News

Ryan Newman
No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger
NASCAR All-Star Race - Lowe's Motor Speedway
Notes & Quotes
For Immediate Release - May 13, 2008 

• Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, has one win (2002), one pole (2005), three top-five and four top-10 finishes in seven NASCAR All-Star races. Newman also finished as the runner-up in the 2004 All-Star race.
   
• Newman earned his position in the million-dollar 24th annual NASCAR All-Star Race via his victory in the 50th Running of the Daytona 500 in February 2008. 
   
• In 2002, Newman became only the second rookie in history to win the NASCAR All-Star race. After transferring from the qualifying race and starting 27th, Newman charged to the front and beat Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the checkered flag by a mere .158-second margin.
   
• The No. 12 Alltel pit crew is set to defend their title in the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge on Thursday, May 15 at 7 p.m. EDT at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. Last year, the Alltel pit crew won the overall title as the fastest pit crew in the challenge when they edged the  No. 43 team by .33 seconds to grab the championship and the $70,300 prize. Despite being assessed a five second penalty in the first round for excessive fuel spillage, the Alltel Dodge team was flawless for the remainder of the competition. In each of the final four rounds, the No. 12 team posted the top time. The team also made the quarterfinal round in 2006 and the semifinal round in 2005. "This competition is a big deal for the teams," said Trent Cherry, the team's rear tire carrier and pit crew coach. "It's bragging rights for one team for the rest of the year. We've been working hard this season, and we want to win again."

RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES ON:
THE ALL-STAR RACE: "This is always a very big race, and we try to have a lot of fun with it. The race pays a lot of money, but it's also a little more than that-it's about bragging rights, too. Even though there aren't points on the line on Saturday night, we it's just like any other race in that we want to win. There's a little more strategy in the All-Star Race because of the different segments. So, we may take an extra risk here or there-but the key is to put yourself in the position to be the first car across the finish line. I expect the fans will get a good show on Saturday night. There's always beating and banging, fender rubbing and sparks flying at the All-Star race."

THE PIT CREW CHALLENGE: "I don't know if my guys are going to let me go to the pit crew challenge. They won last year and I wasn't there, so they think I might be bad luck for them. The pit crew competition is a cool deal. What the over-the-wall guys do on pit road is just as important as what I do on the track. I know the Alltel guys have been working really hard to defend their title this year-it is pretty important to have bragging rights-and I hope they can do it."

ROY MCCAULEY QUOTES ON:
THE ALL-STAR RACE: "It's a no-holds-barred street fight. That's the best way I can describe it. The All-Star Race is a lot of fun. You can be a little more aggressive with the way you set the car up and the strategy that you use during the four 25-lap segments. The All-Star Race isn't a test, but it allows you to try things for the 600 that you might not be brave enough to try at the 600. And you might actually find something that can help you in the race the following week. We had a good test at Charlotte last week, and we're looking forward to having fun this weekend."

THE PIT CREW CHALLENGE: "For the pit crew members, the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge on Thursday night is their Daytona 500. It's there time to shine and be all-stars. It gives them the opportunity to showcase their   abilities, and it's a good opportunity for me to see the competition we have on pit road."

CHASSIS NOTES
PRS-570: The primary No. 12 Alltel Dodge  is one of Penske Racing's new cars. This weekend's NASCAR All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway will be the first time this car has turned laps on the race track.

PRS-519: The backup No. 12 Alltel Dodge for the All-Star race has served as the backup car three other times this season - Phoenix, Richmond and Darlington.

UPCOMING EVENTS
5/14: Newman will be at the Alltel Store at 6140 Bayfield Parkway in Concord, N.C., from 6 to 8 p.m. ET.

Newman will be part of a web cast  from the store at 7:30 p.m. ET, which will be broadcast on www.alltelracing.com. Fans can submit questions for Newman through the Alltel Racing web site.

5/23: The Penske Racing Fan Fest will be held at the race shop in Mooresville, N.C. Newman will be on hand to sign autographs for the first 200 ticket holders from 9:30 to 11 a.m. ET. Penske teammates Kurt Busch and Sam  Hornish Jr. will also be signing  autographs at that time.

2008 STATS:
STARTS:                       11
WINS:                          1
POLES:                         1
TOP FIVES:                   2
TOP 10s:                      5
CURRENT POINTS:       13th

CAREER STATS:
STARTS:                        235
WINS:                           13
POLES:                          43
TOP FIVES:                    63
TOP 10s:                      103

ALLTEL RACING PODCASTS
Every two weeks, fans can tune into Alltel Racing podcasts on www.alltelracing.com. The podcasts give fans the opportunity to hear No. 12 Alltel Racing driver Ryan Newman's thoughts on a variety of subjects from racing to fishing to Alltel's latest commercials. Fans can call 1-800-279-5612 to record a personalized question for Newman or you can email questions to Newman at ryannewmanmailbag@gmail.com. By listening to the podcasts, fans also have the opportunity to win Alltel Racing prizes.

This week's podcast, which will air beginning on May 13, features Newman and his Penske Racing teammate Helio Castroneves, driver of the No.3 Dallara/Honda in the IndyCar Series. The two will talk about Penske Racing, Helio's success on the television show "Dancing With th