AAA 400

STEWART-HAAS RACING: WEEKEND LINEUP

Sept. 25-27, 2009

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - AAA 400

Venue / Location: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile oval)

SHR Driver Lineup: Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet Impala SS

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

Qualifying: 3 p.m. EDT on Friday, Sept. 25 with live broadcast on ESPN2

Time / Date / TV: 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 27 with live broadcast on ABC (race starts at 2 p.m.)

NASCAR Nationwide Series - Dover 200

Venue / Location: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile oval)

SHR Driver Lineup: Ryan Newman in the No. 33 Copart Chevrolet Impala SS (driving for Kevin Harvick Inc.)

Qualifying: 10:30 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Sept. 26 with live broadcast on ESPN2

Time / Date / TV: 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Sept. 26 with live broadcast on ESPN2 (race starts at 3:30 p.m.)

Newman Looking to Stay in Chase Hunt with Another Solid Finish

DOVER, Del (Sept. 22, 2009) -- There's still a ways to go before the 12 Chase drivers can say it's now like the back nine on Sunday at the Masters -- a phrase commonly used for the down-the-stretch finish at the season's first major golf tournament.

But with nine of the 10 Chase races remaining, Ryan Newman and the No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation team are feeling upbeat, which is based on their solid start in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup along with the site of the second event in the championship format.

Newman finished seventh Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the opening round of the Chase. He enters this Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway in seventh place in the championship standings, 79 points behind leader Mark Martin.

"We're in the hunt and that's where you want to be early in the competition," said Newman. "You want to remain consistent and not dig yourself into a deep hole. You always hear drivers say that you can lose the championship in the first couple of races, but not win it. That's why I was pleased with our start in New Hampshire. Maybe the finish could have been a little better, but overall, it was a nice way to kick off the Chase in the Soldiers' car."

What has Newman excited about this weekend's race is that he is going to Dover, one of his favorite, if not his favorite track on the NASCAR circuit.

"It's a lot of fun to drive there, I really like the banking," said Newman about the all-concrete Dover track. "Dover ranks right up there as one of my favorite places to race. Once you get a race car right there, it usually stays right all day."

Newman knows exactly how the car should feel at Dover. In 15 career starts at the Monster Mile he has notched three wins, six top fives, nine top 10s and four poles. He finished eighth in Dover's June race in his Army/Haas Automation Chevy Impala SS.

His Dover statistics also include: 8.53 average start, 10.33 average finish and 813 laps led.

"We had a shot at winning the race in June," recalled Newman. "So we feel that we should have a pretty good handle with the car setup. What hurt us in New Hampshire was our starting position (18th). We're going to need to be better than that in Dover. I enjoy qualifying at Dover -- it's fast and I like the challenge of dropping off into the corners and the way it pushes you down in the seat when you're coming off the turns."

Newman's Career Results at Dover

St Fn

2002 38 4

4 8

2003 1 1

5 1

2004 2 24

2 1

2005 4 8

1 5

2006 1 14

4 24

2007 1 2

24 28

2008 11 14

19 13

2009 11 8

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.

STEWART-HAAS RACING

AAA 400 Qualifying

Date: Sept. 25, 2009

Event: AAA 400 Qualifying (Round 28 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Location: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile concrete oval)

Pole Winner: Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports (22.878 seconds at 157.356 mph)

SHR Lineup: Ryan Newman (3^rd, 23.019 seconds at 156.393 mph)

Tony Stewart (22^nd, 23.296 seconds at 154.533 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 Dover (Del.) International Speedway by qualifying third for Sunday's AAA 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Newman turned a lap of 23.019 seconds at 156.393 mph on the 1-mile concrete oval.

"I was good in turns one and two and a little snug in (turns) three and four during that lap, but overall it was a really good effort and a good lap for the U.S. Army Chevrolet," said Newman, who has three Sprint Cup wins at Dover. "We've got a new tire this weekend. This place is one of the toughest, if not the toughest on tires, but I think Goodyear did a good job with this tire here, at least up to this point. And it's laying some rubber on the racetrack. That definitely helps with tire wear, which helps for tire safety in the long run. I think we've got something we can for sure be safe with, and more importantly, put on a good race."

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet Impala SS for SHR, qualified 22^nd with a time of 23.296 seconds at 154.533 mph.

"The one thing we've been fighting today is getting our car to land on the track," said Stewart, who has two Sprint Cup wins at Dover. "You drop way down the hill to go into the corner and when you get to the bottom you want the car to be smooth on landing, and we've been fighting that with our Burger King Chevy a little today."

Jimmie Johnson captured his 21^st career Sprint Cup pole, his second of the season and his second at Dover by posting a lap of 22.878 seconds at 157.356 mph.

Juan Pablo Montoya will start alongside Johnson on the outside of row one, as he timed in at 22.974 seconds at 156.699 mph. Newman was third, while Greg Biffle (23.035 seconds at 156.284 mph) and David Reutimann (23.080 seconds at 155.979 mph) rounded out the top-five.

Forty-four drivers attempted to qualify for the AAA 400. Scott Wimmer was the lone driver unable to make the 43-car field.

As far as manufacturers went, Chevrolet swept the top three spots thanks to the qualifying efforts of Johnson, Montoya and Newman. Ford was next best at the hands of Biffle, while Toyota was the third-fastest make thanks to Reutimann. Kasey Kahne, who qualified sixth (23.096 seconds at 155.871 mph_, was the top Dodge.

The AAA 400 gets underway at 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 27 with live coverage provided by ABC beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m.

Newman Qualifies 3rd in Dover

DOVER, Del. (Sept. 25, 2009) -- Ryan Newman produced a strong qualifying effort Friday, and as a result, will start third for Sunday's AAA 400 Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway.

Newman's No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala SS toured Dover's Monster Mile in 23.019 seconds at 156.393 miles per hour. The two drivers in front of him -- pole winner Jimmie Johnson and Juan Pablo Montoya -- recorded times of 22.878 and 22.974 respectively.

It was the best qualifying performance for Newman since he put the No. 39 car on the pole at the Charlotte race in May.

"This was a great effort by the Army/Haas Automation team," said Newman. "We didn't unload that strong today but the guys kept on making the car better in practice. It's important to qualify up front because it's hard to pass due to the cars being similar. We didn't have that good of starting positions at the last three races but still managed top-10 finishes. Hopefully we can take advantage of where we are starting here and pull off a top-five or better finish."

Newman's teammate, Tony Stewart, qualified 22nd.

One of the 12 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, Newman enters Sunday's race in seventh place in the point standings.

The AAA 400 will be televised on ABC, starting with a prerace show at 1 p.m. ET.

Note: Newman will also compete in Saturday's Nationwide Series race, driving the No. 33 Chevy for Kevin Harvick, Inc.

Newman Scores 10th-Place Finish in Dover; Remains 7th in Chase Points

DOVER, Del. (Sept. 27, 2009) -- Call it a status quo race for Ryan Newman, who posted another top-10 finish and remained seventh in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings.

Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet, posted a 10th-place result in Sunday's AAA 400 Cup event at Dover International Speedway.

It was the fifth-straight top-10 and the 14th of the season for Newman, who finished eighth in Dover's June race.

Though he stayed seventh in the standings, Newman lost ground in points and is 110 markers behind leader Mark Martin with eight Chase races remaining.

"We've been consistent, but we need to be consistent with better results," said Newman. "This is a brutally tough competition and we can still do it. We just need to get hotter than we currently are and string together some top fives and get a win or two. It's all doable, but we need to be up there with the 5 (Mark Martin) and the 48 (Jimmie Johnson). From here on in we need to follow the same kind of mental and emotional toughness that our Army Strong Soldiers possess."

Newman, who qualified third, bolted to the front early in the race. He took over the lead on Lap 29 of 400 and stayed out front for the next 29 laps. But then handling issues started to creep in, which curtailed Newman's effort for the remainder of the race at the all-concrete Monster Mile.

"We really struggled getting into the corner, which we didn't in practice," said Newman, who ran in the top-10 for virtually the entire race. "We made a couple of changes overnight and I think we hurt ourselves with the U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala SS. What we did to fix the first third hurt the second two-thirds. We did it just to make it so we could survive the race."

Regarding the car's handling problems, crew chief Tony Gibson, said, "We took a number of swings at the car's setup, but really never connected the way we were hoping to. I know top 10s aren't bad, but we also know we're capable of better finishes. There's still plenty of racing left."

Newman's teammate, Tony Stewart, finished ninth and is fifth in the point standings.

The race winner was Jimmie Johnson. Rounding out the top-five in order were: Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Juan Pablo Montoya and Kurt Busch.

The next Sprint Cup race is Sunday (Oct. 4) at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.

Chase Point Standings after Dover, Sept. 27, 2009

1. Mark Martin, 5400 points

2. Jimmie Johnson, 5390 (-10)

3. Juan Pablo Montoya, 5335 (-65)

4. Kurt Busch, 5325 (-75)

5. Tony Stewart, 5294 (-106)

6. Denny Hamlin, 5292 (-108)

7. Ryan Newman, 5290 (-110)

8. Jeff Gordon, 5278 (-122)

9. Greg Biffle, 5262 (-138)

10. Brian Vickers, 5249 (-151)

11. Carl Edwards, 5247 (-153)

12. Kasey Kahne, 5211 (-189)

STEWART-HAAS RACING

AAA 400 Race Report

Date: Sept. 27, 2009

Event: AAA 400 (Round 28 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Location: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile concrete oval)

Winner: Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

SHR Finish: Tony Stewart (Started 22^nd, Finished 9^th / Running, completed 400 of 400 laps)

Ryan Newman (Started 3^rd, Finished 10^th / Running, completed 400 of 400 laps)

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet Impala SS, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent at Dover (Del.) International Speedway by finishing ninth in Sunday's AAA 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. It was Stewart's 19^th top-10 finish of 2009 and his 14^th top-10 in 22 career Sprint Cup starts at Dover.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala SS for SHR, finished 10^th. The result was Newman's 14^th top-10 of the season and his 10^th top-10 in 16 career Sprint Cup starts at the 1-mile concrete oval.

The last time both SHR drivers finished in the top-10 was July 11 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., where Stewart finished fourth and Newman sixth.

Jimmie Johnson beat his Hendrick Motorsport teammate Mark Martin by 1.970 seconds to win the AAA 400 and score the 44^th victory of his Sprint Cup career, his fourth of the season and his fifth at Dover. The win put Johnson in a tie with Bill Elliott for 14^th on the all-time Sprint Cup victory list.

Finishing third was Matt Kenseth, while Juan Pablo Montoya and Kurt Busch rounded out the top-five. Jeff Gordon, A.J. Allmendinger, Kasey Kahne, Stewart and Newman comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were nine caution periods for 38 laps, with 11 drivers failing to finish the 400-lap race.

Both SHR drivers are represented in this year's Chase for the Championship. Stewart moved from sixth to fifth and is 106 points behind Chase leader Martin. Newman remained seventh, 110 markers out of first.

With eight races remaining before a champion is crowned following the season-finale Nov. 22 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the top-12 drivers competing for the title rank as follows:

1. Mark Martin (5,400 points) +/- 0
2. Jimmie Johnson (5,390 points, -10) +/- 0
3. Juan Pablo Montoya (5,335 points, -65) +1
4. Kurt Busch (5,325 points, -75) +1

•5. Tony Stewart (5,294 points, -106) +1

6. Denny Hamlin (5,292 points, -108) -3

•7. Ryan Newman (5,290 points, -110) +/- 0

8. Jeff Gordon (5,278 points, -122) +2
9. Greg Biffle (5,262 points, -138) +/- 0
10. Brian Vickers (5,249 points, -151) -2
11. Carl Edwards (5,247 points, -153) +/- 0
12. Kasey Kahne (5,211 points, -189) +/- 0

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule - the third race of the 10-race Chase for the Championship - is the Oct. 4 Price Chopper 400 presented by Kraft Foods at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. The race begins at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ABC beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m.