Chevy Rock & Roll 400

STEWART-HAAS RACING: WEEKEND LINEUP

Sept. 11-12, 2009

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - Chevy Rock & Roll 400

Venue / Location: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (3/4-mile oval)

SHR Driver Lineup: Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet Impala SS

Ryan Newman in the No. 39 U.S. Army / Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala SS

Qualifying: 5:30 p.m. EDT on Friday, Sept. 11 with live broadcast on ESPN2

Time / Date / TV: 7 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Sept. 12 with live broadcast on ABC (race starts at 7:30 p.m.)

Newman's Army/Haas Automation Chevy to Honor Noncommissioned Officers (NCO) in Richmond

In recognition of the Secretary of the Army establishing 2009 as the Year of the NCO (Noncommissioned Officer), Ryan Newman's No. 39 Impala SS will pay tribute to NCOs in Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race -- Chevy Rock & Roll 400 -- at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

The hood on Newman's U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevy will showcase the Year of the NCO logo along with the three-stripe Sergeant Insignia.

Considered the backbone of the U.S. Army, noncommissioned officers have played a vital role for more than 200 years.

"Honoring the NCO is a special tribute and it will be a privilege to represent this group of Army personnel," said Newman. "This is one of many incredible experiences I've been associated with this season as the driver of the U.S. Army car. To put the NCO Chevy in Victory Lane would make it an even better celebration."

The U.S. Army plans to honor local Virginia Noncommissioned Officers in a pre-race ceremony conducted on the Chevy Stage at 3 p.m. Saturday; honoring one Soldier with the highest recruiting achievement issued by the Army -- the Glen E. Morrell Award. The ceremony will be conducted by Command Sergeant Major Dennis King from Fort Monroe, Va.

Chase in Sight; Business as Usual for Newman, U.S. Army/Haas Automation Team

RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 9, 2009) -- For Ryan Newman the math is pretty simple, much easier than what he had to face while earning an engineering degree at Purdue University.

"This is not scientific and there's no need to crunch numbers," said Newman, when asked what it's going to take for his U.S. Army/Haas Automation team to qualify for NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. "If we continue to do what we've been doing we should be in good shape. It's a pretty basic formula."

Newman enters Saturday night's final pre-Chase race at the .75-mile Richmond International Raceway in ninth place, 84 points inside the Chase cut line. Following Richmond, the top-12 drivers in points will battle it out for the Cup championship in the final 10 races of the season.

Without being concerned about how other drivers finish, the easiest of the many Chase clinch scenarios for Newman and the No. 39 team is to finish 16th or better in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

A quick glance at Newman's short track record this year is an encouraging indicator for the Stewart-Haas team. In the four short track races of 2009, Newman has an average finish of 5.75. He had finishes of seventh and sixth at Bristol, sixth at Martinsville and fourth in the Richmond spring race.

"I do caution that nothing is safe and we're all well aware of what can happen on the racetrack," offered the 31-year-old Newman. "But with that said, I look forward to going back to Richmond -- it's a good track for the team and a good track for me. I feel we can win there and would like nothing better for our Soldiers than to follow my Army teammate, Tony Schumacher, who won the Top Fuel title at the recent NHRA U.S. Nationals."

In 15 career starts at Richmond, Newman has one win, five top fives, 9 top 10s for an average finish of 11.7 since 2002.

Newman, who will be driving the No. 39 Year of the NCO (noncommissioned officer) Chevrolet Impala SS at Richmond, said he has always felt that he would be in position of making the Chase with the new Stewart-Haas Racing team.

"I didn't feel like there was any reason why we shouldn't be in this position with the resources and people we have at SHR," stated Newman, who made the Chase the first two years of the championship format in 2004 and 2005, but has missed being in the final 12 the past three seasons.

"The first goal for everyone is to make the Chase," added Newman. "I've been there (in the Chase) and not been there. And when you're not there, it leaves with you an emptiness. Hopefully, we'll be feeling strong and full on Saturday night and ready to reload for the 10-race championship shootout."

The Chase begins the following week -- Sunday, Sept. 20 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

Newman's Richmond International Raceway Career Cup Record:

Year St Fn

2002 11 2

2 2

2003 5 39

4 1

2004 2 9

1 20

2005 2 3

8 12

2006 14 8

23 20

2007 30 6

4 11

2008 10 6

16 33

2009 10 4

No. 39 Over-the-Wall Crew (city is hometown)

Front-tire changer: Scott Brzozowski, Sterling Heights, Mich.

Front-tire carrier: Josh Mick, Houston, Texas

Rear-tire changer: Daniel Rankin, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Rear-tire carrier: Jason Fowler, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Gasman: Michael Moore, Springfield, Mass.

Jackman: Andrew Turner, Coloma, Mich.

Catch Can: Andy Rueger, Seymour, Ind.

Windshield: Jay Guarneri, Naples, Fla.

___________________________________________________

Crew Chief: Tony Gibson, Daytona Beach, Fla.

Car Chief: Kevin Pennell, Kannapolis, N.C.

Spotter: Greg Newman, South Bend, Ind.

Engine Specialist: Jay Nolan, Jacksonville, Fla.

Engineer: Johnny Klausmeier, Perry Hall, Md.

Engine: Hendrick Motorsports

Shock Specialist: Brian Holshouser, Charlotte

Tire Specialist: Ray Osian, Salisbury, N.C.

Mechanic: Joe Cline, Maiden, N.C.

Mechanic: Shawn Warren, Concord, N.C.

Pit Support: Chris Miller, Kannapolis, N.C.

Truck Drivers: Rick Hodges, Raleigh, N.C.

Todd Cable, Shelby, N.C.

Newman Qualifies 21st in Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 11, 2009) -- Ryan Newman will start 21st in Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway.

In Friday evening's time trials, Newman's No. 39 U.S. Army/Year of the NCO Chevrolet covered the .75-mile oval in 21.543 seconds at 125.331 miles per hour.

"That's pretty much all we had," said Newman. "We were obviously looking for a better starting position, but we'll just have to be patient and work our way through traffic tomorrow night."

Entering the final pre-Chase race, Newman is in ninth place in the driver standings, 84 points inside the Chase cut line.

"I know what we need to do mathematically but I also know that we are here to win the race," added Newman. "There would be nothing more satisfying than to win the race and be locked in and have some ultimate momentum for the Chase."

Newman's teammate, Tony Stewart, qualified 29th.

The pole winner was Mark Martin (126.808 mph). Rounding out the top-five in order were: Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne.

Saturday night's race will be televised on ABC, beginning with a prerace show at 7 p.m. ET.

STEWART-HAAS RACING

Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Qualifying

Date: Sept. 11, 2009

Event: Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Qualifying (Round 26 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Location: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (.75-mile oval)

Pole Winner: Mark Martin of Hendrick Motorsports (21.292 seconds at 126.808 mph)

SHR Lineup: Ryan Newman (21^st, 21.543 seconds at 125.331 mph)

Tony Stewart (29^th, 21.665 seconds at 124.625 mph)

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala SS, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent in time trials at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway by qualifying 21^st for Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Newman turned a lap of 21.543 seconds at 125.331 mph on the .75-mile oval.

"I don't know if I didn't drive it hard enough or what, but that was all I had out there," said Newman, who won at Richmond in September 2003. "I was happy with the car in practice, and we've been solid on the short tracks all season, so hopefully that will play into our favor. We know there is a lot at stake here tomorrow night as we try to lock ourselves into the Chase. We have to be aware of all of our situations and the offensive and defensive side of things and make sure we put ourselves in the best position, so if we don't win, we can still be in the right position for making that Chase."

Newman enters Richmond ninth in points, 81 markers ahead of 13^th-place Brian Vickers. If he finishes 16^th or better in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, he will qualify for the 12-driver Chase for the Championship.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala SS for SHR, qualified 29^th. The co-owner of SHR along with Oxnard, Calif.-based Haas Automation - the largest CNC machine tool builder in the western world - turned a lap of 21.665 seconds at 124.625 mph.

"I drove way too deep into (turn) one," said Stewart, who has three Sprint Cup wins at Richmond (September 1999, May 2001 and May 2002). "It's all about consistency, and that lap wasn't very consistent. But the car is good and we're in good shape for tomorrow night."

Stewart locked himself into the Chase three races ago by simply starting the Aug. 16 Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Mark Martin captured his 47^th career Sprint Cup pole, his sixth of the season and his fourth at Richmond with a time of 21.292 seconds at 126.808 mph. The pole position matches Martin's career season-high in poles, as he scored six poles in 1989.

Martin Truex Jr. (21.305 seconds at 126.731 mph) will start alongside Martin on the outside of row one, while Denny Hamlin (21.322 seconds at 126.630 mph), Jimmie Johnson (21.337 seconds at 126.541 mph) and Kasey Kahne (21.352 seconds at 126.452 mph) rounded out the top-five.

Forty-four drivers attempted to qualify for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. The lone driver not making the cut in the 43-car field was Tony Raines.

As far as manufacturers went, Chevrolet took the top spot via the pole run made by Martin. Toyota was next best at the hands of Hamlin, while Dodge was the third-fastest make thanks to Kahne. Tenth-quick Carl Edwards (21.465 seconds at 125.786 mph) carried the flag for Ford.

The Chevy Rock & Roll 400 gets underway at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Sept. 12 with live coverage provided by ABC beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m.

STEWART-HAAS RACING

Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Race Report

Date: Sept. 12, 2009

Event: Chevy Rock & Roll 400 (Round 26 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Location: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (.75-mile oval)

Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

SHR Finish: Ryan Newman (Started 21^st, Finished 10^th / Running, completed 400 of 400 laps)

Tony Stewart (Started 29^th, Finished 17^th / Running, completed 400 of 400 laps)

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala SS, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway by finishing 10^th in Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

The result earned Newman a spot in the 12-driver Chase for the Championship, as he's now slotted 10^th, 40 points behind new Chase leader Mark Martin. With Newman in the Chase, SHR has placed both of its drivers in the Chase, an impressive feat for any organization, let alone one in its inaugural season. Tony Stewart, Newman's teammate and car owner, claimed his Chase berth four races ago by simply starting the Aug. 16 Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Stewart drove his No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala SS to a 17^th-place finish at Richmond and is seeded second in the Chase, 10 points behind Martin.

Denny Hamlin beat Kurt Busch by .378 of a second to win the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 and score the sixth victory of his Sprint Cup career, his second of the season and his first at Richmond. The win was especially meaningful to Hamlin as he grew up in Chesterfield, Va., just 22 miles from Richmond International Raceway.

Finishing third was Jeff Gordon, while Martin and Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five. Clint Bowyer, Brian Vickers, Sam Hornish Jr., Kevin Harvick and Newman comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were 10 caution periods for 56 laps, with six drivers failing to finish the 400-lap race.

Richmond marked the last race of the regular season, as the Chase for the Championship now begins. This is Stewart's fifth appearance in the Chase and the third for Newman. Stewart won the Chase in 2005 - the second year of the format - to collect his second Sprint Cup championship. (Stewart's first championship came in 2002 under the old NASCAR Winston Cup Series format.) Newman finished seventh in his Chase debut in 2004 and sixth in 2005.

Only the top-12 drivers in points are eligible to compete for the Chase for the Championship. NASCAR recalibrated the points for those in the top-12 as soon as the Richmond race was over, with each driver getting 5,000 points, plus 10 bonus points for each of their respective wins during the 26-race regular season. For drivers starting the Chase with identical point totals, their seed was determined by the traditional tiebreaker of best finishes beyond race victories.

Ranked in order of where their bonus points seeded them, the drivers competing for this year's championship are:

1. Mark Martin (5,040 points)

•2. Tony Stewart (5,030 points, -10)

3. Jimmie Johnson (5,030 points, -10)
4. Denny Hamlin (5,020 points -20)
5. Kasey Kahne (5,020 points, -20)
6. Jeff Gordon (5,010 points, -30)
7. Kurt Busch (5,010 points, -30)
8. Brian Vickers (5,010 points, -30)
9. Carl Edwards (5,000 points -40)

•10. Ryan Newman (5,000 points, -40)

11. Juan Pablo Montoya (5,000 points, -40)
12. Greg Biffle (5,000 points, -40)

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule - the first race of the 10-race Chase for the Championship - is the Sept. 20 Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The race begins at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ABC beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m.

Newman Makes Chase; Finishes 10th in Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 12, 2009) -- Ryan Newman secured a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup after finishing 10th in Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

The U.S. Army/Haas Automation driver made yet another late-race comeback as he took over the 10th position on the final lap of the 400-lap race at the .75-mile short track. It was the third straight top-10 for Newman and his 12th of the season.

Regarding the Chase, it will be the first time in three years that Newman will be involved in the championship format. He did however earn a spot in the Chase during the first two years of the competition -- in 2004 and 2005.

"If feels awesome, especially after not making it (Chase) for so many years," said an elated Newman. "We just never let up all season in the Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala SS. When things wouldn't go right we would just battle harder.

"This is our payback to our Soldiers who give us the mental strength and inspiration to keep on pounding away until the mission is completed. I'm so proud to represent the U.S. Army and knowing that I'm driving for over a million Soldiers fighting for our freedom. This is a win for them, too."

Tony Stewart, Newman's teammate and co-owner of the Stewart-Haas Racing team, finished 17th in the race and is also Chase bound, giving the first-year organization two positions in NASCAR's championship playoffs.

"We just did what we wanted to do and that's why it feels so good," explained Newman. "It's a dream come true. To think back to Daytona going through basically three race cars and make it to Richmond here and be in this position, it says a lot about the hard work that (crew chief) Tony Gibson, (owner) Tony Stewart and everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing have put into this effort.

"We still have the final 10 (Chase) races to go and need to pick up our performance a little bit. Those 10 races are all about having fun -- can't really lose anything, but there's a lot to gain."

Newman is positioned 10th in the Chase seeding while Stewart is seeded second. (see below for Chase seeds)

The 10-race, 12-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup begins Sunday (Sept. 20) at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

The Richmond race winner was Denny Hamlin. Rounding out the top-five in order were: Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Kyle Busch.

Chase Seeds

1. Mark Martin, 5040 points

2. Tony Stewart, 5030

3. Jimmie Johnson, 5030

4. Denny Hamlin, 5020

5. Kasey Kahne, 5020

6. Jeff Gordon, 5010

7. Kurt Busch, 5010

8. Brian Vickers, 5010