Newman Qualifies 27th at Pocono Raceway
June 6, 2008
LONG POND, Pa. (June 6, 2008) - Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No.12 Kodak Dodge Charger, qualified 27th for the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway on Sunday.
Newman posted a lap of 167.255 miles per hour (53.810 seconds). Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge, scored the pole position with a lap of 170.219 miles per hour (52.873 seconds).
"We really struggled in practice today, and the guys made a bunch of changes in between practice and qualifying," Newman said. "I'd say we probably changed 15 things, and thankfully the Kodak Dodge was better for qualifying, but we still have a lot of work to do.
"We're trying to find the car's fine-tuned balance that you need here at Pocono, and we have two practices to figure it out tomorrow."
Newman, who is currently 14th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, has one win and six top-10s in 12 starts at Pocono Raceway.
"Our goal is to get the Kodak Dodge back in the top 12 in points," Newman said. "We have our work cut out for us, but it's a long race and I'm confident that we can get the Kodak Dodge up front."
Coverage of the Pocono 500 begins on the TNT television network on Sunday, June 8 at 2 p.m. EDT. The race can also be heard on MRN radio.
DRIVER: Ryan Newman
STARTING POSITION: 27th
POLE: Kasey Kahne
PENSKE RACING TEAMMATES
11. Kurt Busch
41. Sam Hornish Jr.