Race 2 Win: Dodge Charger 500 - Ryan Newman Notes

Nextel Cup Series

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Dodge Charger 500 - Ryan Newman Notes

Ryan Newman/Darlington Advance

Notes:

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, will make his seventh Darlington Raceway start and his 126th in the NASCAR Cup Series this Saturday.

In his six previous Darlington starts, Newman has posted three top-five finishes. Newman earned a runner-up finish in only his second career start at the track. He finished third in this race one year ago.

Newman has earned one pole at Darlington, in August 2003. He has started from the top 10 in five of his six starts. Newman leads all active Cup drivers with a 5.20 average start at Darlington.

Newman has led four of his six Darlington races for a total of 161 laps.

Newman led 120 laps in the 2003 Mountain Dew Southern 500 before the Alltel Dodge's "kill" switch was pushed, causing the team to lose several laps on pit road while trying to re-fire the engine.

Matt Borland, crew chief of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, is taking chassis PRS-76 to Darlington this weekend. PRS-76 was renamed "Viper" after winning the DHL 400 at Michigan International Speedway last June. The name "Viper" was chosen after Newman and Borland flew F-16s in Arizona early last year.

Newman's mother, Diane Newman, will participate as Grand Marshal of the Dodge Charger 500 on Saturday. Diane Newman is one of 13 mothers of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers to participate in the Mother's Day weekend festivities.

Diane Newman coordinates and operates the Ryan Newman Fan Club out of the Newmans' hometown in South Bend, Ind.

After two days of qualifying, the Alltel pit crew is fourth in the Tyson National Pit Crew Championship. The final round of competition will occur on Monday, May 9, at 6:30 p.m., EDT at the Pit Instruction and Training Facility in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Newman extended his streak of top-10 starts to 16 consecutive weeks last Friday with a career-high fifth-place start at Talladega Superspeedway. Newman is the only driver in the NNCS to qualify in the top 10 for all nine races this season.

Newman and the Alltel team dropped to 15th in the NNCS point standings following an accident at Talladega Superspeedway last Sunday. The team trails the top-10 by 22 points.

The Dodge Charger 500 at Darlington Raceway will air live on FOX at 7 p.m., EDT on Saturday, May 7 and also can be heard on MRN Radio.

Stats:
Darlington Raceway Starts: 6
Laps Led: 161
Best Start: 1 (August 2003)
Best Finish: 2 (September 2002)

Quotes:
Newman on Darlington: "The Alltel team always looks forward to racing at Darlington. We've not made the trip to victory lane there yet, but we have made a habit of running up front and leading laps there. We're looking for that to continue this weekend.

"Darlington is probably the most challenging track in the Cup series. For one thing, we race so close to the wall, so there's always the danger of damaging the car. Tires are a huge issue at Darlington. It takes a good driver to manage the tires but remain fast through a long run. The car's handling is constantly changing at Darlington, so the driver has to be able to change with it. The driver is definitely weighted more at Darlington."

Newman on his mother, Diane: "My parents, both Dad and Mom, have played such an important role in my racing career. Without their support and encouragement growing up, there is no way I could be here, racing in NASCAR, today. My Dad comes to every race, and my Mom comes to as many as she can. I won the Father's Day race last year for my Dad. I'd love to win at Darlington this weekend for my Mom."

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