were his most in 52 races.

His record at Lowe's is mixed. He has won five poles in 12 Cup races there and his average start is 4.5, but he is winless and his average finish is 20.1. He finished 35th in last year's 600.

"I'm real ready (to win)," Newman says. "We went from ninth to sixth to fourth, so it's going in the right direction. It's just a matter of time in my opinion."

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