Ryan Newman/Daytona 500 Advance
Notes:
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, will make his fifth Daytona 500 start and his ninth Daytona International Speedway start of his Cup career Sunday. In his eight previous Daytona starts, Newman has earned one top-10 finish - seventh - in his first Daytona 500 appearance.
Newman finished 14th in the 2005 Daytona 500, his best finish since his rookie start at the superspeedway.
Newman qualified 31st during Daytona 500 qualifying last Sunday. The Alltel Dodge will start 15th in Thursday's second Gatorade Duel 150-mile qualifying race.
Matt Borland, crew chief of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, and the Alltel team will race chassis PRS-65 in the Daytona 500. PRS-65 was tested at Daytona in January.
Although Newman (ARCA) and Rusty Wallace (Budweiser Shootout) have each won a race at Daytona International Speedway, Penske Racing South has yet to win a NASCAR Cup points race at the superspeedway.
Newman and the Alltel team will spend this Tuesday testing at Kentucky Speedway.
Newman will compete in the IROC Series for the third time in his career. Newman won the IROC opener at Daytona in 2004.
Quotes:
Newman on the Alltel Dodge following the Bud Shootout: "I was happy with the car. We actually got up there and led at one point before we came in to pit. It wasn’t real good in clean air. It had to have somebody pushing me, and it’s hard to get someone to help you when your car looks that beat up."
Newman on restrictor-plate racing: "I feel last year was as strong as we’ve been as far as speed and competitiveness in the race car itself, and I feel like that helped me a lot. Sometimes when you’re stuck in the middle of the pack you’re not experiencing the things you need to do to run up front. You learn more patience and how to work the draft with other cars and maintain the best position possible. It’s pretty obvious that it’s difficult to lead all the laps compared to how it used to be in restrictor-plate races."
Newman on the Alltel team's goals: "Our goal is to win the championship. I’ve sat here the last four years and said the same thing. We’ve got a couple of different guys this year, but we’ve got the same core group of guys. We went through a lot of troubles last year speedwise, especially on the intermediate tracks. We look forward to being able to get back to our old ways basically, compared to the competitors on those tracks."
No. 12 Alltel Dodge Team Roster:
Driver: Ryan Newman
Crew Chief: Matt Borland
Engineer: Mike Nelson
Car Chief: Joe Piette Jr.
Engine Tuner: John Payne
Front Suspension: David Doyle
Rear Suspension: Jerry Moody
Interior: Chuck Donaldson
Shocks: Roy Gangdal
Tires: Lawrence Burch
Truck Driver: Jack Kurtzner
Truck Driver: Rick Johnson
Front Tire Carrier: Scott Reineger
Front Tire Changer: Ben Brown
Rear Tire Carrier: Trent Cherry
Rear Tire Changer: Joe Piette Jr.
Jackman: Mitch Lash
Catch Can Man: Steve Berner
Gasman: George Whitley
Spotter: Aron Oakley
Pit Support: Michael Warren
Pit Support: Britt Goodrich
Appearances (2/15-2-19):
IROC Press Conference, Drivers' Meeting Room, Wednesday Feb. 15, 10 a.m., ET.
Pit Road Pets Q&A, Daytona USA, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 5 p.m., ET.
Pit Road Pets Book Signing, Halifax Humane Society Tent, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 6 p.m, ET.
Halifax Humane Society Auction, Daytona Infield, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 7 p.m., ET.
MRN's NASCAR Live, Daytona USA, Thursday, Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m., ET.
Autograph Session, Motorsports Authentics Souvenir Trailer, Saturday, Feb. 18, approximately
1 p.m., ET.
Stats:
Daytona International Speedway Starts: 8
Daytona 500 Starts: 4
Best Daytona 500 Start: 9 (2005)
Best Daytona 500 Finish: 7 (2002)
2005 Qualifying Position: 29
2005 Gatorade Duel Finish: 4
2005 Daytona 500 Start: 9
2005 Daytona 500 Finish: 14
