News

Ryan Newman
No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger
3M Performance 400
Notes & Quotes
For Immediate Release - August 12, 2008 

• Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, has two wins, one pole, four top-five and four top-10 finishes in 14 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). 
   
• With four races to go to until the "Chase for the NASCAR Cup" begins in September, Newman is sitting 15th in the 2008 NASCAR Cup Series driver points standings. He is 204 points away from the 12th-place cutoff for drivers making the Chase.
   
• Newman holds the qualifying record at MIS. In June 2005, Newman turned the quickest stock car lap on record at the two-mile track, at 194.232 miles per hour. In June 2008, qualifying was rained out at the oval and Newman started in 14th spot.
   
• Newman won back-to-back Cup Series races at MIS in August 2003 and June 2004.
   
• Newman has two NASCAR Nationwide Starts at Michigan and he was victorious in both (August 2001, August 2005). In the 2001 race, Newman had a dominant race car - he started on the outside pole, led 119 of 125 laps and won the race.
   
• On Thursday, August 14, the Ryan Newman Foundation's "Racing for Wildlife" initiative is hosting its first Charity Trap Shoot to help raise funds for its Mill Lake Youth Camp restoration project. Attendees will take part in competitive clay pigeon shooting "flights." Newman will be on hand to meet and greet participants as well as take part in the trap shoot. The event will take place at Chelsea Rod and Gun Club at 7103 Lingane Road in Chelsea, Mich., from noon to 3:30 p.m. Cost is $100 for adults and $50 for children 16 and under.

RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES ON:
RACING AT MICHIGAN: "Michigan is a great track for a driver. In fact, I normally tell people that anyone can drive Michigan. It is so wide that cars can race three and four wide there every lap. It is one of my favorite race tracks because it is so fun to drive. We didn't have a good race at Michigan in June, so we really want to improve on our performance. It is typically a good track for us, so I'm looking forward to rebounding from the last race and having a good run."

MICHIGAN A SPECIAL TRACK, SPECIAL PLACE: "I used to go to Michigan as a fan when I was a kid, so it's pretty cool to come back here doing what I love to do. It's always been a special place to me. Not only the track, but I love the area. Earlier this year at MIS, Racing for Wildlife, the track, Michigan United Conservation Clubs and Michigan Department of Natural Resources came together to officially kick off our restoration efforts at Mill Lake Youth Camp in Chelsea. The camp is in a beautiful area, and we are working together to raise money so that the camp can be restored and that kids and families have somewhere to go and enjoy the outdoors. I was guilty of being a video game junkie, too, but we want to give kids a place where they can go fishing, hiking and canoeing and just have a good time." 

ROY MCCAULEY QUOTES ON:
RACING AT MICHIGAN: "We were disappointed in our performance at Michigan earlier this year, especially with the driveline failure that we experienced during the race. We have been working diligently on our Seven-Post rig, track testing, and improving our cars in the shop. Michigan is a great track and it promotes great racing because of the long, sweeping corners. The key to Michigan is handling and being able to go into Turn 3 without being loose, then come off Turn 4 strong for the frontstretch. The nice part about Michigan is that there will be two or three different racing lines available on Sunday, which should make for an exciting race."

CHASSIS NOTES
PRS-552: The No. 12 Alltel Dodge this week also served as the team's primary car at Las Vegas (finished 15th) and at Darlington (finished 37th) earlier this season. It has also been the backup car at several tracks this year.

PRS-558: The backup No. 12 Alltel Dodge this weekend is the car that Newman piloted at Michigan International Speedway in June (finished 42nd).

 UPCOMING EVENTS
GOING ON NOW:  Ryan Newman fans can place bids for unique autographed items in the Alltel Racing online charity auction at www.alltelracing.com.   Net proceeds will benefit the Ryan Newman Foundation.

8/13: The seventh annual Ryan Newman Fan Club Appreciation Day will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mill Lake Youth Camp, which is the first conservation and restoration project for Newman's "Racing for Wildlife," a joint effort between the Ryan Newman Foundation and the Conservation Fund.

Located about 30 miles north of MIS, the Mill Lake Youth Camp was built in the 1930s, and is scheduled to re-open in the summer of 2009. The restored camp will provide families and youth with activities year-round. For more information, please visit www.racingforwildlife.org.

 2008 STATS:
STARTS:                       22
WINS:                          1
POLES:                         1
TOP FIVES:                   2
TOP 10s:                      7
CURRENT POINTS:         15th

CAREER STATS:
STARTS:                       246
WINS:                          13
POLES:                         43
TOP FIVES:                   63
TOP 10s:                      105

 ALLTEL 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 can email questions to Newman at ryannewmanmailbag@gmail.com. By listening to the podcasts, fans also have the opportunity to win special Alltel Racing prizes.

The August 5th installment of the podcast features Alltel Dodge driver Ryan Newman. The next podcast is scheduled to air on August 19th, and Newman will talk about his team's battle to get into the Chase for the Championship. To listen to this podcast and past podcasts, visit www.alltelracing.com.

NEWMAN'S MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY STATS