Race 2 Win: MBNA America 400 - Ryan Newman Notes

Nextel Cup Series

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MBNA America 400 - Ryan Newman Notes

Ryan Newman/Dover Advance

Notes:

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge, will make his sixth start at Dover International Speedway this Sunday in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Newman has earned one pole, two victories, three top-five and four top-10 finishes at the speedway.

In June, Newman posted his first finish outside of the top-10 at Dover. While leading, Newman spun entering pit road for a green-flag pit stop. He then ran out of fuel during the caution period, causing a lengthy delay as NASCAR officials tried to place him on the scoring grid. Newman was caught in a multi-car accident on the restart, leaving him to finish 24th.

Newman swept both NASCAR Cup events at Dover in 2003. In June, Newman battled the loss of power steering to win, which he often says is the victory in which he's most proud. In September, he overcame a two-lap deficit to score his seventh victory of the 2003 season.

Newman has three top-five and four top-10 finishes at Dover, for an average finish of 7.60.

Newman has started inside the top five in the past four Dover events. He earned the pole and won the race in the June 2003 race. Newman's average start at Dover is 10.00.

Crew chief Matt Borland and the ALLTEL team will take chassis No. 46 to Dover this weekend. PRS-46 is the ALLTEL team's "Pole Car." The chassis won three of the team's four poles it has earned this season. It was raced most recently at Bristol Motor Speedway where the ALLTEL team qualified fourth and finished second. PRS-46 was raced at Dover in June, where Newman qualified second and led nine laps before finishing 24th.

Newman has an average starting position this season of 8.48, second only to Jeff Gordon. He and Gordon also lead all drivers with 18 top-10 starts.

The No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge team currently sits ninth in the NNCS point standings, 136 points behind the leaders Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kurt Busch.

The MBNA America 400 at Dover International Speedway will air live on TNT at 12:30 p.m. EDT. MRN Radio will also cover the event, starting at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

Quotes:
Newman on Dover: "Dover demands so much from a driver, both physically and mentally, which is why I enjoy it so much. There is no 'relaxation' time, except for cautions. The car will fluctuate between tight and loose all day. The driver, the crew chief and the team-they all have their hands full at Dover. You have to be on top of your game and be ready for anything and everything at this track."

Newman on the "Chase for the Championship": "No matter what happened at Loudon, we're still going in to every race with the goals of winning, leading the most laps and getting every bonus point possible. I look forward to the opportunity for the last nine races. I think we've learned a lot getting up to these last 10 races. I think you'll see a lot stronger 12 car in the last 10.

"We went from a situation at Loudon where we could've left only 30 points behind, but instead we're 136 behind. We went out on top though. We were fast and it felt great all day. We're just going to work harder and fight harder to make up for that. I feel that the ALLTEL team is prepared to do that."

Stats:
Dover International Speedway Starts: 5 Races Led: 3 for a total of 277 laps
Top-fives: 3 Top 10s: 4
Poles: 1 (June 2003) Wins: 2 (June 2003 and September 2003)

Appearances:

Nextel Wake-Up Call, Dover International Speedway Infield Media Center, Saturday, Sept. 25, 8:30 a.m. EDT.

Autograph Session, ALLTEL Team Caliber Souvenir Trailer, Saturday, Sept. 25, approximately 1:30 p.m. EDT.

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