Ryan Newman Qualifies 32nd at Darlington Raceway
May 9, 2008
DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 9, 2008) - Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No.12 Alltel Dodge Charger, will start 32nd in the Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Newman posted a lap of 175.666 mph (27.994 seconds). Pole sitter Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford, turned a lap of 179.442 mph (27.405 seconds).
"We were just too loose, so loose that I came close to hitting the wall," Newman said after qualifying. "The Alltel Dodge was good in practice. I was really happy with it, but we have put ourselves in a hole for tomorrow night's race.
"We'll just have to work our way up through the field, which I know we can do. We'll have our work cut out for us."
Newman has one win (Daytona), one pole and five top-10 finishes in the first 10 races of the 2008 season. He is currently 11th in the NASCAR Cup points standings. At Darlington Raceway, Newman has five top-five and six top-10 finishes in nine starts. Last spring, Newman came from a 29th-place starting position to finish fourth.
The Dodge Challenger 500 will air live on FOX on Saturday, May 10, 2008, beginning at 7 p.m. ET. The race will also be broadcast live on MRN beginning at 7:20 p.m. ET.
DRIVER: Ryan Newman
STARTING POSITION: 32nd
POLE: Greg Biffle
PENSKE RACING TEAMMATES
5. Kurt Busch
23. Sam Hornish Jr.