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NEWS
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PHOTO GALLERIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR
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CHASSIS NOTES
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PRS-527:
The No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger at
Bristol was first tested at Phoenix
International Raceway last week. Bristol
will mark the car’s first race action.
PRS-513: The backup car is the
same No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger that
has served as the backup at California,
Las Vegas and Atlanta already this
season.
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 Bristol
Motor Speedway
Bristol, TN
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Appearance
Schedule |
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| DATE |
START |
FINISH |
LAPS
COMPLETED |
MONEY
WON |
| Mar. 2002 |
8 |
37 |
429/500 |
$57,160.00 |
| Aug. 2002 |
14 |
36 |
454/500 |
$59,605.00 |
| Mar. 2003 |
1 |
22 |
496/500 |
$97,940.00 |
| Aug. 2003 |
6 |
6 |
500/500 |
$111,940.00 |
| Mar. 2004 |
1 |
7 |
500/500 |
$124,862.00 |
| Aug. 2004 |
4 |
2 |
500/500 |
$213,887.00 |
| Mar. 2005 |
7 |
30 |
418/500 |
$122,726.00 |
| Aug. 2005 |
6 |
39 |
317/500 |
$125,151.00 |
| Mar. 2006 |
6 |
9 |
500/500 |
$129,258.00 |
| Aug. 2006 |
21 |
8 |
500/500 |
$144,808.00 |
| Mar. 2007 |
22 |
39 |
449/504 |
$111,850.00 |
| Aug. 2007 |
7 |
7 |
500/500 |
$139,775.00 |
| STARTS: |
POLES: |
TOP 5s: |
TOP 10s: |
WINS: |
LAPS
COMPLETED: |
MONEY WON: |
| 12 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
5563/6004 |
$1,438,962.00 |
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PIT
CREW |
| Crew Chief |
Roy McCauley |
Davidsonville, Md. |
| Team Engineer |
Travis Geisler |
Pittsburgh, Penn. |
| Car Chief |
Bryan Dilly |
Ringwood, N.J. |
| Front-tire Carrier |
Scott Reiniger |
Salisbury, N.C. |
| Front-tire Changer |
Ben Brown |
Charlotte, N.C. |
| Jackman |
Bryan White |
Knoxville, Tenn. |
| Rear-tire Carrier |
Trent Cherry |
Charlotte, N.C. |
| Rear-tire Changer |
Joe Piette |
Wausaw, Wis. |
| Gasman |
George Whitley |
Chocowinity, N.C. |
| Catch Can |
Britt Goodrich |
Gastonia, N.C. |
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 BAD LUCK BITES RYAN
NEWMAN AT BRISTOL
BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 16, 2008) – Ryan Newman, driver
of the Penske Racing No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, finished 33rd
in Sunday’s Food City 500 NASCAR Cup event at Bristol Motor
Speedway. Although Newman’s run looked promising as one of the
fastest cars of the .533-mile oval, a wreck near the midpoint of
the race took Newman out of contention.
“It was a rough ending for the Alltel Dodge Charger,” Newman
said after the race. “We had a fast car all day, but just got
caught up in a wreck. When you race here you have to have your
car in one piece in at the end, but we just had some bad luck in
the middle of the race.”
Following five NASCAR Cup races, Newman is currently eighth
in the 2008 point standings, 147 points behind leader Kyle
Busch.
After rain cancelled qualifying, Newman was scheduled to
start in 13th-place based on the final 2007 NASCAR Cup point
standings. However, due to an engine change during the second
practice on Saturday afternoon, Newman and the Alltel team had
to start at the rear of the field for Sunday’s race.
“Bristol is not the track where you want to start last,”
Newman said following the engine change. “But we’re going to do
the best we can. We just have to be patient and calm.”
At the start of the race, Newman had his work cut out for him
and he patiently worked his way through traffic and was able to
hang on to the lead lap pack despite being stalked closely by
the leader.
At lap 50, NASCAR threw a mandatory caution flag for teams to
check tire wear due to constant rains on Friday and Saturday.
Newman, who was sitting in 35th-place, told his crew that his
No. 12 Alltel Dodge was handling a bit too tight and did not
rotate through the center of the corners as well as he would
like. Newman pitted and the Alltel crew made adjustments to the
air pressure and track bar, as well as changing four tires and
adding fuel. The No. 12 restarted in 31st place.
“We were stuck in traffic quite a bit there,” Newman told
crew chief Roy McCauley after the stop. “We have a better car
than what we’re showing.”
After the race restarted, Newman continued to methodically
make his way through the field and was in 23rd-place when the
third caution of the day came out at lap 93. Newman told the
Alltel team that the car was still a “tick too tight,” but that
it was definitely better than it had previously been.
The Alltel pit crew made another air pressure and track bar
adjustment, changed four tires and added fuel. Newman restarted
the race in the 22nd spot at lap 100.
When a quick caution came out at lap 120, Newman and the team
elected to stay out and pick up valuable track position at the
Tennessee short track rather than pit. Newman gained seven spots
and restarted in 13th-place.
Although the Alltel Dodge Charger was still battling a tight
handling condition, Newman was able to move into the top 10 for
the first time by lap 140. However at lap 190, two cars wrecked
while battling for position and Newman was left with no place to
go except straight into the five-car wreck.
The altercation left the No. 12 Alltel Dodge with heavy
damage to the left rear quarter panel and the left side of the
rear bumper, as well as right front-fender damage.
“The 26 and the 40 (cars) got crossed-up and turned around,”
Newman said. “Then the 15 (car) spun in front of me and I had
nowhere to go and I hit him. Then I got T-boned – that was
pretty much our day. “
Under the caution period following the accident, Newman made
three pit stops so that the Alltel team could pull out and
repair damaged sheet metal, change tires, add fuel and adjust
the track bar.
When the race restarted on lap 197, Newman was in 35th-place,
one lap down to the leader.
Newman’s bad luck continued on lap 214 when NASCAR
black-flagged the No. 12, requiring them to stop and to repair
more damaged sheet metal from the accident. The team made the
required pit stop under green flag conditions, at which point
the Alltel team taped up the battered sheet metal, did
additional repair work and made a track bar adjustment to assist
Newman’s now loose-handling condition.
Following this extended pit stop, Newman returned to the
track in 39th spot, four laps down to the leaders.
The bad luck did not dissuade the Alltel team, as Newman
continued to drive hard, with lap times comparable to the
top-five contenders.
“Ryan, I know this isn’t any fun, but you’re doing a good job
out there,” McCauley said. “We’re picking up spots, so keep
doing what you are doing.”
The Alltel team continued to work on the No. 12 car and an
extended caution period at lap 278 provided an opportunity to
make a series of pit stops to work on the front-wheel toe of the
car. The work helped Newman pilot the car for the remainder of
the race.
“We have a fast car if we can get it fixed right,” Newman
said before coming down pit road. “We should be pretty close to
where we were if we can get the steering back right.”
Over the course of the next 200 laps, Newman patiently worked
to gain as many positions as possible. He moved as high as 30th
before enduring another setback at lap 450, when his right front
tire slowly lost air and went flat, forcing the team to pit for
two right side tires. This green flag pit stop cost Newman three
more laps to the leaders and put him in 34th place.
Only one more position could be gained before the checkered
flag waved and Newman finished 33rd.
“It was a fast race car,” Newman told his crew at the end of
the race.
The NASCAR Cup Series has the week off next week for the
Easter holiday. Newman and the No. 12 Alltel Dodge team will
return to action at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, March 30
for the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at 2 p.m. ET. The race can be
seen on FOX and heard live on MRN Radio.
 NEWMAN TO
START 13th IN FOOD CITY 500
BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 14, 2008) - Daytona 500
winner Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No.12 Alltel
Dodge Charger, will start 13th in the Food City 500 on Sunday
afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Inclement weather forced the cancellation of qualifying and
shortened practice on Friday. Per the NASCAR Rule Book, the
field was set by the 2007 owner points. This is the second time
this season that NASCAR Cup qualifying has been rained out. It
was also rained out at California Speedway.
"We were able to get about an hour of practice in earlier today
before the rain came," Newman said. "I think we were definitely
headed in the right direction with what we were doing to the
Alltel Dodge before we got rained out. Roy (McCauley - crew
chief) and the guys have a good plan and know what I need to
have a good car for Sunday's race. Hopefully, we'll be able to
get some more practice in tomorrow although they are calling on
rain."
Newman has one win and two top-10s in four races this season. He
has not finished outside of the top 15, and he is currently
fourth in the Cup points standings. At Bristol, Newman has one
top-five and six top-10s in Cup competition. He and McCauley
combined for one win at Bristol in the Nationwide Series in
2005.
The Food City 500 will air live on FOX on Sunday, March 16,
2008, beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET. The race will also be broadcast
live on PRN beginning at 2 p.m.
PENSKE RACING TEAMMATES
7. Sam Hornish Jr.
36. Kurt Busch
ALLTEL “MY CIRCLE
500”
Alltel will once again sponsor the “My Circle 500”
sweepstakes, a national text-to-win promotion that puts race
fans in the driver’s seat for a chance to win a grand prize
of up to $500,000. From now until May 3, fans can enter the
Alltel “My Circle 500” by texting RACE to 38229 or by
logging onto
www.alltelracing.com.
The 10 sweepstakes finalists and their ‘Circle of Friends’
will win an all-expense-paid trip to Charlotte, N.C., May
23-26 to compete in the second annual Alltel “My Circle
500.” The finalists will get in the driver’s seat and take
one lap around the go-kart track. Then, it’s up to their
‘Circle of Friends’ to change four tires on the No. 12
Alltel Dodge. The fastest team will be declared the winner
and take home at least $200,000. The champions will receive
an additional $300,000 if they beat the time of 2008 Daytona
500 champion Ryan Newman and the Alltel pit crew –
increasing the grand prize purse to $500,000.
Notes
- Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No. 12 Alltel
Dodge Charger, has two poles at Bristol Motor Speedway and
six top-10 finishes in his NASCAR Cup career. Newman’s best
result at the short track is a second-place effort, which
came during the fall night race in 2004.
- In six starts at Bristol in the NASCAR Nationwide Series
(NNS), Newman has one pole, one win and five top-10
finishes.
- Newman holds the qualifying record at Bristol Motor
Speedway. He established the all-time track mark in March
2003, when he turned a qualifying lap of 128.709 mph (14.908
seconds). It was on that qualifying run that Newman earned
the nickname “Rocket Man” from the television broadcasters
covering the event.
- This Sunday’s race at Bristol won’t be the first time
that crew chief Roy McCauley and Newman have tackled the
high-banked track together. In 2005, the pair won the NNS
race at Bristol in dominating fashion for Penske Racing.
After starting third, Newman led 114 laps at the .533-mile
bullring. It was one of six races the Newman-McCauley duo
won in NNS competition in 2005.
- McCauley followed up his NNS victory at Bristol Motor
Speedway with another win at the short track in the spring
of 2006 as the crew chief for Kurt Busch and the No. 2
Penske Racing Dodge in the NASCAR Cup Series.
- Before heading to Bristol, Newman will travel to Dodge
headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., on Thursday to
celebrate this season’s Daytona 500 victory with Dodge
employees. Newman will take the opportunity to thank Dodge
for its continued support and salute the employees for all
their hard work. Newman also will visit Penske Corporate
Headquarters while in Michigan.
GOING TO BRISTOL: “I think the people at Bristol and
the speedway did a good job re-doing it. The track is better
racing-wise than it ever has been. I think that a lot of the
fans are disappointed in the lack of bumping and the lack of
pushing that happens now compared to the way it was, but the
racing from where I sit is by far better and I look forward to
going there. We had a decent run in both the Nationwide and Cup
cars there last year and I’m excited about going back there.”
SURVIVING BRISTOL: “Bristol has always been a game of
survival. Everything happens so fast there. It’s really amazing.
I learned that in 2003 when I won the pole there. I knew I had a
good car, but I never anticipated that I could put down a lap
that fast. You just don’t realize how quickly everything happens
at Bristol. You could have the best car out there, but it is
completely out of your hands. One minute you could be running in
the lead and just seconds later, you could be wrecked in the
corner and out of the race and it be no fault of your own. You
won’t even realize what has happened to you until afterwards.
Roy and I have a good history at Bristol together, and we are
looking forward to running our first Cup race there together.”
WINNING AT BRISTOL: “Bristol is its own unique
animal, and just because I have led teams that have won,
that doesn’t mean that I have any kind of advantage. Just
look at Rusty Wallace. He won there nine times, but he also
lost there about 40 times, too. My history of winning there
is just that — it’s the past. We had the total package at
the right time when we won at Bristol in the past — we had a
good team, a good driver and a good car. And that’s what it
takes to win. We’re going to go to Bristol this weekend with
what we think is the best package to win. But at Bristol,
you also have to survive. It’s a matter of keeping your nose
clean and trying to survive the first 400 laps and putting
yourself in position to go for the win in the last 100 laps.
We have the driver and team to do that.”
RACING AT BRISTOL: “The Alltel team had a very
good race at Bristol last fall. What they did with the track
has been really good for the cars and the teams. The drivers
had more lines to race last year, which was a great change.
Before there was one line, and there was a good chance you
were going to get rooted out of that line and wrecked. Now,
they can race. They have helped the cars in that they can
survive on this race track, which is easier on the crews and
the driver.”
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