Ryan Newman/Watkins Glen Advance
NNCS Notes:
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, will make his fourth Watkins Glen International start and his 138th in the NASCAR Cup Series this Sunday.
In his three previous Watkins Glen starts, Newman has posted one top-five and two top-10 finishes.
Newman and the Alltel team suffered brake problems in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Watkins Glen.
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 set back, Newman went on to lead 10 laps before finishing second in his second-career road course start.
Newman has started within the top 10 in two of his three Watkins Glen races.
In seven career road course starts, Newman has posted five top-10 finishes, three at Infineon and two at Watkins Glen International. Newman possesses an average finish of 10.57 in his seven road course starts.
Matt Borland, crew chief of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, is taking chassis PRS-74 to Watkins Glen this weekend. PRS-74 is the same car that Newman raced to a ninth-place finish at Infineon Raceway in June.
Newman and the Alltel team dropped to seventh in the NNCS point standings, following a 34th-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team was 10th in the standings at this point in the 2004 season.
The Sirius at the Glen will air live on NBC at 1 p.m., EDT on Sunday, August 14 and also can be heard on MRN Radio.
Stats:
Watkins Glen Starts: 3
Races/Laps Led: 1/11
Best Start: 5 (2002)
Best Finish: 2 (2002)
2004 Start: 10
2004 Finish: 29
Quotes:
Newman on Watkins Glen: "As I've said before, I don't have a problem with road course races. Actually, I wouldn't be opposed to having more of them on the schedule. Road course racing is very challenging, in a way that we're not used to on a weekly basis. 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. You better make sure that you are physically in good shape and ready for a grueling race at the Glen.
"Also, the pit road is different at Watkins Glen than at any other track we race on. It's kind of flipped backwards so that we enter pit road going right instead of left. It creates a unique challenge for the 'over-the-wall' guys. The team will probably do a few extra pit crew practices this week in preparation for it. We'll all have our hands full on race day, but that's what makes Watkins Glen unique and challenging."
