Newman Starts 14th After Rain Washes Out Qualifying
June 13, 2008
BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 13, 2008) - Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No.12 Alltel Dodge Charger, will start 14th in the LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday afternoon.
Rain forced the cancellation of qualifying on Friday. Per the NASCAR Rule Book, the field was set by the 2008 owner points.
Newman was taking his warm-up lap for his qualifying effort when the caution lights came out for heavy rain. Qualifying was cancelled shortly after.
"I pulled off pit road, and I knew it was sprinkling," Newman said. "By the time I got to turn two, the rain was rolling up my windshield, so I knew I wasn't going to get a lap in. The caution lights came on when I hit the backstretch.
"We had a rough practice with the Alltel Dodge, so the guys made a lot of changes to the car before qualifying. I would have liked to have gotten in a half-lap more so I could have felt out the car a little more, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow."
Newman is currently 14th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, and he is just 10 points shy of the cutoff for the Chase for the NASCAR Cup. Newman has two wins, four top-fives and four top-10s in 13 starts at Michigan International Speedway.
Coverage of the LifeLock 400 begins on the TNT television network on Sunday, June 15 at 12:30 p.m. EDT. The race can also be heard on the MRN.
DRIVER: Ryan Newman
STARTING POSITION: 14th
POLE: Kyle Busch
PENSKE RACING TEAMMATES
22. Kurt Busch
35. Sam Hornish Jr.