News

Ryan Newman
No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger
Ford 400
Notes & Quotes
For Immediate Release - November 11, 2008 

• Ryan Newman, driver of the Penske Racing No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Cup Series, has two top-10 finishes in six starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Newman's best finish at the 1.5-mile track is a sixth-place effort in 2002. He also finished in seventh place in 2005.
   
• In the final race of the 2007 season, Newman qualified on the outside pole and led seven laps before eventually finishing 18th.  Newman also qualified in the second spot in 2005.
   
• Newman has two NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) starts to his credit at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He made his first NNS start at the south Florida track in 2001. Newman started second and finished eighth in that race. He followed that up with a dominating performance at the track in 2005, when Newman and his Roy McCauley-led NNS team started on the pole and led 67 of 200 laps en route to the victory.
   
• This weekend's race at Homestead-Miami Speedway marks the end of an era for Newman, his sponsor Alltel and Penske Racing. Newman joined Penske Racing in 2000, and as his time at the legendary team comes to an end, he reflects on a few of his favorite moments: scoring his first pole for Penske in his third start (Lowe's Motor Speedway, May 2002); becoming only the   second driver to win the NASCAR All-Star race as a rookie in 2002; earning Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year honors in 2002; winning a career-high eight races in 2003; and having teammate Kurt Busch give him the "push from heaven" across the finish line in this year's 50th Running of the Daytona 500.
   
• Since joining Penske Racing, Newman has claimed 24 victories across three series (13 NASCAR Cup points races, seven in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and four in the ARCA Series). Newman has also won 43 poles in NASCAR Cup Series competition.

RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES ON:
RACING AT HOMESTEAD: "Homestead is a good race track. I like it a lot better since they have added the progressive banking because that has really made it a multi-groove race track. You can pass anywhere on the track, but typically the high side is the place to be. You have to go where the guy in front of you is not. I've had a lot of fun racing at the track before. I have a win in the Nationwide Series, but I haven't had that good of a record there in the Cup Series. We started the year with a bang in Daytona. It would be nice to finish out the season the same way at another Florida race track."

THE END OF AN ERA: "This weekend isn't going to be easy for me. It was a tough decision to leave Penske Racing. This has been my only home since I came to NASCAR eight years ago. It was difficult telling the guys that I had made the decision to leave back in July, and I know it is going to be tough this weekend since it is my last race with the 12 team and I am saying goodbye. I have to be thankful for all the things that I have - beyond the trophies and awards, beyond the pay checks, I have gotten friends and relationships and that's something I will always be grateful for. I have had a good run with Penske, and I am leaving with some very fond memories - especially of this year's Daytona 500 win with my teammate pushing me across the finish line, my dad spotting for me, and being able to give something to Roger Penske that he had tried so hard for over the years. That is by far my fondest racing memory and I will always be grateful for that . But the show most go on, I will do my thing and I plan on being friends with everybody and I wish them the best of luck - and I am sure they feel the same."

ROY MCCAULEY QUOTES ON:
THE FINAL RACE: "It's important for the Alltel team to try and finish the year with a win this weekend at Homestead. This is the final race for Ryan with the 12 team, and the best way to say goodbye to our friend is with a victory. We started the year off with a big win at Daytona, and we would love to finish the same way. Ryan and I have had success at Homestead in the Nationwide Series, and it would be nice to transfer that to our Cup team this weekend."

CHASSIS NOTES:
PRS-577: The No. 12 Alltel Dodge  Charger that will be the primary for the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway is the same car that served as Newman's primary car at Chicagoland in July (started 17th, finished 10th) and at Kansas in September (started 15th, finished 16th).

PRS-558: Newman drove the backup No. 12 Alltel Dodge Newman for this weekend to a fourth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April. It has also served as the backup at several tracks this year.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
12/13:  The Ryan Newman Foundation Charity Fishing Tournament will be held at Queen's Landing in Mooresville, N.C. Fans are invited to join NASCAR stars, musical artists and professional fishermen for the charity event. Registration in the tournament for a team of two competitors is $150 on or before Nov. 13 or $200 after Nov. 13. Fishermen may also enter a Big Fish Contest for $40 per team. The maximum is 250 teams. For complete event details, tournament rules, or to register, visit www.ryannewmanfoundation.org.

2008 STATS:
STARTS:                       35
WINS:                           1
POLES:                         1
TOP FIVES:                   2
TOP 10s:                      8
CURRENT POINTS:       17th

CAREER STATS:
STARTS:                       259
WINS:                           13
POLES:                         43
TOP FIVES:                   63
TOP 10s:                      106

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
As the 2008 NASCAR Cup season comes to an end, Alltel Wireless is featuring a new television spot on SPEED and ABC to thank 2008 Daytona 500 Champion and No. 12 Alltel Dodge driver Ryan Newman for his past eight years with the sponsor.

"Alltel Racing Moments" showcases some of