Ryan Newman/Phoenix Advance
NNCS Notes:
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, will make his seventh Phoenix International Raceway start and his 151st career Cup start this Sunday.
Newman made his first career Cup start in November 2000 at Phoenix International Raceway. The then 22-year old Newman started 10th and finished 41st due to brake problems.
In Newman's six PIR starts, he has earned two top-five finishes. Newman finished second in this race one year ago and third in November 2003.
Newman and his Penske Racing South teammate Rusty Wallace lead all drivers with three Bud Poles each at PIR. Newman earned the Bud Pole for three consecutive races, starting in November 2002. He set the track record last year with a time of 26.499 seconds.
Newman has led a total of 114 laps in his six PIR starts.
Matt Borland, crew chief of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, is taking chassis PRS-55 to Phoenix this weekend. PRS-55 earned the name "Mopar" after racing into victory lane at New Hampshire International Speedway in September, the first race of the 2005 "Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup." The chassis also finished seventh at NHIS in July.
The Alltel team's 25th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway moved Newman to seventh in the series' point standings with two races remaining. Newman trails points leader Tony Stewart by 174 points and sixth-place Matt Kenseth by 39 points.
Newman and the Alltel team were seventh in the point standings at this time in the 2004 season.
Newman leads all 2005 NNCS competitors with 28 top-10 starts. He has posted a series-high seven poles and 12 front-row starts.
The Ryan Newman Foundation is hosting its first charity dinner on Friday, November 11 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Proceeds from the event will go to the foundation as well as the Arizona Animal Welfare League and the Maricopa County Animal Care & Control. More information can be found at www.ryannewmanfoundation.org.
The Checker Auto Parts 500 will air live on NBC at 3 pm, EST on Sunday, Nov. 13 and can be heard on MRN Radio.
Stats:
Phoenix International Raceway Starts: 6
Races Led/Laps Led: 3/114
Best Start: 1 (Three Times)
Best Finish: 2 (November 2004)
Quotes:
Newman on Phoenix: "The Alltel team is really anxious to get back to Phoenix. The last two weeks have been rough on us. We've had a fair amount of success at PIR and we're ready to find that again this weekend.
"We're taking chassis PRS-55, which is the same car we won with at New Hampshire. Hopefully it will work the same magic this weekend. A victory on Sunday would be great for the morale of this team right now. It may not push us into the hunt for the championship, but it could definitely move us up a few spots in the standings."
