Newman Attempts to Make Winston Cup Debut

Ryan Newman, driver of the 02 ALLTEL Taurus, will be attempting to make his NASCAR Winston Cup debut this weekend when the series makes its annual visit to Phoenix for the Checker Auto Parts 500.

RYAN NEWMAN --02-- ALLTEL Taurus -- HOW DID YOUR PHOENIX TEST GO? "We had two really great two-day tests. It was a different kind of test for me because we went out and it was 110 degrees and the track temperature was 150 degrees, so we had some pretty hot conditions which made the times a little bit off. But it was really great to go out and learn what a race setup is gonna be like and what a qualifying setup is going to be like and, for me, coming from open wheel race cars we've always had two laps to qualify and I have to go out to Phoenix and put my best lap together in a one-lap qualifying run in order to try to make it into my first Winston Cup race."

HOW HARD HAS IT BEEN GOING FROM OPEN WHEEL TO STOCK CARS? "It hasn't been hard to change the focus, basically because there are so many great people here at Penske. To have people like Rusty Wallace and Jeremy as teammates, the knowledge base of those drivers, of the crew chiefs. My crew chief, Matt Borland, and Robin Pemberton work real well together and all the people and guys on the crew have made my focussing very easy as far as the driver and getting along with the people on the team."

WHAT HAS BUDDY BAKER TAUGHT YOU AND WHAT'S THAT BEEN LIKE? "Buddy has been to every test except for the last Phoenix test that we had and he has done so much for me in order just to gain confidence. In a qualifying run, what to expect from tires that are brand new and what to expect from tires that are 40 or 50 laps old in a race run. As far as what the car is gonna do when it burns off fuel and how different air conditions effect the downforce of the car. He's just given me so much confidence to be able to go out and run that fast lap in a mock-up qualifying run and to try to be patient and confident in my race car."

DO YOU FEEL MORE PRESSURE MAKING THIS JUMP? "I think the pressure is there, but I try my best not to let it affect me. It's a dream come true as an Indiana native to come down and race here in the Winston Cup Series, so I want to make the best of it. That pressure can destruct you and it's there to hurt you. I guess pressure never usually makes you perform better because you always want to perform the best, so I just look forward to trying to make our best attempt to qualify for the Phoenix race and then help out teammates in Rusty and Jeremy and try for a one-two-three finish."

IS PHOENIX A GOOD PLACE FOR YOU TO TRY AND MAKE YOUR FIRST NWC RACE? "Yeah, I've got a lot of laps previous to this weekend just in Silver Crown and midgets for the Copper World Classic that's held every February in Phoenix. I've got a lot of laps -- 50-lap races and 25-lap races in USAC, midget and Silver Crown cars and it's a really neat race track. It's a driver's race track meaning that both ends of the race track -- one and two and three and four -- are both different so it's challenging as far as thinking about what you have to do to be fast and be consistent and be patient at that race track."

WHAT'S BEEN THE TOUGHEST PART OF THIS TRANSITION FROM OPEN WHEEL TO STOCK CARS? "Off the top of my head I can think of three things. The biggest thing is just the overall weight difference of the car. I came from a car that weighed 1500 pounds and carried 350 pounds of fuel for a race and now I'm moving to a car that weighs 3400 pounds and carries 150-200 pounds of fuel for a race and it's different in the respect of trying to get that weight moving and getting that weight stopped as far as cornering. Another big change for me was that every car I've driven previously, I sat in the middle of the race car. It's been a front-engine car where I sat in the middle of the car and now I'm sitting off to the left side, the driver's side, and that's been a pretty big change just from the aspect of seeing where the right-front corner is and feeling how the car is gonna roll through a corner and aspects like that. The third biggest thing, I guess, is just the fact that with such a heavy car there is less rubber on the ground than what I'm used to. I'm used to an 18-inch right-rear tire and I'm dealing with four 10-inch tires now. The way the tires fall off and the way you have to be patient throughout a run. To slow down two-tenths of a lap at the beginning of a run to be three-tenths of a lap faster at the end of a run has been a big change for me."

HAS THE TEAM DONE ANYTHING TO GET YOU READY FOR THE LENGTH OF THESE RACES? "Yeah, we've done the best we can to have a good race setup. Our main goal when we get there is to get qualified and, of course, we're going there also to win the race and help our teammates Rusty and Jeremy to have the opportunity to win the race. So we've done quite a few long runs just to feel the car out and to make sure that I'm comfortable in the car because you can go 70 laps into a run and realize that your left leg is cramping up because of the way you're pushing on the pedal, and you need to change that. My team and crew have practiced all the possible opportunities to either be comfortable or not be comfortable in those situations."