Daytona 500

Race 1 of 36
February 17, 2008

Chassis Notes

PRS-521: This is the car that Newman raced at Talladega Superspeedway in the fall race. Newman finished fifth in that race.
PRS-515: The back-up car is the same car Newman ran in the Shootout at Daytona on Saturday. The car turned its first laps that night.

Daytona International Speedway

Daytona Beach, FL

Track Facts

Banking/Turns: 31
Distance: 2.5 miles
Shape: Tri-oval
Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959, but the history of auto racing at Daytona goes back much farther than that.

Contact Information

P.O. Box 2801
Daytona Beach, FL 32120
(386) 253-7223
Official Web site

Track Stats

PIT CREW

Crew Chief

Roy McCauley

Davidsonville, Md.

Team Engineer

Travis Geisler

Pittsburgh, Penn.

Car Chief

Bryan Dilly

Ringwood, N.J.

Front-tire Carrier

Scott Reiniger

Salisbury, N.C.

Front-tire Changer

Ben Brown

Charlotte, N.C.

Jackman

Bryan White

Knoxville, Tenn.

Rear-tire Carrier

Trent Cherry

Charlotte, N.C.

Rear-tire Changer

Joe Piette

Wausaw, Wis.

Gasman

George Whitley

Chocowinity, N.C.

Catch Can

Britt Goodrich

Gastonia, N.C.

NEWMAN WINS THE DAYTONA 500!

IT'S PENSKE 1/2 RESTRICTOR PLATE FINISH!

Daytona Beach, Fla. (Feb. 17, 2008) – With drafting help from Penske Racing teammate Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, took the checkered flag and scored a dramatic victory in the 50th running of the Daytona 500. Newman and Busch finished one-two at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday night.

The win was Newman's first in 81 NASCAR Cup races. It was also the first win for Newman with new crew chief Roy McCauley. The tandem had combined for six wins back in the 2005 Nationwide Series.

"Kurt was the push from heaven that made it happen," Newman said of the help his teammate gave him in his final push to the finish line. "I have to thank Kurt first and foremost.

"I don't have the words. It's awesome. It's probably the most awesome thing that has ever happened to me.

"It was awesome. Listening to my dad (Greg Newman, who serves as his son's spotter) on the radio spotting for me, all the other things, all the other emotions, all the hard work, people that gave me a shot racing quarter midgets, midgets, sprint cars, Silver Crown cars. I have to thank everybody, including the fans. It just hasn't sunk in yet."

McCauley and the No. 12 Alltel Dodge team worked on Newman's car throughout the course of the race to put them in the position to win. Newman started the day in seventh place, but a tight-handling condition caused Newman to drop as far back as 23rd.

Under the first green flag pit stop on lap 34, the team made an air pressure adjustment, a track bar adjustment, changed four tires and added fuel.

Newman returned to the track, and quickly said that the adjustments had overcorrected the problem. On lap 45, Newman told McCauley the car was really sliding around the race track and was getting too loose.

McCauley assured Newman that the pit crew would get him tightened back up with the next pit stop.

At lap 75, Newman pitted under the green flag for a wedge adjustment, an air pressure adjustment, four tries and fuel. By the time the green flag pit stops had circled through, Newman was running in 11th place.

A caution on lap 79 brought Newman back down pit road for four tires and fuel and another wedge adjustment in hopes of fixing the handling problems that Newman was experiencing with his Dodge Charger.

Newman restarted in 17th spot at Lap 84. But within just a few laps, Newman had moved into the top 10. As he struggled to find grip on the race track, Newman continued to move through the field.

"I'm a tick on the free side," Newman told his team while in fourth place at lap 112. "I need you to tighten it up a little bit."

When the next round of green flag pit stops started, Newman took over the top spot and picked up five bonus points for leading a lap.

The Alltel crew did their best to tighten up the car's handling when Newman came down pit road on lap 120 for an air pressure adjustment and a wedge adjustment in an effort to tighten him up. The team also changed four tires and added fuel to the No. 12 Dodge.

Newman returned to the track, and was again the leader once the green flag pit stops ran their course.

But Newman couldn't hold onto the lead. "We're too loose still," Newman told McCauley after falling back to the third spot at lap 130. "When they are right at my bumper, they're making me really loose."

McCauley went to work on a game plan for the next pit stop. Due to the loose-handling condition, Newman opted out of the tight pack of the top three cars and fell back to fifth place.

"We're going to tighten you up," McCauley told Newman on lap 146. "I may go a little too far, but you can't race you when you are loose."

At lap 151, the caution flag waved for the second time and Newman came down pit road for another wedge adjustment, a track bar adjustment, an air pressure adjustment, four tires and fuel. Newman restarted in sixth position.

When another caution was caused on lap 161, Newman was in fourth spot on the track. He told McCauley that he thought the changes the team made on the last pit stop would help his handling. The team elected to take four tires and fuel under the yellow flag and made no other changes. It would be the final pit stop of the night for the Alltel crew.

Newman restarted the race 14th in the running order as other teams used different pit strategies on the stop.

It wasn't long before Newman was back in the top 10. At lap 176, Newman was running fifth when the caution flag waved.

McCauley told Newman to stay out under the caution as he believed track position would be crucial as the laps wound down. "It may be a bad call, but I want track position," McCauley told his driver.

"As far as pit strategy goes, obviously once we could stop at lap 160 and make it on fuel, it was just going to be a matter of if another caution came out, were you going to put tires on," McCauley said after the race. "I'm not going to kid you, we had some second thoughts here and there. But I felt the track position was better overall trying to stay out of the accidents which normally come at the end of a plate race."

McCauley's pit call turned out to be key in the closing laps. Newman was third when the race restarted on lap 178.

By lap 184, Newman had taken over the lead, but he told McCauley that he had his hands full with the No. 12 Alltel Dodge. McCauley assured Newman that he had cars running with all old tires behind him and that having track position would be important in the closing laps.

When the caution flag came out again on lap 189, Newman had fallen back to third spot. And with just 10 laps remaining in the Daytona 500, the racing was really staring to heat up.

Newman was running three wide with the other competitors and was trying to find the best line as the laps wound down - going from high to low on the race track. Then the caution flag waved for the last time at lap 194.

On the final race restart on lap 197, Newman was in fourth spot and got drafting help on the high side from Busch. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch raced on the low line.

Coming off the final turn of the final lap, it was Newman who was in the lead with the help of a push from Busch. The two cars came across the line nose-to-tail - the first one-two finish for Penske Racing.

"I can say I've been here almost 30 years trying to get in victory circle," team owner Roger Penske said. "To achieve this with this competition, with Ryan - the student really of the sport - and Roy and the whole team is just unbelievable.

"I think it was a pure team effort. Ryan drove a masterful race, as he's done many times and come up short. But today was special for us."

For Newman, the race was a total team effort.

"I knew that we struggled for grip at the start of the race," Newman said. "We fell back. I watched the scoring pylon count the laps down. I knew where I needed to be at a certain time.

"Fortunately, the way the strategy worked out, the way Roy called the shots, the Alltel Dodge that we had, we were capable of being in the right place at the right time.

"To be a part of this, to feel it, just to see it and to be sitting up here with Roger Penske knowing we just won the 50th annual Daytona 500 is just awesome."

Newman Finishes Third In Gatorade Duel, Earns Seventh-Place Starting Spot For Daytona 500

Daytona Beach, Fla. (Feb. 14, 2008) – After leading 13 laps and battling for the victory in today's first Gatorade Duel, Ryan Newman brought home the Alltel Dodge in third place, earning the No. 12 Penske Racing team a seventh-place starting spot for the 50th-running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday afternoon.

"I'm happy with my Alltel Dodge," Newman said. "We still have things to work on, and we learned how the car would handle in a competitive race which is going to help us. I'm happy to finish in the top three and I am looking forward to Sunday."

After finishing 23rd in last Sunday's qualifying, Newman was slated to start ninth in the first of the two 150-mile qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway. However, he moved to the pole position at the drop of the green flag when the cars in front of him fell to the back due to pre-race engine changes.

By lap one, Newman was running in the third spot, but as a wreck happened behind him on lap two, Newman moved his No. 12 Alltel Dodge back into the lead. Newman held the lead until lap nine when his drafting partner and Penske Racing teammate Kurt Busch lost power. As Busch fell out of the race, Newman dropped to the second position.

At lap 13, Newman went three-wide and fell to the fourth spot. Newman told crew chief Roy McCauley that his car was handling a tick too freely.

With additional drafting help from his fellow Dodges, Newman began picking up spots. At lap 18, he had moved back into second place, however, Newman said his car was getting looser the longer he ran.

Despite the loose-handling condition, Newman was able to hold onto the second spot behind leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. over the course of the next 17 laps. Newman followed Earnhardt Jr. into the pits at Lap 35 for a green flag pit stop.

The Alltel pit crew changed four tires, added fuel and made a wedge adjustment to the left rear to help the car's loose handling.

Newman returned to the track in sixth spot. As the green flag pit stops sorted out, Newman was in third place at Lap 37, part of a five-car breakaway at the front of the field.

At lap 42, Newman told McCauley that the adjustments had helped the Alltel Dodge. "It's definitely tighter," Newman said. "It feels pretty good. I have to be tight to pass – I cannot pass loose."

On lap 45, Newman was able to make a pass and move back into the lead.

He held the lead on lap 50 when Earnhardt Jr. tried to make a dramatic cross-over pass in front of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge. But Newman wasn't ready to give up his position. Newman crossed below Earnhardt Jr. and moved to the track's low line, but Reed Sorenson opted to stay on the high side with Earnhardt Jr. Without any drafting help, Newman was forced to third-place.

"(Earnhardt Jr.) had a good run and just went around me," Newman said. "He made the pass, and I tried to pass him back, but Sorenson went with him. I would have liked to have seen my fellow Dodge teammate who was up there help me out to see what we could have done out there."

Newman wasn't able to get enough drafting help to move up in the closing laps of the race. He finished in third-place, which means he will start seventh on Sunday in the Daytona 500.

"The Alltel Dodge was pretty good," Newman said. "I was worried about the tires, but they held up for us. We're still wondering if we can make it a full fuel run, but we're happy with the way the car handled. We have a little vibration in the car that we need to work out. It's just nice to have some laps and get the car really fine tuned for the (Daytona) 500. I'm pretty happy with the car. We can make it better and we'll do that. We'll just keep working on it."

Newman Qualifies 23rd For Gatorades

Will Start Ninth In Thursday's First Gatorade Duel Daytona Beach, Fla. (Feb. 10, 2008) – Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Penske Racing Alltel Dodge, qualified 23rd on Sunday afternoon for the 50th Running of the Daytona 500.

Due to the unique qualifying format for the Daytona 500, Newman's qualifying time means that he will start ninth in the first Gatorade Duel on Thursday afternoon. That race will determine his starting spot for next Sunday's Daytona 500. As of today's qualifying, only two drivers – the pole sitter and the outside pole sitter – are locked into their spots.

"It was a good run by the Alltel Dodge; it was the fastest of the three Penske teams, so we'll take it for what it's worth and go on," Newman said after his run. "It feels like you are pushing a pretty decent wind down the back straightaway. When you come off turn four, the car comes alive and then you're at the start-finish line and it's over, so you don't have much to gain.

"We have something to work with for the 500 for sure. We learned some things last night in the Budweiser Shootout that I think is going to help us, too."

Newman and the remaining starting spots for the 500 will be determined by the Gatorade Duel races, which will be held on Thursday. Newman and Penske Racing teammates Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish Jr will all be part of the first Gatorade Duel.

Coverage of Thursday's Gatorade Duel races begin at 2 p.m. ET on SPEED and MRN. Sunday's Daytona 500 will be aired on FOX and MRN. Line-up for the Daytona 500:

1. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet
2. Michael Waltrip, No. 55 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
3. Joe Nemechek, No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet
4. David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron's Toyota
5. Dave Blaney, No. 22 CAT Toyota
23. Ryan Newman, No. 12 Alltel Dodge
34. Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge (184.540/48.770)
43. Sam Hornish Jr., No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge (184.226/48.853)

Notes

• Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, will make his seventh Daytona 500 start on Sunday. Newman has one top-five and one top-10 finish in Daytona 500 competition.
• Newman and his Penske Racing teammates – Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish Jr. – will be in the first Gatorade Duel on Thursday afternoon.
• Newman has come close to victory in the Daytona 500. In 2006, was running up front for the final laps of the race. The eventual winner of the 2006 race (Jimmie Johnson) had drafting help while Newman was left without the benefit of draft. Newman wound up finishing third.
• Newman won his first ever start at Daytona International Speedway in the ARCA Series in 2001.
• The Daytona 500 marks Newman's first points race with crew chief Roy McCauley calling the shots. Newman and McCauley were first paired together at Penske Racing in 2005 in a Nationwide Series effort that scored six victories in just nine starts. They won their last race at Homestead in 2005 –Newman says he hopes to pick up where they left off.

Newman Quotes

• "Our outlook for the 500 is definitely good. We performed well last year, but we had duct work fail which failed the engine. I ran with the Car of Tomorrow car at Talladega last year and was strong (Newman finished fifth). I look forward to working with both Kurt (Busch) and Sam (Hornish Jr.) and trying to get Penske it's first Daytona 500 win."
• "Everybody has been asking what it would mean to me to win the Daytona 500, and that's a tough question. Just being in this race is an honor and a privilege. It would mean a lot to win the 500–I don't think I can express it though until it happens."
• Newman finished 17th in the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday. He ran as high as sixth during the race. "It was a good learning experience for us there. I think it's definitely a leg up for the practice on Wednesday and for sure the Gatorade Duel on Thursday. I thought our car handled well, we just never put ourselves in position. All in all though, I think we learned some valuable information tonight for next week."

McCauley Quotes

• "I think we learned quite a bit in the Shootout (last weekend). We learned some important information about tire pressures and how to get the car balanced across a run. The only bad thing was we didn't have a 30- or 40-lap run, but we did get an indication of tire wear and how the car is going to react, so we are pretty pleased. We have an operating range for the car, and now we are going to work on fine tuning it the rest of the week."
• "I'd just be happy to win a Daytona 500 – the first, the last or the 50th. It's the crown jewel. Ryan is better than he has ever been. There's no reason that we can't pick up where we left off and win this race. We just have to execute as a team."