Race 2 Win: Brickyard 400 - Ryan Newman Notes

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Brickyard 400 - Ryan Newman Notes

Ryan Newman/Brickyard 400 Advance

Notes:

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge, will make his fourth career start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this Sunday. Newman has earned one top-five finish at the historic speedway, when he finished fourth in 2002.

Newman has started in the top-five in all three of his previous appearances at the 2.5-mile track. He and Bill Elliot are the only two drivers to post top-five starts in the past three Brickyard 400s. Newman's average starting position of 4.0 leads all active drivers. Starting up front at IMS is important, as six of the last seven races at IMS have been won from a top-10 starting position.

Newman started second and finished 11th in the 2003 Brickyard 400. After leading 11 laps, the ALLTEL Dodge ran out of fuel just shy of its second green-flag pit stop, losing 20 seconds on the leaders.

Newman has led two of the past three Brickyard 400s for a total of 14 laps.

Newman graduated from nearby Purdue University in 2001 with a degree in Vehicle Structure Engineering. Newman created and designed the curriculum for the degree. Prior to college, Newman attended LaSalle High School in South Bend, Indiana.

Aron Oakley, race day spotter for Ryan Newman and the ALLTEL team, also graduated from Purdue University in 2001 with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Ryan Newman's father, Greg Newman, who currently lives in South Bend, Ind., is his son's spotter during practice sessions on Friday and Saturday and also is the team's second gas man on race day.

Penske Racing South team owner, Roger Penske has pocketed 13 Indianapolis 500 victories, but has yet to win the Brickyard 400.

Crew chief Matt Borland and the ALLTEL team will take chassis No. 52 to IMS this weekend. PRS-52 was raced at this year's Nextel All-Star Challenge when the team led more than half the race, but narrowly missed the victory after gambling to finish the distance on worn tires. PRS-52 also finished fourth in the 2002 Brickyard 400. In 2002, PRS-52 was used in four races, where it qualified and finished in the top-10 three times.

Thus far in the 2004 season, Newman leads all drivers with an 8.55 average starting position. He is also the only driver to post 13 top-10 starts this season.

The No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge team sits eighth in the NNCS point standings. This is the highest the team has been in the NNCS point standings in 10 weeks. The team was ninth at this point in the season one year ago.

Ryan Newman will be available for an open Q&A session with the media on Friday at the ALLTEL transporter at 12:30 p.m., CDT.

The Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will air live on NBC at 2:00 p.m. EDT. IMS Radio also will cover the event, starting at 1:45 p.m. EDT.

Quotes:
Newman on IMS: "The Brickyard 400 is such an important race to me. I have dreamed of racing at IMS since I was a kid. I have such a high level of respect for this track and the history that goes along with it. A win here would definitely be the biggest and best of my career at this point. I grew up racing in the area, and would love to give my family and friends a win at the "brickyard."

"One of the most important reasons I want a Brickyard win is for my owner, Roger Penske. He has won so many Indianapolis 500s, but never a Brickyard 400. It'd be amazing for me and the ALLTEL team to be able to give him that first win."

Stats:
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Starts: 3 Races Led: 2 (14 laps total)
Top-five finishes: 1 (2002) Top-10 finishes: 1 (2002)

Appearances:

Dodge Racers on the Circle, Monument Circle, Downtown Indianapolis. Thursday, August 5, 6 p.m., CDT.

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