Ryan Newman/Phoenix Advance
Notes:
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge, will make his sixth Phoenix International Raceway start and his 124th in the NASCAR Cup Series this Saturday.
Newman has earned back-to-back, top-three finishes at PIR in his last two starts at the 1-mile oval.
In five qualifying attempts at PIR, Newman has posted four top-10 starts, including three straight pole positions. Newman is tied with Penske Racing South teammate Rusty Wallace for the most PIR poles. Newman is the only NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver to consecutive poles at the raceway.
Newman has led at least once in each of the past three NNCS races at PIR, for a total of 114 laps.
Newman and the ALLTEL team tested at PIR on March 29-30.
Newman made his first career NASCAR Cup Series start at PIR in October 2000. The No. 02 ALLTEL team started 10th and finished 41st after suffering brake problems. While many in NASCAR's community doubted Newman's ability, he won his first Cup pole only two races later and won his first Cup race only 34 races later.
Matt Borland, crew chief of the No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge, is taking chassis PRS-59 to Phoenix this weekend. PRS-59 earned the nickname "Brutus" after winning at Richmond International Raceway in 2003. Newman and "Brutus" finished second at PIR last November.
Newman and his wife, Krissie, will be visiting the Arizona Animal Welfare League in Phoenix on Wednesday. The Newmans have recently founded the Ryan Newman Foundation which focuses on animal welfare, wildlife preservation and conservation and educational scholarships.
Newman extended his streak of top-10 starts to 14 consecutive weeks last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Newman is the only driver in the NNCS to qualify in the top 10 for all seven races this season.
After earning the pole at TMS, only eight tracks remain on the NNCS circuit where the ALLTEL team has yet to earn a pole position.
Newman and the ALLTEL team are ninth in the NNCS point standings. The team was 10th in points after seven races in the 2004 season.
The Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix International Raceway will air live on FOX at 7:30 p.m., EDT on Saturday, April 23 and also can be heard on MRN Radio.
Stats:
Phoenix International Raceway Starts: 5
Laps Led: 114
Best Start: 1 (2002, 2003, 2004)
Best Finish: 2 (2004)
Quotes:
Newman on PIR: "The ALLTEL crew and I have been looking forward to this race. We tested here last month and the session went really well. We've had our share of success here lately and we're definitely looking for that to continue. We're all wanting that first win of the year pretty bad right now. Maybe Phoenix is where it will happen.
"Racing at night adds an extra amount of excitement to the race weekend. The majority of us grew up racing on Saturday night's under the lights. So, this weekend's race kind of takes us back to that. The fans will definitely see a great race. And I know that we're all anxious to enjoy a Sunday off."
