Alltel Team Penske Driver
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Birth Date: Dec. 8, 1977
Birthplace: South Bend, Ind.
Education: Purdue University
B.S. Vehicle Structure Engineering
Recipient of Rich Vogler Memorial Scholarship
National Honor Society
Honors Graduate, South Bend LaSalle High School (1996)

Spouse: Krissie

Racing Background
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2005: Earned the annual Bud Pole Award for the fourth consecutive year with eight poles.

Won one NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at New Hampshire Inter- national Speedway in September

Finished the season with eight top-five and 16 top-10 finishes

Placed sixth in the team's second appearance in the "NEXTEL NASCAR Chase for the Championship"
2004: Earned the annual Bud Pole Award for third straight year, first driver in nearly 20 years to do so.

Won two NASCAR Cup Series races. Michigan International Speedway, Dover International Speedway

Earned nine pole positions, the most of any competitor. Also led all competitors with 25 top-10 starts.

Finished the season with 11 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes.

Placed seventh in the inaugural NNCS point standings.

2003: SPEED Channel American Driver of the Year

NMPA Richard Petty Driver of the Year

Benny Kahn/Daytona Beach News Journal Driver of the Year

Sporting News' Dale Earnhardt Toughest Driver of the Year
Won eight NASCAR Cup races, leading the series in victories. Texas Motor Speedway, Dover International Speedway (2), Chicagoland Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Michigan International Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Kansas Speedway

Earned 11 pole positions, the most of any competitor and the most in a single season since 1985.

Finished the season with 17 top-fives, the most of any driver, and 22 top-10s.

Ended the season in sixth in the driver point standings.

2002: Raybestos Rookie of the Year
Won first career NASCAR Cup race in September at New Hampshire International Speedway. Won the prestigious The Winston at Lowe's Motor Speedway after emerging victorious in the Open, which immediately preceded the all-star event.

Earned six pole positions, the most of any competitor, breaking Davey Allison's 1987 rookie record.

Ended impressive rookie season in sixth in the point standings, collecting 22 top 10s and 14 top fives.


2001: Competed with the precedent-setting "ABC" schedule, which consisted of two ARCA, 15 NASCAR Busch, and seven Cup events.
Earned first career Cup pole in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Finished a career-high second at Kansas Speedway.

Won first NASCAR event in the Busch race at Michigan International Speedway. Earned six pole positions.

Won season opening ARCA event in first career start at Daytona International Speedway. Also, scored ARCA pole in inaugural event at Kansas Speedway in June.

2000: Scored three wins and two poles in only five ARCA races. Made his Cup debut at Phoenix International Raceway.

Posted two wins, 16 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes, and seven poles/fast times, in 32 combined starts in USAC Silver Bullet, Midget and Sprint Car series competition.
1999: USAC Coors Light Silver Bullet Series national champion. Posted two wins, eight top-five and 12 top-10 finishes.
Seven wins and 10 top-five finishes in USAC Midget Series.

One win and six top-five finishes in USAC Sprint Car Series.

First driver to win an event in all three major USAC divisions in 1999.


1998: Finished third in USAC Silver Crown point standings. Earned 11 top-10 finishes.
Ended season with three consecutive USAC Midget Series victories.


1997: Finished sixth in USAC Silver Crown point standings.
Won two USAC Midget features.


1996 & Prior: 1996 USAC Silver Crown Series Rookie of the Year.
1995 USAC Midget Series Rookie of the Year.
1993 AAMS Midget Series Champion and Rookie of the Year.
1993 Michigan State Midget Champion.
Two Quarter-Midget national championships.
Quarter Midget Hall of Fame member with more than 100 feature wins

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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How is Ryan going to do this weekend at Michigan? He is on my Nascar.com fantasy team and i am not sure if I should start him or not due to his up and down season so far. I have a feeling I am going to get a bias answer but thats all good.

Now, now, my friend, would MrsMopar give you a bias opinion of her beloved #12 or of her more beloved Ryan!?!?!?!?! ~LOL~ Let me just tell you that MIS is a very good track for the#12! He has 2 wins there, so that is good, even though he has not had a real good season. Here let me post some facts for you, so as not to be too biased .......




Newman Feels Alltel Team Turning Things Around
Penske Racing South, Inc., Press Release


NNCS Notes:

· Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel “Fastap” Dodge, will make his 11th NASCAR Cup Series start at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday and his 175th in the NASCAR Cup Series.
· All but three of Newman’s 10 starts have been from inside the top-10; two starts were from the 12th position and in June, Newman started 42nd after spinning during qualifying. Newman has one pole at MIS, which he earned in last year’s Batman Begins 400 in June. Newman has a 10.1 starting average at the 2-mile trioval.

· Newman has been quite successful at MIS. He has two victories in the NASCAR Cup Series to go along with two wins in the NASCAR Busch Series. Along with the two victories, Newman has finished in the top-15 in eight of the 10 races, including four top-five finishes. His other two finishes were a 41st and 31st. He has an average finish of 13.8 at the track.

· Newman has led six races at MIS for 83 laps. He has completed 1,766 of a possible 1,929 laps. That is a 91.5 percent finishing rate. Newman has completed every lap at MIS, including 250 laps in two NASCAR Busch Series races, except during the June 2003 race when his car developed engine problems on lap 37. That is Newman’s only DNF at MIS.

· Matt Borland, crew chief of the No. 12 Alltel “Fastap” Dodge Charger, and the Alltel team will take chassis PRS-048 to this weekend’s GFS Marketplace 400. This car has been tested at Kentucky this year, but it has not been on a track since the 2003 season. In September 2003, Newman drove the car at Loudon where he started on the pole and finished ninth. In November of that year, he started on the pole again at Phoenix and finished third.

Newman on Michigan International Speedway:

“I like running at Michigan. We’ve had success at that track in the past in both the Cup and Busch series and it’s always a place I look forward to.”
“After last week’s race at Watkins Glen, this team feels like we may be turning things around. We had a good run going throughout the day and our eighth-place finish was exactly what we needed.”

“The last time we were at this track (in June), we had some problems during qualifying and ended up having to start in the back of the field. We were able to make our way to the front, but the rain started pouring down and we had to settle for a 15th-place finish. It wasn’t a bad day for us, but had the race gone the entire length, I think we could’ve done a whole lot better.”

Quick Stats:

Michigan International Speedway: 10
Races Led/Laps Led: 6/83
Best Starting Position: 1 (June 2005)
Best Finishing Position: 1 (twice)
August 2005 Start: 5
August 2005 Finish: 12

This Press Release and any images that are used,
are used with permission. Do not duplicate or
redistribute in any form without permission or credit


Feel better now? Please be kind to mrsmopar and go with her beloved #12!!! Now that wasn't too biased was it? ~LOL~

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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I think you sold me. Now I have to figure out who to bench. Thanks

What happened at MIS? 27th I think it was, not good.

I know!!! The car got a good size whole punched in the grill (don't really know why) And lost the handling of the car. No matter how they adjusted on it, the car was wicked loose all day. Kurt Busch had a similar problem with his Penske Dodge and ended up smacking the wall hard and out of the race. I am looking forward to Bristol next week and praying that Ryan will do better! Thank you for supporting my driver, and I am sorry he did not do better for you!

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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(August 20, 2006) - Ryan Newman figured on having a decent day at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday if the rain held off.
However, rain was the least of Newman's problems during the GFS Marketplace 400.

Once the skies cleared in the early afternoon, Newman took to the race track in the fourth position and before the first lap was completed, he had passed three cars, making it four abreast in the second turn, to take the lead from pole-winner Jeff Burton. Newman led the first eight laps before eventual race-winner Matt Kenseth passed the Alltel Dodge for the lead.

"I'm free mostly in turns three and four," Newman relayed to crew chief Matt Borland. "I moved to the top and I'm still free. A little free in turns one and two as well."

The cautions came quickly and often in Sunday's 200-lap race. In fact, the race had a record 10 caution flags for 36 laps.

On lap 22, the field had already taken the yellow flag for the third time when Kevin Harvick spun in turn 4.

"The car started to tighten up," Newman said. "It's still a little loose, though."

Newman brought the Alltel "Fastap" Dodge down pit road for the first time on lap 22 and Borland called for four fresh tires, fuel and one round in the right-side track bar. After entering the pits in fourth, Newman went out 13th after the first seven cars stayed on the track during the pit stops.

After the restart on lap 26, Newman had made his way back into the top 10 just eight laps later, even though his car was still loose.

The fourth caution flag arrived on lap 42 when Kyle Busch hit the second-turn wall. Borland and Newman discussed their options for tightening the car during the event's second stop. In the end, they decided to put one more round in the right-side track bar. The move allowed Newman to gain two spots and restart eighth.

Newman returned to pit road on lap 63 after the sixth caution flag waved for debris. This time, Borland called for one round of wedge in the left rear and right-side tires only. With some of the leaders staying out, Newman restarted in the 15th position.

Less than 10 laps later, Newman had quickly fallen back in the field and was barely hanging on to a top-20 position.

"It's tight in the middle," Newman yelled. "Change it back! I'm way too tight in the center."

Newman desperately wanted a caution flag so he could come back into the pits and make adjustments to his car. On the radio, Newman told Borland about some debris that was on the frontstretch just past the start/finish line. When Borland relayed his driver's concerns to NASCAR, they told him it was just "tape".

Borland decided to remove the round of wedge from the left rear that had just been put in and make air pressure adjustments to the rear tires as well.

Newman then inquired about grill problems since his car's water temperature had gone from 215 to 195 degrees in just a few laps. Using binoculars, Borland was able to notice a softball-size hole in the lower left of the grill. Apparently, Newman had hit something and it had torn the hole in the grill, but he couldn't remember hitting anything. When Newman was finally able to bring the car down pit road for a green-flag stop on lap 106, the Alltel crew took out the round of wedge and put Bearer Bond tape over the hole to help Newman's balance. The adjustments sent Newman right back to being loose.

After the seventh caution on lap 114 for a spin by teammate Kurt Busch, Newman took the restart on lap 120 from the inside lane after going a lap down. Fortunately, Newman was able to take off during the restart and flew away from the field, earning his lap back.

However, Robby Gordon and Jamie McMurray were also fighting to stay ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was the leader at the time. After Earnhardt Jr. drove past McMurray, Newman was only able to hold him off for a few more laps before he went a lap down again.

Fortunately for Newman, the caution flag came out before Earnhardt Jr. could pass Gordon, so Newman received the Lucky Dog award and got his lap back, starting at the end of the field.

For Newman's sixth stop during the race, Borland called for the round of wedge to be put back into the left rear to see if that really did help. When they thought it hadn't worked earlier, they didn't know about the hole in the grill, so Borland had the crew put the round back in to help tighten up the cart. Newman restarted in 28th, but within two laps, he had made his way into the top 25.

The Alltel crew took another half round of wedge out of the car on the next stop, just eight laps later after the caution flew again for the ninth time due to debris on the frontstretch near the start/finish line. Apparently, the piece of "tape" that Newman had seen earlier really was debris.

The adjustments, however, just weren't working for Newman's car. With 50 laps remaining, he was still struggling with a loose condition.

"I'm loose off with lots of dirty air," he said. "I'm loose off (turn) four."

The cautions and pit stops were not yet finished for the day. When the field restarted on lap 164 following the 10th caution period, Newman continued to battle the loose condition and by lap 174 he was in the 25th position and falling back. He nearly fell out of the top 30 in the closing laps, but a blown engine in Clint Bowyer's car and a problem with Elliott Sadler's Dodge gave Newman a 25th-place finish.

The finish caused Newman to fall back to 18th in the drivers' standings. He is now 437 points out of the 10th spot.

Next week, Newman returns to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Sharpie 500, beginning at 7 p.m., ET, on Saturday, Aug. 26. The night race will be broadcast live on TNT and PRN Radio.

Newman will also run the Food City 250 in the NASCAR Busch Series on Friday night. The race will also be broadcast by TNT and PRN Radio at 7:30 p.m., ET, on Friday. Newman is the defending champion of the Busch event.

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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No worries, it seems that this year whenever he qualifies really well, he ends up running the race really bad. I know his team is great at qualifying, it seems that they need to concentrate on their race set up. Who knows, maybe Alltel has something in their contract that they want him to qualify up front. I will have to pay more attention to the sponsor, does he have another sponsor other than Alltel? I thought he did. Penske does run well in Bristol, so we will have to wait and see.
I have been a closet Penske fan for as long as I can remember. Back in 85 when the Indy cars were at Long beach for the first time, my dad and I went to a media night where you could meet some of the drivers and see all the cars. I got a lot of autographs including Rodger's, and he never gives them. That right there made me a fan of his ever since. Plus the fact that he is so determined and has been so good for so long.

I am glad to hear that you are a Penske fan! I was a Ryan fan first, but have become a Penske fan after reading and observing how Roger runs his organization. I have a ton of respect for him.

Yes the Penske boys do run well at Bristol, so it should be a good weekend for them! But as you know,with Bristol you never know!!! Newman said no team can safely predict how they will do at Bristol. "We've had our share of problems at Bristol just like every other team, so there's really no telling how your team is going to do there," he said. But Ryan did win this Busch race last year and KB won the spring cup race this year.

Alltel is the primary sponsor for my beloved #12, but they also run cars during the season with Mobil and Sony as the primary. This year the 12 team has been concentrating more on the race set up than the qualifying, hence the fact that they have only won 2 poles this year.

Last season it was when ever he ran the Busch race the same weekend, (he won 5 Busch races in a row) then he would do bad in the Nextel race! But at least he did make the chase! The chase will be Ryan-less this year for the first time! We all know that ever driver/team has off years and this one is Ryan/Alltel's off year. But I will remain a True-Blue Ryan Newman fan!


P.S. That is cool that you have a Penske autograph!!!

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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I used to get a lot of them(autographs), from all kinds of racing. Now there is no way to get an autograph unless you wait in line for 2 hours or if you pay $100 for a pit pass. My dad and I used to sneak in or talk our way in or even carry different color markers, find the color of stamp they used and make our own on our hand. Now they do not allow autographs in the pit area at all. Oh well, I am a lot older now, I guess I will have to wait in those lines or fork out the dough when my kids are old enough to enjoy it.
Good luck with Mr. Newman this weekend.