Newman to leave Penske at end of 2008 season
By Team Release
July 14, 2008
02:09 PM EDT
MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Penske Racing and Ryan Newman have mutually agreed to move in new directions at the conclusion of the 2008 season.
"We want to thank Ryan for his hard work and contributions to Penske Racing over the past nine years," team owner Roger Penske said. "We wish Ryan all the best for the future and we'll continue to focus our efforts on making the Chase with Ryan and the Alltel Dodge team this season."
Newman, driver of the No. 12 Dodge, is currently in his ninth season competing for Penske Racing. He is ranked 16th in the Cup Series standings through 19 races.
Newman has 13 wins in 243 starts with 63 top-five finishes and 105 top-10s. Since his debut on Nov. 5, 2000, at Phoenix he also has 43 poles -- tops in the Cup Series -- despite not running his first full season until 2002.
"I appreciate Penske Racing and all they have done for me, but more importantly, I appreciate their friendship and what they have done for my career," Newman said. "I would also like to thank all of the sponsors, especially Alltel, who have supported me."
Newman finished in the top 10 in points from 2002-05, but has finished 18th and 13th the past two seasons.
The driver of the Penske Racing No. 12 car for the 2009 season will be announced in the near future.
"From the early days in the ARCA series to our team celebration in Victory Lane at this year's Daytona 500, Alltel Wireless has enjoyed a memorable, eight-year relationship with Ryan Newman," said Jeff Fox, chief operating officer, Alltel Wireless.
"Ryan has been an outstanding representative on and off the track, and we're very proud of the results the partnership has delivered to our brand. We remain committed to our sponsorship of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge and look forward to having Ryan behind the wheel for the rest of the 2008 season. We wish him all the best in his next endeavor."
That endeavor may be as a teammate of fellow Indiana native Tony Stewart, who official announced last week that he is leaving Joe Gibbs Racing at season's end to drive for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009. It has been widely speculated that Newman also would drive for SHR next year.
Newman weighs option of joining Stewart-Haas team
Driver says he has three choices outside of Penske deal
By David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
July 12, 2008
07:52 PM EDT
JOLIET, Ill. -- It's official: Ryan Newman is a candidate to drive the second car next season for Tony Stewart's new team.
"Driving for Tony's team is an option," Newman said Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway, prior to the running of the LifeLock.com 400 Sprint Cup event. "He has a seat. Even you guys [in the media] have marked me as the leading candidate to get in there. So it is an option."
Stewart, who is leaving longtime home Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of this season, announced Thursday that he had acquired a 50 percent ownership in Haas CNC Racing, a two-car operation which will turn into Stewart-Haas Racing at the start of next year. Stewart, a two-time champion on NASCAR's premier series, will pilot one of those entries himself. Newman would seem a leading choice for the other, given his history of on-track success, the fact that his contract at Penske Racing expires after this season and his close relationship with Stewart.
"Tony's a great competitor in a great many ways, because he's tough, but he's also respectful," said Newman, like Stewart a native of Indiana. "He's been a good friend on and off the racetrack, specifically off. He's done a lot to help me and guide me. He's an Indiana boy, so I have a different respect for him because of that. But in general, he's just a hard-nosed racer, and I've always appreciated him for that. Whether we argue on the racetrack or not, we're two hard-nosed racers."
Although Newman won the season-opening Daytona 500, the performance of his No. 12 team has clearly slipped since the years earlier this decade when he was a threat to win multiple races and the championship. His victory at Daytona is his lone triumph since September of 2005, and he currently stands 17th in driver points. He's endured two recent crew chief changes in addition to the retirement of his mentor, former Penske team president Don Miller.
Matt Borland, the crew chief with whom Newman won 12 races and 37 poles, is now at Haas as director of competition. "Having a friend over there is something to consider," Newman said. But what he's looking for most is performance, something his current team has lacked.
"The most important thing to me is performance," he said. "Winning the championship, achieving the goals outside of what I've done, which is a lot of poles and wins and winning the Daytona 500. So there are still a lot of things out there for me to achieve."
But can he do those things at Stewart-Haas, a team that could very well start 2009 with two cars outside the top 35 in owner points, and be forced to make races on speed for at least the first five events of next year? Stewart, as a past champion, has an automatic ticket in. Newman would have no such safety net. "Would I be reluctant? I would say I would consider the reluctance, but I'd also say I'm not exactly where I'd like to be right now," Newman said. "You have to listen to all options."
Newman said he has two other options other than Stewart's team and staying with Penske, and in one of those instances an ownership share has been discussed. He added that nothing has been decided, and he has set no deadline by which he has to make a decision. His current team owner, 71-year-old Roger Penske, has skipped some recent races while receiving treatment for a reported kidney ailment, but Newman said the two have still spoken "a little bit" over the past few weeks. The odds of him staying with Penske? "Honestly," he said, "I don't know."
Newman said the process of deciding where to race next year has brought "a sense of distortion" and is unlike anything he's been through before.
"It's not an easy decision," he said. "It's probably one of the hardest decisions I will make as a driver and maybe as a person, who knows. I'm sure Tony sat there and said the same thing, it's not an easy decision to make. It's not an easy answer that comes to you. I've had people tell me, sometimes it will be the simplest thing that makes sense, and that's it."
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Newman and Penske to part ways at end of season: UPDATE: Penske Racing and Ryan Newman have mutually agreed to move in new directions at the conclusion of the 2008 season. "We want to thank Ryan for his hard work and contributions to Penske Racing over the past nine years," said team owner Roger Penske. "We wish Ryan all the best for the future and we'll continue to focus our efforts on making the Chase with Ryan and the Alltel Dodge team this season." The driver of the Penske Racing #12 Alltel car for the 2009 NASCAR Cup season will be announced in the near future.(Penske Racing PR)(7-14-2008)
Statement from Alltel: "From the early days in the ARCA series to our team celebration in Victory Lane at this year's Daytona 500, Alltel Wireless has enjoyed a memorable, eight-year relationship with Ryan Newman," said Jeff Fox, chief operating officer, Alltel Wireless. "Ryan has been an outstanding representative on- and off-the track, and we're very proud of the results the partnership has delivered to our brand. We remain committed to our sponsorship of the #12 Alltel Dodge and look forward to having Ryan behind the wheel for the rest of the 2008 season. We wish him all the best in his next endeavor."(Alltel PR)(7-14-2008)
__________________ Auto racing, bull fighting and mountain climbing are the only real sports... the rest are just games........ Earnest Hemmingway
Newman says he has 4 options for 2009: Ryan Newman was "Mummy" on whether he will leave Penske Racing after this season. Newman, promoting the soon-to-be-released movie "Mummy" on his car in Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway, is considered the leading candidate to join Tony Stewart next season at newly-formed Stewart-Haas Racing. Sources have told ESPN.com that deal to join the Indiana natives is close to done and could be announced in two weeks at Indianapolis. Newman said he has three serious options outside of Penske and that ownership is part of at least one of the options. He also said re-signing with Penske is an option. Asked if ownership could be an option at Stewart-Haas, where Stewart was given 50 percent of the company, Newman said, "I won't answer that." Newman said last month he would not re-sign with Penske unless the performance of his team improved significantly. He said the team has made some strides to improve, but not enough to convince him it is ready to challenge for a championship. (ESPN.com)(7-13-2008)
__________________ Auto racing, bull fighting and mountain climbing are the only real sports... the rest are just games........ Earnest Hemmingway
UPDATE: Sources confirmed to [Captain Thunder] that Newman is a done deal and an announcement is coming soon. What [Captain Thunder] also learned, is that Martin Truex Jr. may be joining Newman and Stewart. Sources said, Stewart is now looking to field a powerhouse three-car team, and sponsors are lining up to be a part of the newly formed venture. According to sources close to the situation, the Office Depot and Old Spice deals are set, but sources also said Burger King and UPS are working diligently with Stewart to sponsor his second and third racecars, if they can convince Truex Jr. to come along for the ride with Stewart HAAS Racing. Although DEI is working very hard to re-sign Truex Jr. and are throwing some huge numbers at the driver of the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy, Stewart is trying to convince Truex Jr. to join him and Newman at the newly formed Stewart HAAS Racing in hope of forming a powerhouse racing team. And, Truex Jr. may be ripe for the picking.(Captain Thunder Racing)(7-13-2008)
__________________ Auto racing, bull fighting and mountain climbing are the only real sports... the rest are just games........ Earnest Hemmingway
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