Ryan Newman/Watkins Glen Advance
Notes:
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge, will make his third career start at Watkins Glen International this Sunday. Newman has earned one top-five and two top-10 finishes at the road course.
After starting fifth in his Watkins Glen debut in 2002, Newman's car lost power steering with 50 laps remaining in the event. Despite the setback, Newman went on to lead 10 laps before finishing second in his second-career road course start.
After an accident during Friday's practice session last year at the Glen, Newman was forced to bring out his back-up ALLTEL Dodge. He qualified 13th and finished ninth after running out of fuel on the final lap.
Newman has competed in five road-course events during his young career, posting four top-10 finishes. Newman currently has an average finish of 7.8 on road courses, 5.5 at Watkins Glen.
Crew chief Matt Borland and the ALLTEL team will take chassis No. 62 to WGI this weekend. PRS-62 finished 14th at Infineon Raceway in June after a cut tire took the team out of contention for the victory. PRS-62 is also the chassis that wrecked during last year's practice session at WGI.
Thus far in the 2004 season, Newman leads all drivers with an 8.48 average starting position. He is also the only driver to post 14 top-10 starts this season.
The No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge team currently sits 10th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point standings, with five races remaining until the "Chase for the Championship."
The Sirius at the Glen at Watkins Glen International will air live on TNT at 1:30 p.m., EDT. MRN Radio also will cover the event, starting at 1 p.m., EDT.
Quotes:
Newman on Watkins Glen: "The ALLTEL team has always been strong at road courses. We've adjusted well to the track styles and have posted four good top-10 finishes. Our 14th-place finish at Infineon earlier this year was a little disappointing, but when you look at what all we went through that day with the cut tire and running out of fuel, I guess we were pretty fortunate to have rebounded to 14th.
"I really enjoy road course racing. It's a different kind of challenge than what we're used to on a weekly basis. There's nothing easy about it, and I'm sure that drivers can get discouraged. I just don't talk myself out of things and keep pushing myself to be better on them.
"Concentration is the key to winning road course races. The turns at Watkins Glen are very demanding, and as a driver, you have to make sure that you consistently hit your marks on each and every lap. Equipment is important, too, as it is at all race tracks. You have to have faith in your team and your car that it will go the distance. The ALLTEL Dodge rarely lets me down.
"Watkins Glen's pit road is different from every other track we race on, too. With turn 11 being a right turn, we pit backwards. The team will do a lot of extra practice with backward pit stops this week to prepare. So, while I'll have an added challenge this week on the track, I know my pit crew will have one each time I stop as well."
Stats:
Watkins Glen International Starts: 2 Races Led: 1
Top-five finishes: 1 (2002) Top-10 finishes: 2
