The Official Ryan Newman Website

TUMS QuikPak 500

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Race 32 of 36

ABC 1:00 PM

Track Facts

Martinsville Speedway

Martinsville, VA

Banking/Turns: 12
Distance: 0.526 miles
Shape: Oval

The paperclip-shaped short track known as Martinsville opened in 1947, two years before NASCAR was founded. Under the direction of H. Clay Earles, who ran the speedway until his death in 1999, Martinsville grew from a dusty, rough-hewn operation into one of the most beautiful and modern racing facilities around.

Contact Information

P.O. Box 3311
Martinsville, VA 24115
(276) 956-3151

CHASSIS NOTES:

PRS-561: The No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger at that Newman will pilot at Martinsville has a pair of sixth-place finishes. The car was first raced at Richmond in May where Newman started 10th and finished sixth. The car was also the primary at Bristol in August where Newman started 11th and finished sixth.

PRS-555: The backup No. 12 Alltel Dodge has served as the primary car at Charlotte in May (finished 21st), the August Pocono race (finished 14th) and last month's Richmond race (finished 33rd).

STATS

NO. 12 ALLTEL DODGE PIT CREW

BLOWN TIRE DERAILS NEWMAN'S EFFORT, FINISHES 23^rd

Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, ran as high as second place and solidly in the top 15 for more than half of the TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

However, Newman blew a right front tire at lap 332 which caused him to slap the wall in turn four. He was forced to pit under the green flag and fell two laps down to the leaders as a result. Newman was never able to make up the lost laps at the .526-mile oval and he finished the afternoon in 23^rd place.

With four races remaining in the 2008 NASCAR Cup Series season, Newman is 17th in the driver point standings.

 "We fought a tight-handling race car all day, but we were working on it and it seemed to be getting better with the track bar adjustments that we were making each stop," Newman said. "But when we blew the tire, that pretty much ended our day. It was a disappointing afternoon for the Alltel Dodge team."

Inclement weather rained out qualifying at Martinsville Speedway on Friday afternoon, so the field was set by the 2008 owner points. The No. 12 Alltel Dodge took the green flag in 16^th place.

A tight-handling race car caused Newman to fall two positions early in the race. When the first caution of the race waved at lap 30, Newman told crew chief Roy McCauley that they "needed to work on (the race car)." Newman, who was in 18^th place, told his team that the car was real tight from the center off the turns.

Newman brought the Alltel Dodge to the pit crew's attention for right side tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. With a variety of pit strategies playing out, Newman restarted the race in 21^st place.

Following the changes, Newman was able to make up some ground on the field. He gained two spots and moved into 19^th place. When the second caution came out at lap 60, Newman told his crew that the car was still too tight in the center and exit of the turns.

Although Newman was still battling the handling of the car, the team elected to stay on the track to gain valuable position. With most of the cars in front of Newman pitting, he restarted at lap 67 running in second place.

Newman was able to hold on to the second position until lap 105, when eventual race winner Jimmie Johnson, running with fresher tires, overtook him for the second spot.

When the fifth caution of the day was displayed at lap 115, Newman was sitting in sixth place. Newman told the team that he still needed help with the car's tight-handling condition. The No. 12 crew changed four tires, added fuel and made air pressure and track bar adjustments. Since Newman was off sequence with his pit stops, he restarted in 19^th place at lap 121.

Once again, the adjustments appeared to help Newman as he was able to patiently gain spots on the tight paperclip-shaped race track. By lap 160, Newman was running in 14^th place.

Just two laps later, the caution was displayed once again. Newman told his crew that the car was "okay."  The team elected to pit for four tires and fuel. Newman returned to the track in 18^th place at lap 169.

It was only a handful of laps before Newman reported that the car was once again too tight in the center of the turns. Despite the handling problems, the team elected to stay out under the caution at lap 196.

By lap 225, Newman had moved into 17^th place. As the run progressed, the car's handling became even more difficult for Newman as he said he was struggling with a car that was "loose in, tight in the center and loose off the corners."

When the yellow flag waved at lap 258, Newman was still running in 17^th place. The caution gave the Alltel pit crew another chance to work on Newman's ill-handling race car. Newman pitted for four tires, fuel and track bar, wedge and air pressure adjustments.

The quick pit stop helped Newman gain some positions on pit road. However, NASCAR penalized Newman for speeding as he exited the pits. Newman was forced to the tail end of the longest line and restarted in 23^rd place at lap 267.

Not convinced that he had sped exiting pit lane, Newman was more determined than ever to make up the ground he lost from the penalty. By lap 300, Newman was back in the top 15 and holding his spot.

However, at lap 332 trouble struck Newman and the No. 12 Alltel Dodge. The car blew a right front tire and slapped the wall entering turn four. Newman limped to the pits where his crew changed right-side tires before sending him back on track in 30^th place, two laps down to the leaders. Newman was one of several drivers, including both of his Penske Racing teammates, to have right front tire issues throughout the day.

Despite falling several laps down to the leaders, Newman continued to steadily work under the green flag to catch and pass the cars that were on his lap. Newman finished the race in 23^rd place, three laps down to the leaders.

Penske Racing teammates Sam Hornish Jr. and Kurt Busch finished 34^th and 36^th, respectively.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, October 26 for the Pep Boys Auto 500.  The race will air live on ABC at 1 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on PRN Radio at 2 p.m. ET. 

Race Winner: Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)

Newman Starts 16th as Rain Cancels Qualifying Again

Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No.12 Alltel Dodge Charger, will start 16th in the Tums QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday after rain washed out practice and qualifying today. It is the ninth time that qualifying has been rained out in the NASCAR Cup Series this season.

Per the NASCAR Rule Book, the field was set by the 2008 owner points. The No. 12 Alltel Dodge team is currently 16th in NASCAR Cup Series owner point standings.

"I wish we would have been able to get a chance to get on the track today," Newman said. "It seems like we have really been hit hard by rain on qualifying day this year. We weren't that happy with our run at Martinsville in the spring, so we are looking forward to improving on that and working on our setup tomorrow in both of our practices."

Newman has five top-five and six top-10 finishes in 13 starts at Martinsville. He finished 19^th at the Martinsville track in the March race.

Coverage of the Tums QuikPak  500 begins on the ABC television network on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. EDT. The race can also be heard on the MRN beginning at 1:15 p.m. EDT.

DRIVER: Ryan Newman
STARTING POSITION: 16th

POLE: Jimmie Johnson

PENSKE RACING TEAMMATES
19. Kurt Busch
36. Sam Hornish Jr. 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

10/17:  Ryan Newman will be a guest on SPEED's Trackside Live on Friday night at Martinsville Speedway. The show begins at 6 p.m. ET at the SPEED stage.

12/13:  The Ryan Newman Foundation Charity Fishing Tournament will be held at Queen's Landing in Mooresville, N.C. Fans are invited to join NASCAR stars, musical artists and professional fisherman for the charity event.  Registration in the tournament for a team of two competitors is $150 on or before November 13 or $200 after November 13. Fishermen may also enter a Big Fish Contest for $40 per team.  The maximum is 250 teams. For complete event details, tournament rules, to download a flier and registration form, or to register online, visit www.ryannewmanfoundation.org.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

As the 2008 NASCAR Cup season comes to an end, Alltel Wireless is featuring a new television spot on SPEED and ABC to thank 2008 Daytona 500 Champion and No. 12 Alltel Dodge driver Ryan Newman for his past eight years with the sponsor.

"Alltel Racing Moments" showcases some of Newman's greatest achievements behind the wheel of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, including his historic win at the 50^th running of the Daytona 500.  The television spot also asks fans to visit alltelracing.com to vote for their favorite moment. Along with the 30-second commercial, alltelracing.com features a series of three 60 to 90 second vignettes featuring various Alltel Racing moments such as wins, bloopers and more. At the end of the season, 100 people who voted for their favorite moment will be rewarded with an autographed piece of Alltel Racing memorabilia.

Notes & Quotes

• Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, has two poles at Martinsville Speedway. Newman also has five top-five and six top-10 finishes at the .526-mile oval in 13 NASCAR Cup starts. Newman's best finish at Martinsville was a second-place effort last fall.

• Ten of Newman's 13 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway have come from 10th place or better. His best starting position was the pole position in the fall races of 2002 and 2004. Newman has started on the outside pole once, from third place twice and from fourth place three times. His average starting spot at the paperclip shaped oval is 6.8.

• Last fall at Martinsville Speedway, Newman claimed a runner-up finish. But it's a finish that doesn't necessarily sit well with the driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge. It's one race that Newman says he wishes he had back and it's also one that he hopes to improve on this weekend. With less than 10 laps left in the race, Newman had patiently made his way into the second spot and was quickly chasing down leader Jimmie Johnson. However, just as Newman caught up with Johnson on the white flag lap, the caution waved, handing Johnson the win.

• For Newman's jack man Bryan White, Martinsville Speedway could be considered a home track. After all, the track is close to where White honed his competitive spirit. White attended college and played football at the University of Virginia, which is about 150 miles away in Charlottesville, Va. White is one of four former college athletes on the No. 12 Alltel Dodge pit crew. Before coming to Martinsville Speedway this weekend, White will travel to his alma mater to cheer on his Virginia football team as they take on the University of North Carolina.

RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES ON:

LAST FALL'S RACE AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY: "There is always going to be a ‘what if' in every race. In last fall's race, I think that if I could have run that last lap, I might have won the race. I still wish we had that last lap back. I got inside of (Jimmie Johnson) and then the white and yellow came out. I know I would have a shot. I had my nose at his left rear tire at the start-finish line getting the white flag. But it just never happened. There was definitely disappointment on my part. To be so close and then not have a chance to race that last lap is tough."

RACING AT MARTINSVILLE: "A lot of people like to compare racing at Martinsville to the tracks that I grew up racing on, and I definitely see similarities. It's a great short track that I have really enjoyed racing on in my career. Like any short track, the key to Martinsville is patience. You have to be patient maneuvering the car around the track and through the tight corners.  At Martinsville, the brake pedal is just as important as the gas pedal. And most importantly, you do not want to go a lap down. We struggled with the handling of our car at Martinsville in the spring, and we really want to go back there with a better package."

QUALIFYING AT MARTINSVILLE: "Traditionally, we have qualified well at Martinsville, which is important. You want to qualify in the top 10 or top 15. This is a short track and it is easy to get down a lap if you are in the back, which is something that you don't want. But it is also important to qualify well because of the pit selection for the race. That can be critical since the stalls are so small."

ROY MCCAULEY QUOTES ON:

RACING AT MARTINSVILLE: "Our initial goal this week is to qualify better for track position at the start of the race. A premium qualifying spot allows better pit selection and is a great confidence builder for the team. The braking at Martinsville is just as important as going fast, so having a car that handles well in the corners is key. We struggled with handling in the first race, so we have been working on our overall package. It is crucial to be able to roll through the center with speed. If you're car can't turn in the center, you will burn your brakes up and you're done."