Ryan Newman/Darlington Advance
Notes:
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel My Circle Dodge, will make his eighth start at Darlington Raceway - the track dubbed "Too Tough to Tame" - this Saturday in the Dodge Charger 500. It will be his 163rd start in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Newman's 4.714 starting average at the 1.336-mile, egg-shaped oval leads all active drivers. In seven Darlington races, he has recorded six top-five starts, including a Bud Pole in August 2003.
Of the seven races Newman has started at Darlington, three of those have been from the front row.
Newman has posted four top-five finishes at the famed track. His average Darlington finish is 12th.
In seven Cup races at the historic track, Newman has led a total of 208 laps, and has completed 98 percent of all possible laps - 2,302 of 2,350. During the Mountain Dew Southern 500 in August 2003, Newman led 120 laps.
Newman has been running at the end of all but one of his Darlington races. His only DNF came during Darlington's final fall event in November 2004 when engine trouble eliminated him from the race with less than 40 laps to go.
Matt Borland, crew chief of the No. 12 Alltel My Circle Dodge, and the Alltel team will take chassis PRS-76 to Darlington. Newman tested his Darlington primary car at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 3, 2006. The last time the car was raced was July 2005 at Chicagoland Speedway. Prior to the Chicago race, the car was used at Darlington a year ago, in the May race at Charlotte, and in June at Michigan. The car qualified on the front row in each of the four races, winning two poles - one at Charlotte and the other at Michigan.
Quotes:
Newman on Darlington: "I know there are a lot of people who don't like Darlington, but it's one of my favorite tracks. We've always done well there. Last year, we were leading in the final laps when a caution came out. We elected to stay out on old tires and everyone behind us pitted. That cost us the race, but you could say we were in a no-win situation. If we had pitted, then everyone would have stayed out and we would have had too many cars to pass in the short time that was left. We also were close to winning the final Southern 500 in 2004 when we lost the engine. But shoulda, woulda, coulda. We're just happy to be going to Darlington."
Newman on Mother's Day weekend: "Since Sunday is Mother's Day, it would really be special to win it for my mom. I think it's neat that they're honoring our mothers during pre-race. My mom was always right there with us, making us [Ryan and his sister, Jamie] do our homework before we raced. She's always been there for me and is very involved with my fan club."
Quick Stats:
Darlington Raceway: 7 Races
Led/Laps Led: 5/208
Best Starting Position: 1 (2003)
Best Finishing Position: 2 (2002)
May 2005 Start: 2
May 2005 Finish: 5
