The Official Ryan Newman Website

Coke Zero 400
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Race 18 of 36
TNT 6:30 p.m.

CHASSIS NOTES

RS-524: Since Newman's Daytona 500 winning Dodge is currently enshrined in the Daytona 500 Experience museum, Newman brings a different car back to Daytona. The No. 12 Alltel Dodge that will serve as team's primary car is the same car that he piloted at Talladega in April. Newman led five laps and finished eighth in that race.
PRS-573: The backup No. 12 Alltel Dodge for this weekend's race is a brand new Penske car.

Track Facts

Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, FL
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

TRACK STATS

NEWMAN FINISHES 36th AT DAYTONA
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 5, 2008) - Ryan Newman and the No. 12 Penske Racing Alltel Dodge team finished 36th on Saturday night in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Newman had a strong enough car to drive from the back of the field into the top-10 on two separate occasions, but the No. 12 machine's "Daytona luck" did not hold out as Newman was involved in three separate incidents throughout the night.

The final incident, at lap 136, sent Newman to the garage for multiple repairs. After losing 13 laps while in the garage, the Alltel Dodge returned to the track to complete the 160-lap (scheduled, 162 actual) race and pick up valuable positions and points. "The Alltel Dodge was really strong tonight, but we couldn't catch a break," said Newman, who had won the 50th Running of the Daytona 500 in February 2008. "We just kept getting caught up in other people's problems all night. It was like we were a magnet out on the race track.

"We've had a really good superspeedway package at all three races this year, and we had another good car tonight. I'm disappointed because I really think that we had the chance to get a solid finish and pick up some valuable points, but we just didn't have luck on our side tonight."

Newman dropped to 17th in the NASCAR Cup driver point standings, 185 points out of the 12th place "cutoff" with eight races to go until the NASCAR Chase for the Cup begins in September.

On Friday afternoon, Newman qualified the Alltel Dodge in 32nd place. At Daytona, qualifying is less important than at many other tracks on the circuit. Instead, the focus is on the car's ability to handle in the all-important draft. The No. 12 Alltel Dodge was ready for superspeedway traffic as soon as the green flag dropped on Saturday night.

Just 10 laps into the race, Newman had already picked up 16 spots and was sitting in 16th place. Newman radioed crew chief Roy McCauley and told him that his car was a little bit too tight-handling.

When the caution flag waved at lap 20, the Alltel team had its first opportunity to work on Newman's car. Newman entered pit road in 14th place and the team changed four tires, added fuel and made a track bar adjustment to help Newman's tight-handling condition. Newman restarted the race in 13th place.

Over the course of the next green flag run, Newman jockeyed for position in the draft, running two and three-wide for most of the laps. Newman was able to move into the top 10 for a few laps due to the strong performance of the No. 12 machine in the corners, but then dropped back to 21st at lap 39, when he got stuck in the middle of a three-wide battle without any help from cars behind him.

At lap 43, Newman was tapped by the No. 26 Ford of Jamie McMurray and spun across the grass. Newman was able to save the car and keep it off the wall. When the caution flag waved, Newman came down pit road for four fresh tires, as his were flat-spotted from the spin, and fuel. Because Newman stopped for repairs before pit road was officially opened, NASCAR sent him to the tail end of the longest line for the restart. He restarted in 39th place at lap 47.

"He just lost the nose underneath me," Newman said about McMurray. "I was coming off the corner, trying to pass and I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Starting in the back, Newman wasn't able to catch up to the lead pack of cars as quickly as he had hoped. But a caution at lap 70, while Newman was running in 37th place, gave the Alltel team the opportunity to pit once more and get back into the action.

The No. 12 machine came into the pits for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment, returning to the track in 28th place. Once the race restarted at lap 74, Newman was once again able to show the strength of his Alltel Dodge, battling and maneuvering through the draft. By lap 100, Newman had made his way back into the top 10.

Newman radioed to his crew that the car was a little too tight-handling overall. But that handling condition didn't stop his rise through the field - when the caution flag waved again at lap 109, Newman had moved into third place. The Alltel team changed four tires, added fuel and made a track bar adjustment, returning Newman to the track for the restart in the same third place spot.

When the green flag dropped, Newman piloted the Alltel Dodge to the second spot before being left without any drafting help. Newman fell back to seventh, but climbed back in the draft at lap 124 when trouble struck again - the No. 38 of David Gilliland lost control of his car and ran Newman into the turn four wall.

"I hit the wall pretty good," Newman radioed the crew before pitting under the caution flag. The right side of the Alltel Dodge was flattened due to hard contact with the wall. The car also sustained left front fender damage.

Newman pitted for four tires, fuel and sheet metal repair, returning to the track in 28th place.

Although behind the wheel of a damaged race car, Newman was still confident that the Alltel machine had a shot at a solid finish. He moved into the top 20 within seven laps of returning to the track, but Newman's chances at another strong run at Daytona were dashed when he was caught up in his third incident of the night at lap 136.

As multiple cars battled for position coming off of turn four, Newman was tagged from a car behind him. He was sent spinning once again, but this time he could not keep the No. 12 Alltel Dodge off of the wall. The car sustained heavy damage and Newman drove to the garage for extensive repairs to the car.

The Alltel crew feverishly worked to make various repairs to the car and was able to send Newman back on track with a handful of laps remaining in the event. Newman was able to gain a couple of spots thanks to the crew's hard work, finishing in 36th. Newman's Penske Racing teammates Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish Jr. finished fourth and 29th, respectively.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action next Saturday night, July 12 for the LifeLock 400.com at Chicagoland Speedway. The race can be seen live on the TNT network at 6:30 p.m. EDT and heard on MRN radio at 7:15 p.m. EDT.

NEWMAN STARTS 32nd AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 4, 2008) - Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No.12 Alltel Dodge Charger, will start 32nd in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night.

Newman, who won the 50th Running of the Daytona 500 in February, turned a quick lap of 183.760 miles per hour (48.966 seconds). Paul Menard, driver of the No. 15 Menards Chevrolet, won the pole with a lap of 185.916 miles per hour (48.409 seconds).

"The Alltel Dodge was really good in race trim in practice yesterday," Newman said. "We never made a qualifying run in practice yesterday, so we didn't know how we would do in qualifying. We don't have a great starting spot, but that's not all that important for tomorrow's race.

"This is the same car we raced with in Talladega. They took our car after the win in here in February and put it in the Daytona 500 Experience. I think this car has potential for tomorrow night's race. It handled well. It felt good in practice - we'll just have to see what happens."

Newman is currently 15th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. He is 111 points away from the cutoff for the Chase for the NASCAR Cup. Newman has one win, two top-fives and three top-10s in 13 starts at Daytona International Speedway. His best finish in Daytona's 400-mile July race is 11th.

Coverage of the Coke Zero 400 begins on the TNT television network on Saturday, July 5 at 6:30 p.m. EDT. The race can also be heard on the MRN.

PENSKE RACING TEAMMATES

• 36. Kurt Busch
• 42. Sam Hornish Jr.

ALLTEL RACING PODCASTS

Every two weeks, fans can tune into Alltel Racing podcasts on http://www.alltelracing.com/.  The podcasts give fans the opportunity to hear No. 12 Alltel Racing driver Ryan Newman's thoughts on a variety of subjects from racing to fishing to Alltel's latest commercials. Fans can call 1-800-279-5612 to record a personalized question for Newman or you can email questions to Newman at ryannewmanmailbag@gmail.com.  By listening to the podcasts, fans also have the opportunity to win special Alltel Racing prizes.

This week's installment of the podcast features Alltel Dodge driver Ryan Newman and his father, Greg Newman. Greg also serves as Ryan's spotter. On the podcast, the Newmans discuss their relationship as father/son and spotter/driver, as well as that unforgettable Daytona 500 win. To listen to this podcast and past podcasts, visit http://www.alltelracing.com/.

 Notes

• Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, has one win, two top-five and three top-10 finishes in 13 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Daytona International Speedway.
• Newman's best finish in the July 400-mile Daytona July race was an 11th-place effort in 2006.
• Newman returns to Daytona as the most recent winner at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Newman won the 2008 Daytona 500 in dramatic fashion, receiving what he called a "push from heaven" from teammate Kurt Busch on the final lap to take the checkered flag in first place. It was the first restrictor plate victory for both Newman and Penske Racing.
• Newman started seventh and led eight laps en route to his Daytona victory on Feb. 17th. Following the win, Newman and the No. 12 Alltel team's winning car was enshrined in the Daytona 500 Experience. Due to the Daytona 500 win, the team had to build a new car for this weekend's race. "The big problem of winning the Daytona 500 is they keep your car after the race, so we had to build a new car," crew chief Roy McCauley said.
• Much was made of Newman's diet following his win in the Daytona 500 in February. Prior to the race, Newman had only eaten three homemade chocolate chip cookies - made by his wife Krissie in their motorhome - and a banana. "Last year when we were having some bad luck, Krissie started making the cookies and when she would make them we would get a top 10 or top five. She made them in Daytona and we won. After the race, the guys told her she would have to make them every week- but she won't do that because she says that she is watching my diet. But the guys made her promise to make them again this weekend."

Newman Quotes

WINNING THE DAYTONA 500: "Winning the Daytona 500 was a dream come true - not just for me, but for everyone who has helped me along the way. My family. Penske Racing. It was really just a special moment for all of us. I don't think that I realized the significance of winning the 50th Running of the Daytona 500 immediately, but I knew that something special had happened the moment I crossed the finish line. We had a brand new car down there for that race, and they took it away from us and put it in the Daytona 500 Experience. The guys at the shop went back to work and built us another car, and I don't see any reason we can't go back to Daytona this weekend and try to win again. Our goal is to just have a good weekend and make up points."

SURVIVING AT DAYTONA: "The key to Daytona is just staying out of trouble. You want to have a fast car. You want to be up front, because hopefully that's where the wrecks won't be. And you have to have a little racing luck on your side-just be in the right place at the right time. You have to have good fundamentals, solid pit stops and you have to keep your fenders clean. You don't want to knock in what is making you go fast."

McCauley Quotes

RETURNING TO DAYTONA: "I think we're all looking forward to going back to Daytona. That was a great moment for the No. 12 Alltel team and the entire Penske organization. While it will be nice to be back there and look back on that day, we are focused on this weekend's race and having another good run in the Alltel Dodge at Daytona. It will be different this weekend because we're under the lights and they have completely changed the tire. So, we'll just have to adjust the grip accordingly. The same issues will be prevalent though. The car will fight for overall grip after about 10 laps, and the summer heat will make the track even slicker which will make it harder to grip the track. Our goal will be to give Ryan as much grip as possible to go wide open around the race track. Because at Daytona, it's the best handling car that wins the race."