Ryan Newman experienced engine problems for the second straight night in Sunday's Sharp AQUOS 500 at California Speedway and found himself relegated to a 39th-place finish.
The problem occurred on lap 195 of the 250-lap race, leaving Newman in the garage, 55 laps shy of the checkered flag. Newman's early departure from the race on the 2-mile track officially removed him from Chase contention. With one race remaining to determine the title contenders, Newman is 14th in the drivers’ standings, 274 points out of 12th.
Newman qualified fourth for the event, but as soon as the green flag waved, he immediately told his crew that his car was too tight. However, luck appeared to be with Newman as an early caution flag gave him a chance to pit for adjustments on his ill-handling car. The first of a record-tying 11 caution flags waved on lap 9 when the engine in Joe Nemechek's car expired, dumping oil on the track. Newman pitted on lap 11 for four tires, fuel and one round in the right rear. The stop lasted 15.97 seconds and dropped Newman from fifth to 12th for the restart on lap 13.
The adjustments helped very little as Newman was still tight in the center and loose during entry and exit of the corners. Newman also said the car had no grip.
When the third caution flag waved on lap 23, crew chief Mike Nelson told Newman to pit for right-side tires and fuel if the entire field came down pit road. But when the field split, Newman stayed out and restarted in fourth.
For the most part, Newman’s biggest complaint with his car was the lack of grip. Nelson told Newman they would work on the problem on the next stop.
The Kodak team worked on the car again on lap 42 when Newman pitted after Michael Waltrip’s car erupted in flames in turn 3, bringing out the fourth caution flag. Nelson had the Kodak crew give the Dodge four fresh tires, fuel and two rounds down on the right-side track bar. The changes, however, didn't help the ailing Charger.
“There’s not enough grip to go anywhere,” Newman told his crew. “The car is real tight in the center.”
Newman pitted again on lap 74. He told Nelson to go down on the track bar again, but Nelson informed him they were bottomed out on the right-side track bar. Newman then told the crew to remove a spring rubber, and the crew obliged. They also gave Newman four tires, fuel, went two rounds up on the right-side track bar and removed a hard rubber from the right rear.
When many of the lead-lap cars pitted on lap 88, Newman stayed out and was second to Dale Earnhardt Jr. when the race restarted on lap 91. Newman passed Earnhardt Jr. and led one lap for five bonus points, but Earnhardt Jr. retook the lead on the next lap. The evening then grew worse for Newman on lap 95 when he was hit in the rear by Jeff Burton and spun on the frontstretch. Newman kept his Kodak Dodge from hitting anything, but a flat tire forced him onto pit road for four fresh tires.
Newman returned to the track in 26th, but he quickly recovered and by lap 122, he had fought his way back up to eighth.
Newman maintained a top 10 position for the next 70 laps, but then an engine problem struck, and Newman was forced to take his Kodak Dodge to the garage. With 194 laps in the books, Newman was out of the race and out of the Chase.
Next weekend, Newman will drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger in Saturday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway. ABC and MRN Radio will begin their live coverage at 7 p.m. EDT.
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Late-Race Incident Takes Away Top-5 Finish for Newman
Monday, September 24, 2007
The Dodge Dealers 400 was 14 laps from being complete and Ryan Newman was just minutes away from earning his fourth top-five finish this season when a late-race accident eliminated Newman, teammate Kurt Busch, and four other fellow Dodge drivers.
A total of 10 cars were involved in the accident, which occurred when Busch’s No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge suffered a flat right-front tire. Something then broke on the right-front suspension, sending him straight into the second-turn wall before the other cars were collected in the melee. Four other Chase drivers were involved in the incident. In addition to Busch, the others were Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch. The red flag was displayed for the second time in the 400-lap race to clean up the mess.
Newman, who started the race in 24th, had a good beginning in the Dodge Dealers 400. After climbing to the 20th spot by the time the first caution flag waved on lap 12, Newman came on the radio and informed his crew that “everything’s pretty good…it’s a tick tight in the center and a tick loose off, but I have no real issues with the car.”
While the frontrunners stayed out during the first yellow flag, Newman came in for right-side tires and fuel. Newman only lost one spot by pitting and he was able to regain his track position when the next yellow flag waved just three laps after the previous restart.
For the next 30 laps, Newman hovered just inside the top 20, until a caution for debris came out on lap 54. Newman entered the pits in the 20th position and after receiving four tires, fuel and three rounds up on the right-side track bar, the Alltel Dodge team had helped Newman pick up five spots on pit road.
After the restart on lap 59, though, Newman complained that the car was loose getting into the corners, and he started to lose the positions he had gotten after his second pit stop.
Another caution flag waved on lap 76 and crew chief Mike Nelson called for the crew to put a left-rear rubber into the Alltel Dodge, as well as four tires, fuel and two more rounds up on the right-side track bar. The 18.11-second stop cost Newman four spots, but after the restart, he moved back toward the top 20 and on lap 121, broke into the top 20.
Again, the car was loose, especially in the center of the corners, but Newman was making his way through the field. On lap 141, Newman told his crew the looseness he was feeling getting into the corners had gone away, but the car had gone over to the tight side.
Newman came back into the pits on lap 150 for four tires, fuel and three rounds up on the right-side track bar. The 13.56-second stop moved Newman from 17th to 13th position when the green flag waved on lap 154.
Just 25 laps later, Newman broke into the top 10 for the first time in the race.
Another pit stop on lap 206 helped Newman gain another three spots in the field. Four tires, fuel and another three rounds up on the right-side track bar took 13.23 seconds to complete, and Newman went from eighth to fifth, where he would stay until the next caution period on lap 229.
This time, Newman stayed out during the pit stops and gained another two positions. He was running third at the restart. However, most of the cars behind Newman had come in for four fresh tires and they were quickly able to catch up to Newman and the other cars that didn't pit. Newman fell back to fifth, but maintained his position until it was time for green-flag stops.
On lap 291, Newman came in for some more adjustments to the Alltel Dodge. The car was tight in the center, but that was his only concern and it wasn’t as tight as it had been earlier in the race. Nelson called for four tires, fuel and one round up on the right-side track bar. The stop put Newman one lap down and in the 21st position.
The car was too loose and was not tightening up for Newman as the run progressed. It would take until lap 316 for Newman to get back on the lead lap. Nelson informed Newman they would need to make one more stop for fuel and Newman told Nelson the car needed to be tightened for a short run.
At lap 348, Newman was running in the sixth position and was the last car on the lead lap. The green flag run had lasted for more than 100 laps and with the cycle of green-flag stops, the field was so spread out that leader Carl Edwards was able to put nearly every car a lap down. And he was getting close to lapping Newman.
Edwards passed Newman on lap 354, but luckily for Newman and the Alltel Dodge team, the caution flag waved on lap 355 and Newman was the recipient of the Lucky Dog Award. Once again, he was the last car on the lead lap in sixth, but he had to restart at the end of the longest line, which was the lap-down line.
Newman received another lucky break just three laps after the restart when an accident brought out the ninth yellow flag and allowed Newman to restart behind the frontrunners.
Matt Kenseth, who was running second at the time, was losing his car's engine and pitted with Newman on lap 366. Kenseth informed his crew that he didn’t think his car would last and on the restart, Kenseth allowed Newman to restart ahead of him to keep from blowing up in front of Newman. It only took Kenseth one lap to lose his car's engine and the yellow was out for the 10th of a record 13 times.
On the restart, Newman was able to pass Truex Jr., but teammate Busch passed Newman at the same time. Newman remained fifth until the multi-car accident on lap 386, which would eliminate Newman from the race.
When the checkered flag dropped, Newman was scored in 28th, 14 laps down.
Next weekend, Newman will drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger in the Lifelock 400 at Kansas Speedway. ABC and MRN Radio will broadcast the race live beginning at 1 p.m. CDT.
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Rain was the least of Ryan Newman’s problems on Sunday during the LifeLock 400 at Kansas Speedway, as Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, completed just 108 laps of the 210-lap rain-shortened race at the 1.5-mile track.
Newman started the day from the 42nd position after his qualifying time was disallowed for a low roof and a high right-rear quarter panel. The car was fast in Saturday’s practice sessions and Newman was happy with the car heading into Sunday’s race.
When the green flag dropped, Newman quickly made his way through the field and seemed to be on his way to the front. The yellow flag waved early and many of the lead-lap cars came in for fuel-only stops. Newman was still happy with the car for the most part, but informed crew chief Michael Nelson that the car was just a tick loose, so Nelson called for fuel and one round down on the right-side track bar.
The stop put Newman into the 16th position, but the first rain delay of the race would occur on lap 15 and last for 45 minutes 10 seconds.
When the race restarted on lap 19, Newman moved up to the 12th spot and made his way into the top 10 on lap 29 during the second of 12 caution periods.
The car was still loose when Newman came in for his second stop to receive four tires, fuel and one round down on the right-side track bar. Many teams took two tires only, leaving Newman to restart in 15th.
Newman informed his crew the car was still really loose and that it felt like there was a lack of air in the left-rear tire, but the loose condition would be the least of Newman’s problems.
On lap 38, he came on the radio and told his crew the motor was blowing up.
“I dropped a valve,” Newman radioed in. “I’m running on seven cylinders.”
Newman kept running, hoping a caution would come out and allow the Alltel crew to check under the hood. The caution finally came out on lap 60 and Newman was able to come in for work on the car.
After a four-tire-and-fuel stop, engine tuner John Payne was able to assess the extent of the damage to the engine. He found that valve six had broken, but he made temporary repairs in order to keep Newman in the race.
On lap 84, Newman thought the engine was ready to expire for good and reported smoke in the car. When the crew was able to get another look at the engine, they made more repairs and found that a piece of plastic was burning in the car, which was causing the smoke. By the time Newman got out of the pits, he was five laps down in the 40th position.
When Newman completed lap 108, he came back over the radio and told his crew the motor had expired completely and he was headed back to the garage.
The checkered flag flew after 210 laps – 57 laps short of a complete race – with Newman in 43rd place.
Next weekend, Newman will drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger in the UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. This will be the first Car of Tomorrow race at a track larger than 1.366 miles. ABC and MRN Radio will broadcast the race live beginning at 1 p.m. EDT.
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Ryan Newman had a great run going at Talladega Superspeedway in the first Car of Tomorrow race at the superspeedway and ended it with a fifth-place finish in Sunday's UAW-Ford 500.
Newman qualified 16th for the 500-mile race and quickly made his way into the top 10, where he hung around for the first few laps. Newman’s only adjustment in the race came during the first caution period after John Andretti hit the wall, bringing out the yellow flag on lap 18. Newman radioed into his crew that his car was “maybe just a tick on the tight side, but the car feels competitive.”
Newman pitted for four tires, fuel and one round of wedge out of the left rear. Many cars took two tires only, which left Newman back in 17th when the green flag was once again displayed on lap 23.
For the next 36 laps, Newman hung around in the middle of the pack as the entire field traveled single file around the 2.66-mile track until green-flag pit stops began; Newman made his green-flag stop on lap 60 for four tires and fuel.
Newman was still riding around in the middle of the field when the yellow flag came out again on lap 93.
“Everything’s OK,” Newman relayed. “There’s just nowhere to go.”
Newman pitted on lap 95 for right-side tires and fuel. On his way out of his pit stall, the jackman for Dale Earnhardt Jr. failed to move out of the way and Newman hit the jack with his left-rear tire, which caused a chunk of the Goodyear Eagles to tear off. Newman came back down pit road on the next lap to allow the Alltel Dodge team to check for any damage to the car and change left-side tires. The car was fine, but the tires were cut to the chords.
Newman restarted in 29th and eventually lost the lead draft in order to run with the back group of cars, which included most of the Roush, Hendrick and Yates cars. Newman was leading that group and catching up to the lead pack when the engine in Martin Truex Jr.'s car expired, bringing out the fourth of nine yellow flags.
There would be more trouble on pit road when Newman came down for right-side tires and fuel on lap 115. As the front-tire carrier, Scott Reiniger, was running around to the car's right side, a tire off the rear of Earnhardt Jr.'s car hit the wall and bounced back into the path of the Alltel Dodge, knocking Reiniger into the front end of Newman’s car. Reiniger was able to recover, complete the stop and escape injury, but the team was very unhappy with the negligence of Earnhardt Jr.'s crew. Alltel crew chief Mike Nelson had a NASCAR official and Tony Eury Jr., crew chief for Earnhardt Jr., warn the team to be careful with its equipment and keep it out of the way of the Alltel Dodge team.
The No. 8 team would no longer be a problem for Newman and his crew when the engine blew on Earnhardt Jr.'s car on lap 136, bringing out the fifth yellow flag. Newman was running 10th when the caution period began and after taking left-side tires and fuel on lap 139, he restarted in fifth.
In one lap, Newman moved up to fourth, which was a good thing when the big one hit on lap 145. It started with Bobby Labonte, whom Newman had just passed for fourth. Labonte lost control of his car, spun to the inside, then shot back up the track, collecting 10 cars in the melee.
The Alltel Dodge was four laps short on fuel and Nelson had Newman come down to top off with fuel on lap 147. When Newman restarted in fourth on lap 151, he and teammate Kurt Busch worked together, and by the time they had completed the circuit around the Alabama track, Newman was in the lead, having passed Tony Stewart for the top spot. Newman led two laps before Stewart regained the lead and the yellow came out again.
For the next 21 laps, Newman rode around in second with Busch on his bumper and two fellow Dodges right behind them, waiting to make their move.
That move came on lap 175 when Busch helped push Newman to the top spot once again, just before the final caution came out for a four-car pileup.
Newman held onto the lead for eight laps before Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson began making their move to the front. Stewart, who was bump drafting just behind Busch, moved to the outside and left Newman and Busch high-and-dry in the middle while Johnson and Gordon leading a pack of cars on the bottom of the track.
With five laps remaining, Newman bounced from seventh to third and finally took the checkered flag in fifth, just one-thousandth of a second behind fourth-place Denny Hamlin.
The finish gave Newman two top-10 finishes at Talladega Superspeedway in 2007 and his third top-five finish of the season. Newman has 11 top-10 finishes this year.
Next weekend, Newman will drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger in the Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The Saturday night race will be broadcast by ABC and PRN radio live beginning at 7 p.m. EDT.
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Last-Lap Caution Leaves Newman in 2nd at Martinsville
Monday, October 22, 2007
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger, will have to wait one more week to try and end his 77-race winless streak after a caution during the green-white-checker finish left Newman sitting in second in Sunday's Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
Newman, who had qualified 12th for the scheduled 500-lap race, had balance issues for most of the event, but crew chief Michael Nelson had a tire strategy in mind to help Newman at the end.
The Alltel Dodge hovered inside the top 15 until Newman made his first pit stop. Newman told his crew that his car was loose on entry and exit to the corners and it was tight in the center.
Nelson decided to alternate on pit stops between four tires and two tires. The first stop on lap 47 was a two-tire stop in order to get Newman track position. With right-side tires, fuel and one round up on the right-side track bar, Newman gained six spots and restarted eighth on lap 51.
The car's balance remained the same despite the changes, but Newman was able to maintain a top-10 position until his next stop on lap 117.
On the second stop, Nelson called for four tires and fuel with no adjustments. Newman came off pit road in 19th after the first 12 cars stayed on the half-mile track and got off sequence with the front-runners.
With no changes made to the car on the second stop, the car became too tight when the field took the green flag again on lap 125.
“We need a pretty big change on the next stop,” Newman relayed to his crew.
After falling back to 23rd during the run, Newman was able to climb back to 21st when the sixth of a record 21 caution flags waved on lap 167 when teammate Kurt Busch hit the wall. On his third stop, Nelson gave Newman right-side tires, fuel and four rounds up on the right-side track bar to loosen the car when the field took the green. Newman gained nine positions with the stop and restarted 12th on lap 173.
However, the Alltel Dodge was still too tight and Newman was falling back, although the constant cautions were helping him stay inside the top 15.
Newman was running 15th when he finally made it back to pit road on lap 217 for his fourth stop. Nelson had to do something with the car to free it up and decided to work on the wedge as well as the track bar. For his second four-tire stop, Newman received fuel, three rounds up on the right-side track bar and one round of wedge out of the left rear, along with the fresh Goodyear Eagles. Once again, with so many cars staying out or taking two tires only, Newman restarted in 25th due to the longer pit stop.
The car's tightness just didn’t seem to go away no matter what changes were made.
“The car is too tight in the center,” Newman told his crew. “I cannot pass. I need to roll the center better and (I) need more bite coming off.”
When the caution came out again on lap 248, Newman stayed on the track while the front-runners came in for their stops, taking Newman from 24th to 14th for the restart on lap 256.
Newman was able to make his way back into the top 10 on lap 276 and was holding his own when he collided with David Ragan, bringing out the 11th caution flag when Ragan’s car turned sideways on the track in turn two. Newman was underneath Ragan and got loose, spinning the rookie.
“Tell David I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to turn him,” Newman radioed to his spotter. “I just got loose and got into him. I didn’t do that on purpose.”
Newman would come in for another wedge change on lap 297 and receive right-side tires, fuel and two rounds of wedge in the right rear. Nelson then told Newman that he would only have to make one more stop for fuel.
Newman restarted 13th on lap 301 and almost immediately began heading towards the front. Within nine laps, he was up to seventh and he was the fastest car on the track.
The Alltel Dodge was running in sixth when the 12th caution came out on lap 342 and Newman came in for his final four-tire stop. This time, Nelson called for four tires, fuel and two rounds down on the right-side track bar and got Newman back onto the track in sixth.
After the restart, the car went back to the tight side, but Newman was able to maintain his top-10 position.
The 13th caution flag flew on lap 395 and Nelson brought the Alltel Dodge back down pit road when all of the lead-lap cars pitted. Newman received right-side tires, fuel and 1.5-rounds up on the right-side track bar. The final stop for Newman and the Alltel crew took the Indiana native from seventh to second when the green flag flew with just over 100 laps remaining in the race.
Newman was chasing Jeff Gordon for the lead, but eventual race winner Jimmie Johnson was able to pass Newman on lap 437 for second. When Johnson passed Gordon for the lead, Newman began going after Gordon in second, but with all of the cautions that kept occurring, Newman wasn’t getting enough time to pass Gordon.
After the restart on lap 491, Newman finally caught Gordon and on lap 495, Newman took over second. Gordon wasn’t too happy with Newman’s bump-and-run maneuver to move him out of the way and when another caution period occurred on lap 496, Gordon decided to hit Newman’s Alltel Dodge under caution. Gordon was not penalized.
The caution with four laps left brought out a green-white-checkered flag finish. When the green flag waved on lap 505, Newman was able to get a jump on Johnson and got under the car in turns three and four, but Johnson held him off as the field came around to get the white flag. With only one lap remaining, Ragan’s car spun and brought out the race's 21st caution, ending the Subway 500 with Newman in second.
“It was a good run for the Alltel Dodge Avenger,” Newman said during post-race interviews. “We weren’t a very good car yesterday [Saturday] in practice at any point. We made some changes that worked and the guys did a good job. In hindsight, I still wish we had the last lap on the outside of the 48. It was a good run for us. We had a little bump-and-run there with the 24 [Gordon]. That is something that has happened to me in the past, so I didn’t feel that bad giving it to him. In the end, it was a good finish for us.”
Next weekend, Newman will drive the No. 12 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger in the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. ABC and PRN radio will broadcast the race live beginning at 1 p.m. EDT.
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Similar to the race in Kansas four weeks ago, a valve spring broke in the engine of the No. 12 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger driven by Ryan Newman to end his day in Sunday's Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
After qualifying ninth for the scheduled 325-lap race, Newman had problems with his car before the engine failure, 62 laps short of the checkered flag.
The car was loose off the corners as soon as the race started, but Newman was able to hover around the top 10 despite the ill-handling equipment.
When the first of a record 14 caution flags came out on lap 34, Newman and the Mobil 1 Dodge crew received an opportunity to work on the car and tighten it. Crew chief Mike Nelson called for four tires, fuel and one round down on the right-side track bar. The 13.61-second pit stop moved Newman up in the field from 11th to eighth on the restart.
Pit stops were a big factor for the Mobil 1 Dodge team throughout the race. Five of the seven stops conducted by the Mobil 1 Dodge team allowed Newman to gain 10 spots on pit road. However, the third stop gave the team a headache when Scott Riggs blocked Newman in his pit stall. That forced Newman to back up and run over fuel, making it difficult for Newman to exit his pit stall. The stop dropped Newman from 14th to 19th.
Newman struggled through much of the race with no grip in his car's tires, which made it hard for the Mobil 1 Dodge to pass fellow competitors.
Things appeared to be heading in a better direction after the fifth pit stop when Newman received four tires and fuel with no adjustments. He restarted in 15th and was advancing slowly through the field before the ninth caution flag appeared on lap 197. Just prior to the caution, Newman told his crew his car was the best it had been all day. Newman came in for his sixth stop during the six-lap caution period and gained three positions, advancing to 10th after a 12.38-second stop in which he received four tires and fuel.
The car was a little tight in turns three and four, but Newman informed his crew the car was good in turns one and two. A few laps later, though, the car became too tight.
After Newman’s seventh and final stop, in which Nelson called for four tires, fuel and a half round of wedge out of the left rear to loosen the car, Newman became way too loose and had no grip in his tires, especially on restarts.
On lap 255, Newman radioed in to his crew that the engine was blowing up and that a valve spring was the culprit. A dozen laps later, the motor expired and Newman took it to the garage to be loaded onto the hauler for the trip back to North Carolina.
Newman finished the race in 37th, which dropped him two positions in the points to 16th.
Next weekend, Newman will drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger in the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. ABC and PRN radio will broadcast the race live beginning at 3 p.m. EST.
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For just the second time in nine career races at Texas Motor Speedway, Ryan Newman earned a top-five finish in Sunday’s Dickies 500.
Newman’s only other top-five came in 2003 when he won the Samsung 500 after starting third. All of Newman’s remaining seven races at the 1.5-mile track have resulted in finishes of 16th or lower.
Newman, who qualified 11th for Sunday’s 334-lap race, had his share of issues during the event, but he was able to overcome them to finish fifth.
After taking the green flag, Newman moved up to seventh before 10 circuits were completed at the Texas track. He complained of his car being just a tick loose getting in and out of the corners and tight when he was in dirty air.
When the first of 12 caution flags waved on lap 15, Newman was still riding in seventh before coming in for his first pit stop. Crew chief Mike Nelson decided a two-tire stop was all that was needed and Newman received right-side tires, fuel and a half round of wedge in the left rear. The 6.62-second stop took Newman up to second for the restart non lap 19.
Newman fell back to fourth after just one lap, but radioed to his crew that he had spun the tires pretty bad on the restart, which caused him to lose the positions.
A third caution period that begun on lap 30 brought in many of the cars in the back of the field, while many of the front-runners remained on the track. However, after taking the green flag again on lap 33, the yellow flag would wave again on lap 36. This time, the front-runners came in, which put them in the middle of the field. Newman came in for left-side tires, fuel and a half round of wedge in the left rear. The stop lasted only 5.44 seconds, but with many cars staying out during the stop, Newman restarted in 21st.
After the green flag waved, Newman began making his way back up through the field. In 16 laps, Newman was back inside the top 15 and still climbing.
Newman was up to third, but still fighting a loose condition in his car getting into the corners when he made his first green-flag pit stop on lap 91. For the first time in the race, Nelson called for four tires, fuel and three-quarters of a round of wedge out of the right rear.
Newman came out of the pits in 14th, but was once again moving forward before the car became aero tight, especially in the middle, and halted Newman’s progress toward the front of the field.
Nelson brought the Alltel Dodge back down pit road on lap 120 for four tires, fuel and a half round of wedge in the right rear during the fifth caution period. When the caution came out again on lap 132, Newman stayed out to take over the second position behind Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Newman challenged Earnhardt Jr. for the lead on lap 142, but Kyle Busch, who had four fresh tires, was able to get by both drivers to take over the No. 1 position. Newman finally got by Earnhardt Jr. on lap 145 just as the caution flag waved again.
For 35 laps, Newman ran second behind Busch before he had to come in for his second green-flag pit stop on lap 180 for four tires and fuel. Prior to the stop, Newman relayed to his crew that the car's balance was definitely better and was maybe just a tick tight in the center.
After the 15.48-second, green-flag stop, Newman was one lap down in 24th, but it wouldn’t be long before the rest of the leaders had to make their own green-flag stops and Newman began to head toward the front again.
On lap 190, Newman was back on the lead lap and quickly moving toward the top 10.
Newman made his way into the top five on lap 202, but radioed in that the left-front tire felt like it was down. However, Newman remained in fifth until lap 228 when the car began to get tight.
The 10th caution on lap 233 allowed Newman to bring the Alltel Dodge down pit road for right-side tires, fuel and a half round of wedge in the right rear. Newman moved up to fourth from seventh when he came off pit road, but after the restart, the car was still too tight.
Newman remained in the top 10 for the rest of the 501-mile race and was even able to lead four laps after a caution on lap 298 saw him come down pit road for right-side tires and fuel only. The risky call on Nelson’s part put Newman in the lead when many of the lead-lap cars took four tires.
After earning five bonus points, Newman lost the lead to Matt Kenseth on the lap 306 restart. With only 28 laps remaining, Newman’s goal was to hang on to his top five run while facing drivers who had four fresh tires compared to his two.
When the checkered flag waved on lap 334, Newman was fifth in the Alltel Dodge.
“It was a good run for us to finish in the top five with the Alltel Dodge,” Newman said following the race. “Nevertheless, we didn’t have the best racecar on the short run. We had a decent racecar in the long runs. The short runs got us behind and we had a few of those there at the end. The two tire call was a good one to get track position. We just didn’t have a fast enough racecar to stay up front.”
With its quick work on pit road during the race, the No. 12 Alltel Dodge team earned its third Checker’s/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge Award, which is given to the team that finishes on the lead lap and spends the least amount of time on pit road during the race. The Alltel Dodge crew also received the award after the June Dover race and the August Pocono event.
Next weekend, Newman will drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger in the Checkers Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. ABC and MRN Radio will broadcast the final Car of Tomorrow race this season before the car runs a full schedule in 2008 beginning at 3 p.m. EST.
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AVONDALE, Ariz., (Nov. 11, 2007) – For the seventh time in 2007, Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Avenger, earned a top-five finish – his second straight – with a fifth-place finish in Sunday's Checkers Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
Newman, who started 13th for the 312-lap race, battled a loose condition in his car at the race's beginning, but he was able to maintain a position just outside the top 10 until his first pit stop on lap 27.
After David Gilliland hit the wall coming down the frontstretch, crew chief Mike Nelson brought the Alltel Dodge down pit road for right-side tires, fuel, one round of wedge in the left rear and one round up on the right-side track bar. The two-tire, 6.11-second stop jumped Newman from 13th to second for the restart on lap 29.
Many of the cars behind Newman received four tires to his two. Within five laps of the restart, Newman was back in fourth. However, he was able to hold on strong to a top-five position.
After falling back to sixth on lap 58, Newman told his crew that his car was "really, really tight" in the center.
“I’m going to play with my line a little bit here,” Newman relayed.
Running high on both sides of the track allowed Newman to regain a spot in the top five until the next caution flag waved on lap 86 for debris.
During the next pit stop, the Alltel Dodge crew gave Newman four tires and fuel and kept him in fifth.
At the restart, Newman and Matt Kenseth battled for a few laps for the fifth spot, but Newman won out before another wreck brought out the third of 10 yellow flags.
During the next two caution periods, Nelson kept Newman on the track, allowing him to hold on to third. Newman informed his crew that he was happy with the car and its balance was pretty good. Newman would maintain third until he finally made his third pit stop on lap 140.
Even though Newman received only four tires and fuel and the Alltel crew completed the stop in 13.11 seconds, Newman still came out of the pits in 11th since the top eight cars remained on the track due to pitting earlier.
After the restart on lap 144, Newman needed only two laps to move back into the top 10 and was running ninth when the seventh caution flag waved on lap 148. The car was still pretty good, so Newman stayed on the track with the other front-runners.
Newman steadily moved toward the front of the pack and was sixth on lap 171 when he started having some problems with the car.
“I’m struggling a little bit, mostly with grip,” Newman told his crew. “I’m a little too tight. We need to free it up with bite.”
Despite the balance issues, Newman managed to move into the top five by lap 187, just before green flag pit stops began on lap 190.
Newman was running fourth when he came in for his green-flag stop on lap 220 and received four tires, fuel and two rounds of wedge out of the left rear. Newman returned to the track in 17th, still on the lead lap. By lap 224, Newman was in 10th and he began passing the cars in front of him.
“The car is definitely better,” Newman told his crew. “We need the track position, but we need to free it up a little bit on the next stop.”
Pit strategy played into the team’s hands on lap 234 when the yellow waved for the eighth time for Dave Blaney's spin. Since it had only been 13 laps since Newman had been on pit road, Nelson brought the Alltel Dodge in for fuel and a half round of wedge out of the left rear. The strategy worked and put Newman into the lead for the first time.
After leading four laps and earning five bonus points, Newman’s older tires were no match for cars with fresh tires and Kenseth took over the lead just one lap after the restart on lap 240. Tony Stewart also passed Newman, but no one else could get by him before the ninth yellow flag waved.
Newman remained third for the next 25 laps until the final caution flag, this one for debris, occurred. Newman then pitted for the final time. After receiving right-side tires and fuel, Newman restarted sixth due to two cars remaining on the track.
Newman fought his way back into the top five and for the last 20 laps held off a charging Kevin Harvick to finish fifth. It is only the third time in 11 career starts that Newman has finished in the top five at the 1-mile track. His other eight finishes have all been outside the top 10.
“The Alltel Dodge was pretty good. We knew that we were good enough to get track position with the disadvantage. With two tires or with fuel only and that was OK,” said Newman, who moved into 13th in the point standings. “I wasn’t mad about that, but I wish we just had that extra little speed so we could get on everyone else’s strategy. You know, being able to take two tires when everybody takes two, or take four when they take four. We’re getting closer to that. It’s just a matter of time.
“To have a top-five finish is great. To build on another top-five finish, that’s two in a row, that’s really great. I don’t know if we’ve done that all year, so to finish up at least two out of three would be great.”
Next weekend, Newman will drive the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger in the season finale Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. ABC and MRN Radio will broadcast the final race of the 2007 season beginning at 3 p.m. EST.
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Another good run for the #12 team. Too bad they couldn't have started the season out this way. Good starting point for the 08 season, looking forward to Ryan being in the chase in 08.
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2008 Daytona500 Champ
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Feb 11 Budweiser Shootout 20 Engine 9 0
Feb 18 Daytona 500 38 Radiator 14 54
Feb 25 Auto Club 500 12 Running 19 127
Mar 11 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 8 Running 39 147
Mar 18 Kobalt Tools 500 23 Running 1 94
Mar 25 Food City 500 39 Out 22 46
Apr 1 Goody’s 500 14 Running 24 121
Apr 15 Samsung 500 32 Running 20 67
Apr 21 Subway Fresh Fit 500 38 Running 19 49
Apr 29 Aaron’s 499 9 Running 28 138
May 5 Crown Royal Presents Your Name Here 400 6 Running 30 155
May 12 Dodge Avenger 500 4 Running 29 165
May 19 NASCAR All-Star Challenge 8 Running 8 0
May 27 Coca-Cola 600 39 Engine 1 51
June 3 Dover 400 2 Running 1 175
June 10 Pocono 500 2 Running 1 175
June 17 Citizens Bank 400 37 Running 4 52
June 24 Toyota/Save Mart 350 20 Running 9 103
July 1 Lenox Industrial Tools 300 10 Running 12 139
July 7 Pepsi 400 14 Running 14 121
July 15 USG Sheetrock 400 3 Running 8 142
July 29 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard 42 Accident 3 37
Aug 5 Pennsylvania 500 7 Running 4 151
Aug 12 Centurion Boats at The Glen 13 Running 15 124
Aug 21 3M Performance 400 16 Running 34 120
Aug 25 Sharpie 500 7 Running 7 151
Sep 2 Sharp AQUOS 500 39 Accident 4 51
Sep 8 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 11 Running 4 135
Sep 16 Sylvania 300 9 Running 5 143
Sep 23 Dodge Dealers 400 28 Accident 24 79
Sep 30 Kansas 400 43 Engine 42 34
Oct 7 UAW-Ford 500 5 Running 16 160
Oct 13 Bank of America 500 28 Running 1 84
Oct 21 Subway 500 2 Running 12 170
Oct 28 Georgia 500 37 Engine 9 52
Nov 4 Dickies 500 5 Running 11 160
Nov 11 Checker Auto Parts 500 5 Running 13 160
Nov 18 Ford 400 18 Running 2 114
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Ryan’s stats 2007