The Official Ryan Newman Website

LifeLock.com 400
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Race 19 of 36
TNT 6:30 p.m.

CHASSIS NOTES

PRS-577: The primary No. 12 Kodak Dodge for this weekend's race at Chicagoland Speedway is one of Penske Racing's brand new cars. This will be the first time it has been raced.
PRS-552: The backup No. 12 Kodak Dodge served as the team's primary car at Las Vegas (finished 15th) and at Darlington (finished 37th) earlier this year. It was also the backup car at Texas.

Track Facts

Chicagoland Speedway
JOLIET, Ill. 
Banking/Turns: 18
Distance: 1.5 miles
Shape: Tri-oval

Chicagoland Speedway, which held Nextel Cup and Busch Series events for the first time in 2001, includes grandstand seating for 75,000 spectators, 37 luxury suites, on-site parking and camping areas and reserved long-term parking areas for recreational vehicles in the infield adjacent to the second and third turns.

Contact Information
500 Speedway Blvd.
Joliet, IL 60433
(815) 727-7223

TRACK STATS

NEWMAN SCORES TOP-10 FINISH WITH KEY STRATEGY CALL AT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
JOLIET, Ill. (July 12, 2008) - Ryan Newman and the No. 12 Penske Racing Kodak-Mummy Dodge team finished 10th on Saturday night in the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Thanks to a key pit call for two tires under a caution period at lap 225 that helped Newman gain valuable track position, Newman had the ability to battle cars with fresher tires than his. Newman drove hard to remain in the top-10 for the final 40 laps of the race and finish 10th, his seventh top-10 finish of the 2008 season.

"We tried some strategy with our Kodak Dodge late in the race to gain some track position, but we got a little too tight there at the end and fell back a few spots," said Newman. "We made some things happen tonight with our strategy on pit road, and we got a good finish. To get back in the Chase, we have to get top 10 finishes each week."

Newman is currently 16th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, 189 points away from the 12th-place cutoff for the Chase for the NASCAR Cup.

Inclement weather cancelled qualifying on Thursday night at Chicagoland Speedway, so the field was set by the 2008 owner points. Newman lined up 17th for the start of the 267-lap race on Saturday night.

By lap 15, Newman had moved into the 15th spot. He told crew chief Roy McCauley that his car was too tight in the center of the turns and loose getting into the turns.

NASCAR called a competition caution at lap 35, due to changed track conditions by the weekend's severe rains, giving Newman's pit crew their first opportunity to work on the handling of the race car. The No. 12 team changed four tires, added fuel, made an air pressure, wedge adjustment and track bar adjustments under the caution, returning Newman to the track in 16th place.

Back on track, Newman reported that the Kodak-Mummy Dodge was still a little tight in the center of the corners and loose entering. In order to gain track position, the team elected to stay on track when the caution waved at lap 47, moving Newman up to the fourth spot.

Without fresh tires, Newman slipped in the running order once the green flag waved, and by the time he pitted under the green flag at lap 89, the No. 12 had dropped to 14th.

Newman continued to have some trouble with the handling of the No. 12 machine. As opportunities came available, the team made air pressure, track bar and wedge changes in hopes of improving the race car's handling and helping Newman gain track position.

At lap 225, Newman was in 17th place when the caution flag waved for the sixth time. With just 40 laps remaining in the race, the team decided to take a big gamble and take two tires in hopes of gaining valuable track position. The crew also added fuel and made a track bar adjustment.

Thanks to that strategy, Newman picked up 15 spots and restarted the race in second place. Newman was able to turn some of his quickest laps of the night thanks to the improved track position and battled to keep the No. 12 Kodak-Mummy Dodge in the top 10.

In the final laps of the race, Newman reported to the crew that his car was developing a tight-handling condition. Despite having older tires and having to battle to maintain his spot on three separate restarts in the final 22 laps of the race, Newman was able to finish the race in 10th place.

After a week off, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to action next Sunday, July 27 for the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard, held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race can be seen live on the ESPN network at 1 p.m. EDT and heard on the IMS Radio Network at 2 p.m. EDT.

NEWMAN STARTS 17th AT CHICAGOLAND AFTER INCLEMENT WEATHER CANCELS QUALIFYING
JOLIET, Ill. (July 10, 2008) - Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No.12 Kodak-The Mummy Dodge Charger, will start 17th in the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday night.

Severe storms forced the cancellation of qualifying on Thursday night. Per the NASCAR Rule Book, the field was set by the 2008 owner points.

Practice also was cut short due to the heavy thunderstorms at the race track on Thursday evening. At the time practice was cancelled, Newman had turned the fourth quickest lap of the practice session - a lap of 178.867 miles per hour (30.190 seconds).

I'm disappointed we didn't get the chance to qualify because I think the Kodak-Mummy Dodge was pretty good in qualifying trim," Newman said. "We had a good practice session today, and we are looking forward to tomorrow and working on getting the car ready for Saturday night's race."

Newman, who has one win and three top-10 finishes at Chicagoland Speedway, is currently 16th in the NASCAR Cup Series driver point standings. He is 185 points away from the cutoff for the Chase for the NASCAR Cup.

Coverage of the LifeLock.com 400 begins on the TNT television network on Saturday, June 12 at 6:30 p.m. EDT. The race can also be heard on the MRN beginning at 7:15 p.m. EDT.

PENSKE RACING TEAMMATES

• 18. Kurt Busch
• 35. Sam Hornish Jr.

THE MUMMY

The blockbuster global Mummy franchise takes a spellbinding turn as the action shifts to Asia for the next chapter in the Mummy adventure series - The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Brendan Fraser returns as explorer Rick O'Connell to combat the resurrected Han Emperor (Jet Li) in an epic that races from the catacombs of ancient China to the neon-lit streets of post-war Shanghai and high into the spectacular Himalayas. Rick is joined in this all-new adventure by son Alex (newcomer Luke Ford), wife Evelyn (Maria Bello) and her brother, Jonathan (John Hannah). And this time, the O'Connells must stop a mummy awoken from a 2,000-year-old curse who threatens to plunge the world into his merciless, unending service.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor opens in theaters on August 1.

Notes

• Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger, has one win, one pole position, two top-five and three top-10 finishes in six NASCAR Cup Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway.
• Newman won at Chicagoland Speedway in 2003. Newman started 14th and led 67 laps en route to victory at the 1.5-mile track.
• This weekend, Kodak and Universal Studios have partnered to promote the third movie in The Mummy franchise on Newman's No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger. The car will feature a special paint scheme showcasing the movie The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, which opens in theaters nationwide on August 1. Brendan Fraser, the star of The Mummy franchise, will be at the racetrack on Saturday to meet Newman and his No. 12 team. Fraser also will serve as the race's grand marshal.
• Kodak will serve as the primary sponsor for Newman's No. 12 Dodge at four more races in the 2008 season - Watkins Glen International, California Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway.
• Newman has competed in three NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Chicagoland Speedway. In Nationwide competition, Newman has two pole positions (2001, 2005) and a best finish of third place (2005).
• Newman is currently 17th in the NASCAR Cup Series driver point standings. With eight races remaining until the Chase for the Cup begins, Newman is 185 points out of the all-important 12th-place cutoff

Newman Quotes

• RACING AT CHICAGOLAND: "Even though it's a ‘cookie cutter' race track, I look forward to it because of the 18 degree banking and the fact that it is kind of unique. It's a big circle. It's always a track that has been rewarding if you are good in the corners because even the back straightaway has a kink in it. You have to carry a lot of momentum there. It's going to be a different deal this year since it's under the lights, but I think that is going to make it even more fun.
• NEWMAN'S HOME TRACK: "Chicago's close to home for me. I always say that I consider Michigan or Indianapolis my home tracks because that's where I grew up going with my dad and my family. I have a lot of memories of watching races at those tracks. But Chicago is actually the closest race track to South Bend (Ind.- Newman's home town) of all the tracks that we go to. I normally just relax when I go to Chicago, but every once in a while I'll go watch a Midget race at Grundy County, which is where I used to race when I was 18 or 19 years old. It's neat to go back. Its just nice to be back in my home area."
• SPECIAL PAINT SCHEME: "Working with Kodak is cool because we get to run special movie paint schemes like this weekend's The Mummy. It's a pretty cool looking car, and we're hoping to get it in Victory Lane. That would be a great way to open the movie."

McCauley Quotes

RACING IN CHICAGO AT NIGHT: "We've never raced there at night, so it should be interesting. They are giving us a fair amount of practice in the evening hours to try and learn what the track will be like, but I do anticipate the track will have more grip in the evening. Like any other time we have raced at Chicago, track position will be very important. The key at Chicago is not getting too tight off the corners. Chicago, if you look at it, is one big circle. So, you have to be on your game, be able to make the car handle well and give the driver a good car that gets through the corners. We're looking forward to the race."