Race 2 Win: DHL 400 - Ryan Newman Notes

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DHL 400 - Ryan Newman Notes

Ryan Newman/Michigan Advance

Notes:

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge, will make his sixth start at Michigan International Speedway this Sunday in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Newman has earned one victory and three top-five finishes at the 2-mile oval.

Newman earned his worst and best finish at MIS in 2003. The ALLTEL Dodge caught fire during the June race, posting a 41st-place finish and his only DNF at the track. In August, he rebounded by winning the GFS Marketplace 400, his first career Cup victory at MIS and fifth of the 2003 season.

Newman's single NASCAR Busch Series victory came at MIS in 2001.

Newman's stock car debut was in an ARCA race at MIS in 2000 where he started second and finished seventh.

Newman has earned three top-five finishes in his five starts at Michigan. Besides his victory last August, Newman finished fifth in his 2001 NASCAR Cup debut and third in the June 2002 event.

Newman has started in the top 10 in the past four MIS events. In his first appearance at the speedway, Newman qualified 12th, his only start outside of the top-10. His average start at the track is 7.40, leading all active drivers. MIS is one of 11 NASCAR Cup sanctioned tracks where Newman has not earned a pole position.

Crew chief Matt Borland and the ALLTEL team will take chassis No. 76 to Michigan this weekend. PRS-76 has never been raced or tested.

Ryan Newman currently leads all active drivers with a 6.64 average starting position in 2004.

The No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge team sits 10th in the NNCS point standings. The team was 16th at this point in the season one year ago.

The DHL 400 at Michigan International Speedway way will air live on FOX at 1 p.m. EDT. MRN Radio also will cover the event, starting at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

Quotes:

Newman on Michigan: "I like Michigan more every time I race there. This track is kind of like a home track to me, not only because it's so close to where I grew up, but also because it seems like I got my start in racing here. I cut my teeth, so to speak, at Michigan in an ARCA car, then won my first Busch race there too. Winning last year's Cup race there just topped it off for us. It's somewhat sentimental for me.

"Michigan is a great race track. It reminds me a lot of California. The track is real smooth and fast, making it very hard on engines. Fuel-mileage tends to come into play and actually, the track gets fast enough on the straightaways where drafting can become key too. There's so much to think about at Michigan, from the set-up to strategy, it all makes it a fun track to race at."

Stats:

Michigan International Speedway Starts: 5 Wins: 1 (August 2003) Races Led: 4 Laps Led: 59 Best Start: 2 (August 2003) Best Finish: 1 (August 2003)

Appearances:

"Trackside LIVE", SPEED Stage, Friday June 18th, 7:30 pm, EDT.

Autograph Session, ALLTEL Racing Team Caliber Souvenir Trailer, Saturday June 19th, approximately 1 p.m. EDT.

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