News

Ryan Newman
No. 12 Kodak/The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Dodge Charger
LifeLock.com 400 - Chicagoland Speedway
Notes & Quotes
For Immediate Release - July 8, 2008 

• Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger, has one win, one pole position, two top-five and three top-10  finishes in six NASCAR Cup Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway.
   
• Newman won at Chicagoland Speedway in 2003. Newman started 14th and led 67 laps en route to victory at the 1.5-mile track.
   
• This weekend, Kodak and Universal Studios have partnered to promote the third movie in The Mummy franchise on Newman's No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger. The car will feature a special paint scheme showcasing the movie The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, which opens in theaters nationwide on August 1.  Brendan Fraser, the star of The Mummy franchise, will be at the racetrack on Saturday to meet Newman and his No. 12 team. Fraser also will serve as the race's grand marshal.
   
• Kodak will serve as the primary sponsor for Newman's No. 12 Dodge at four more races in the 2008 season -  Watkins Glen International, California Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway.
   
• Newman has competed in three NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Chicagoland Speedway. In Nationwide competition, Newman has two pole positions (2001, 2005) and a best finish of third place (2005).
   
• Newman is currently 17th in the NASCAR Cup Series driver point standings. With eight races remaining until the Chase for the Cup begins, Newman is 185 points out of the all-important 12th-place cutoff.

RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES ON:
RACING AT CHICAGOLAND: "Even though it's a ‘cookie cutter' race track, I look forward to it because of the 18 degree banking and the fact that it is kind of unique. It's a big circle. It's always a track that has been rewarding if you are good in the corners because even the back straightaway has a kink in it. You have to carry a lot of momentum there. It's going to be a different deal this year since it's under the lights, but I think that is going to make it even more fun."

NEWMAN'S HOME TRACK: "Chicago's close to home for me. I always say that I consider Michigan or Indianapolis my home tracks because that's where I grew up going with my dad and my family. I have a lot of memories of watching races at those tracks. But Chicago is actually the closest race track to South Bend (Ind.- Newman's home town) of all the tracks that we go to. I normally just relax when I go to Chicago, but every once in a while I'll go watch a Midget race at Grundy County, which is where I used to race when I was 18 or 19 years old. It's neat to go back. Its just nice to be back in my home area."

SPECIAL PAINT SCHEME: "Working with Kodak is cool because we get to run special movie paint schemes like this weekend's The Mummy. It's a pretty cool looking car, and we're hoping to get it in Victory Lane. That would be a great way to open the movie." 

ROY MCCAULEY QUOTES ON:
RACING IN CHICAGO AT NIGHT: "We've never raced there at night, so it should be interesting. They are giving us a fair amount of practice in the evening hours to try and learn what the track will be like, but I do anticipate the track will have more grip in the evening. Like any other time we have raced at Chicago, track position will be very important. The key at Chicago is not getting too tight off the corners.  Chicago, if you look at it, is one big circle. So, you have to be on your game, be able to make the car handle well and give the driver a good car that gets through the corners. We're looking forward to the race."

CHASSIS NOTES
PRS-577: The primary No. 12 Kodak Dodge for this weekend's race at Chicagoland Speedway is one of Penske Racing's brand new cars. This will be the first time it has been raced.

PRS-552: The backup No. 12 Kodak Dodge served as the team's primary car at Las Vegas (finished 15th) and at Darlington (finished 37th) earlier this year. It was also the backup car at Texas.

UPCOMING EVENTS
7/11: Newman will sign autographs at the No. 12 souvenir trailer at 2 p.m. CT. For autograph tickets, please visit the souvenir trailer.

7/12: Brendan Fraser, star of the The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor will sign autographs at the No. 12 souvenir trailer at 1:30 p.m. CT. Special Mummy merchandise, including die casts, T-shirts and hats will be available for fans to purchase. For autograph tickets, please visit the No. 12 souvenir trailer.

7/12: Newman and Brendan Fraser, star of The Mummy movies, will be in the Chicagoland media center for a media availability at 3 p.m. CT.

2008 STATS:
STARTS:                       18
WINS:                           1
POLES:                         1
TOP FIVES:                   2
TOP 10s:                      6
CURRENT POINTS:       17th

CAREER STATS:
STARTS:                       242
WINS:                           13
POLES:                          43
TOP FIVES:                    63
TOP 10s:                      104

THE MUMMY
The blockbuster global Mummy franchise takes a spellbinding turn as the action shifts to Asia for the next chapter in the Mummy adventure series - The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.  Brendan Fraser returns as explorer Rick O'Connell to combat the resurrected Han Emperor (Jet Li) in an epic that races from the catacombs of ancient China to the neon-lit streets of post-war Shanghai and high into the spectacular Himalayas.  Rick is joined in this all-new adventure by son Alex (newcomer Luke Ford), wife Evelyn (Maria Bello) and her brother, Jonathan (John Hannah).  And this time, the O'Connells must stop a mummy awoken from a 2,000-year-old curse who threatens to plunge the world into his merciless, unending service.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor opens in theaters on August 1.

NEWMAN'S CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY STATS