Jayski's® Silly Season Site

JAYSKI's SILLY SEASON SITE

#12 Team Past News and Rumors

NOTE:

2007 News

Penske Names VP of Marketing: Penske Performance has appointed Jonathan Gibson as Vice President of Marketing, a newly created position within its organization. In this role, Gibson will oversee the sponsorship management, media and public relations, licensing as well as other marketing functions for Penske Performance, which includes its teams in NASCAR, the IndyCar Series and the American Le Mans Series. Gibson was most recently Vice President for Pierce, a sports marketing and experiential marketing division of Omnicom's, The Radiate Group. Formerly, he led the Miller Lite brand's sports marketing investments, which included its long and prosperous relationship with Penske Racing.(Penske Racing PR)(12-8-2007)

Penske Racing to form test team: #2-Kurt Busch said Penske Racing has plans to form a designated test team to prepare for the 2008 Sprint Cup Series season when all 36 races will feature the car of tomorrow. "We need more laps, more time with the new car to be more competitive," said Busch, who finished seventh in points this year, following the NMPA Myers Bothers Awards Luncheon at Cipriani's. With the addition of new teammate Sam Hornish Jr. in the #77 Dodge, the fourth team is expected to focus solely on testing. Busch said teammate Ryan Newman, Hornish, himself or an "outside driver" could all be involved in the tests. Busch, who has already tested at Atlanta, said the remainder of his offseason schedule includes scheduled stops at Daytona International Speedway, Lakeland, California and Las Vegas. Nashville is also a possibility if the weather cooperates, he said. With the Cup series already running twice in the COT at Bristol this year, Busch is comfortable heading into the first handful of races in '08. "We feel like we're prepared really well for the first five or six, then we hit tracks like Texas [and Charlotte], and that's where the teams that are ready to go will prevail," he said, adding, "I hope not to be in a Cup car until January. I might end up doing a shakedown test for the Rolex 24. Penske's putting together a team. It might be double top secret until now. But we're having some fun with that."(SceneDaily.com)(11-30-2007)

Crew Chief change at the #12? Miller retires? UPDATE 2 Confirmed: hearing Roy McCauley take over as the crew chief for the #12 alltel Penske Racing team for driver Ryan Newman. McCauley started the 2007 season as Kurt Busch's crew chief in the #2 Dodge. Supposedly current #12 crew chief, Mike Nelson, will move over to a management position at Penske Racing. The crew chief job for the #77 team and driver Sam Hornish Jr. is supposedly open.(11-17-2007)
UPDATE: been told that Mike Nelson will be in the front office overseeing the Cup side of the business and Roy McCaulley will be Ryan Newman's crew chief, and Matt Gimbel will be the interim crew chief for #77 Sam Horish Jr. until a permanent crew chief is chosen, then he will be the race engineer for #77 team. Also, been told that Penske Racing's Don Miller will retire.(11-27-2007)
UPDATE 2: Don Miller, who has served as President of Penske Racing South, Inc. since its inception in 1990, is retiring from his position after nearly two successful decades at the highest levels of stock car racing. Penske Racing also announced that Mike Nelson, who just completed his first season as crew chief of the #12 Alltel Dodge driven by Ryan Newman, has been promoted to Vice President of Operations. In his new role, Nelson will oversee Penske’s entries in the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series programs, reporting to Tim Cindric, President of Penske Performance, Inc. In addition, Roy McCauley has been named crew chief for the #12 Alltel team.(Penske Racing PR)(11-28-2007)

Castroneves wins "Dancing With the Stars": Race car [Penske Racing's IRL] driver Helio Castroneves is the winner of "Dancing With the Stars." Spice Girl Melanie Brown and her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, were the highest-scoring couple throughout the hit show's fifth season. But on Tuesday night, viewers snubbed Brown and gave the mirrorball trophy to Castroneves. The fourth consecutive man to win the contest, Castroneves' personality, enthusiasm and flashing smile - combined with an effortless quickstep on his final performance - clearly resonated more with voters. "It's not only about dancing, you know? It's about popularity," Castroneves said after the show. "That's what I'm actually very happy about."(Associated Press)(11-28-2007)

NASCAR studying how Hamlin, Blaney had water in fuel: MORE Denny Hamlin, who thought he had enough gas while leading when his car sputtered and didn't start with three laps remaining in the Pep Boys Auto 500, actually had water in his fuel cell at the time. Whether that caused him not to accelerate and get hit from behind by Martin Truex Jr. is uncertain, Joe Gibbs Racing Senior Vice President Jimmy Makar said Sunday night at Atlanta. But what is certain is that Hamlin and Bill Davis Racing's Dave Blaney had water in their fuel cells, and Roush Fenway Racing's Greg Biffle also might have had a similar situation. NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Director John Darby said that no water was found in the Sunoco pumps following the race. Darby said all of the Sunoco documentation from the weekend shows no water in the tanks.(SceneDaily.com)(10-28-2007)
UPDATE: Water found in the fuel tanks of cars driven by #11-Denny Hamlin and #22-Dave Blaney during Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Atlanta was not isolated to those teams, a NASCAR official said Monday. Water also was discovered in the fuel of the Penske Racing cars driven by #2-Kurt Busch and #12-Ryan Newman after returning to Charlotte, N.C. In addition, water was found in the fuel cell of all three Richard Childress racing team cars belonging to #29-Kevin Harvick, #07-Clint Bowyer and #31-Jeff Burton. #16-Greg Biffle believes his car may have had water in its fuel, although no evidence was found. NASCAR Nextel Cup Series director John Darby said the problem is more widespread than originally thought and that NASCAR has issued bulletins to all Cup and Truck Series teams to check for evidence of contamination so they can locate the source. Darby said everything from the underground fuel-holding tank at the track to the fuel trucks that deliver the gas to the individual gas cans are being analyzed. He said the underground tank is the least likely source because there is an alarm system located that can detect the slightest amount of contamination. Darby dismissed sabotage as a possible explanation, saying too many teams were affected for anyone to have been singled out.(ESPN.com)(10-30-2007)

Penske Staying with Dodge; Decision on Hornish Soon:Penske Racing owner Roger Penske said Sunday that his team will be driving Dodges for years to come. Penske said he has agreed to a multi-year deal with Dodge. The team contract was set to expire at the end of the 2008 season. As for Sam Hornish Jr., one of Penske's two IndyCar Series drivers who is considering the switch to the Cup Series but has yet to qualify for a race, the plan is to continue trying to get him in a race. "We're going to keep digging," Penske said. He said the team likely will know its plans for Hornish by the Phoenix Cup race in two weeks.(ESPN.com)(10-29-2007)

Newman Comments on Car Being Too Low After Qualifying: What started as a good qualifying run that left #12-Ryan Newman second beside pole sitter Jimmie Johnson, turned into a bad start for Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge at Kansas Speedway. Newman was just three one-hundredths of a second slower than Johnson, but following post-qualifying inspection, NASCAR officials deemed the Alltel Dodge Charger´s roof was too low and the right-rear quarter panel was too high. NASCAR disallowed Newman´s qualifying run, which relegated Newman to the 42nd starting position for Sunday´s 267-lap race in Kansas. "I´m not sure what happened," Newman said. "The car got through inspection before qualifying, but something wasn´t right when we went back through inspection after our run. We´ll just have to make up for this setback on Sunday."(Dodge Motorsports PR)(9-26-2007)

Rejection of Penske test track recommended: Iredell County [NC] commissioners should deny Penske Racing permission to build a test track off Mazeppa Road near Mooresville [NC], the Iredell County Planning Board voted late Wednesday [9-5]. Fueled by about 200 opponents in the audience who were concerned primarily about noise, the board voted 9-0 against the $21 million track. The Planning Board is a citizen advisory board and the final say rests with the commissioners, who will consider Penske's plans on Oct. 2.(Charlotte Observer/Thatsracin)(9-7-2007)

Special Scheme for Newman at California: A Missouri man has won the "Ink Ryan's Ride" contest, sponsored by Eastman Kodak Company. The winning design for the # 12 Kodak Dodge will be driven by Ryan Newman in Sunday's Sharp Aquos 500. Raymond VanDerLinden of Springfield, Mo., answered Kodak's challenge to "think about ink" with a colorful and creative design for Newman's car. His winning design, chosen from among four other semi-finalists, was selected from more than 3,100 online entries. (Kodak PR) See an image of the car on my #12 Team Schemes page.(9-2-2007)

Penske Racing to create test track in Mooresville, NC: Penske Racing plans to build a test track in Mooresville similar in size and layout to the track at Richmond International Raceway. The 54-acre site on Mazeppa Road would include 1/4- and 1/2-mile ovals within the 3/4-mile oval track, and a 1.8-mile road course, documents filed with the Iredell County Planning Department show. At its neighboring race shop, Mooresville-based Penske already designs, makes and tests high-performance vehicles for competition in the Nextel Cup and Busch series, Indy Racing League, and Automobile Racing Club of America and American LeMans series. The test track also would accommodate law-enforcement training and recreational motorsports, but is not for spectators paying admission, Penske says in its filing with the county. Testing would be between 8am and 6pm/et, according to the filing. The acreage now includes two ball fields and a vacant lot. The land is zoned for heavy industrial uses, including race tracks, Iredell County Planner Rebecca Harper said. Penske proposes putting in landscaping along the track property's railroad boundary to obscure the track's view from Mazeppa Road, and adding landscaping along Penske Way, which leads off Mazeppa. The company would leave the woods on the west side of the property as a noise buffer. Industry border the other three sides. Penske Racing South president Don Miller could not be reached Thursday. The Iredell County Planning Board will consider the plan at 7pm Wednesday. The planning staff is recommending approval. County commissioners are expected to consider the board's recommendation in October.(Charlotte Observer)(8-31-2007)

Hornish to run 5-6 races in the final 10: Sam Hornish Jr. plans to run five to six of the final 10 races in the Nextel Cup season for Penske Racing, team owner Roger Penske said on Saturday. Penske said the 2006 Indianapolis 500 champion, who is considering a full-time ride in Cup next season, will turn his focus to stock cars as soon as the Indy season ends on Sept. 9. Hornish's first Cup race could come in the championship Chase opener at New Hampshire International Speedway. "That's the game plan right now," Penske said before the start of the Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. "Obviously, he's got to qualify. But he did a good job at Michigan and if there is a chance to run cars every week, we'll see." Penske would like to keep Hornish's focus on Car of Tomorrow races -- New Hampshire, Dover, Talladega, Martinsville and Phoenix -- because that is the car NASCAR will use full time in 2008. "I told him the more experience you get the better you're going to be," Penske said. "We'll see."(ESPN.com)(8-25-2007)

Newman's Team Earns Pit Crew Challenge Win at Pocono: Ryan Newman's team took top honors in the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge during Sunday's Nextel Cup event at Pocono Raceway. The Alltel team spent the least amount of time on pit road during the Pennsylvania 500 (230.512 seconds), claiming its second win of the season in the weekly competition. Checkers/Rally's will present Newman's over-the-wall crew with an $11,000 check for winning the weekly challenge. An additional $111,150 prize will be presented to the pit crew with the most wins at the completion of the 36-race Nextel Cup schedule. To date, Checkers/Rally's has paid out $231,000 to Nextel Cup pit crews. The #12 crew, out of the Penske Racing stable, includes: Britt Goodrich (jackman), Scott Reiniger (front-tire carrier), Ben Brown (front-tire changer), Trent Cherry (rear-tire carrier), Joe Piette Jr. (rear-tire changer), George Whitley (gasman), Bryan White (catch can) and Michael Warren (eighth-man). Cherry and Bob Pressley are the pit crew coaches. Mark Martin's/Aric Almirola's/Regan Smith's #01 crew leads the season-long Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge standings with four wins. To win, teams are required to finish on the lead lap while spending the least amount of time on pit road. Checkers/Rally's is in its third season as title sponsor for the Pit Crew Challenge. Checkers/Rally's is the Official Burger and Drive-Thru Restaurant of NASCAR, more info at checkers.com.(DMF Communications PR)(8-8-2007)

Five Fans Move One Step Closer in the Race to "Ink" Newman's #12 Kodak Dodge: Eastman Kodak Company asked fans to tell them what they think about ink. Five finalists have answered the challenge with colorful, creative designs. Now the public will help decide which design will be displayed on Ryan Newman's #12 Kodak Dodge during the Sharp Aquos 500 at California Speedway on Sunday, September 2. Along with having their name and design appear on Newman's #12 car, one Grand Prize Winner will receive a NASCAR prize package that includes two tickets to the Busch Series (September 1) and Nextel Cup races, transportation and VIP access to the California Speedway.
From August 3 -10, racing fans can log onto www.thinklikeryan.com to vote for their favorite design. The winning design will be determined by a combination of votes from Ryan, "The Best Damn Sports Show. Period's" John Salley, and NASCAR fans. Each party will be responsible for 1/3 of the vote. The finalist with the most votes will be the Grand Prize Winner. The winning design will be unveiled during the California Speedway weekend and will be raced by Ryan on September 2, during the Sharp Aquos 500.
The five finalists include:
· Jeremy Doty, Tempe, Ariz.
· Douglas Jones, Sugarland, Texas.
· Jeff Kolts, Fort Worth, Texas.
· Raymond VanDerLinden, Springfield, Mo.
· Justin Wilkinson, Brownsburg, Ind.
One Grand Prize Winner will also receive a KODAK EASYSHARE 5300 All-In-One Inkjet Printer and a 12-month supply of high-quality premium ink, courtesy of Kodak. Kodak's line of new printers offers incredible value, with low ink prices that save consumers up to 50 percent on everything they print compared to similar consumer inkjet printers*.(PR)(8-4-2007)

Newman's status up in the air? to RCR? denied: #12-Ryan Newman’s future continues to be a question mark in the NASCAR garage [Jayski note: Newman is signed with Penske at least thru 2008], and it’s not clear if he will be back with car owner Roger Penske next season. If not, Newman could become a candidate for the fourth Richard Childress team.(Winston Salem Journal)(7-26-2007)
UPDATE: ESPN2's Marty Smith reported on Sunday's NASCAR Now that there is no merit to any Ryan Newman laving Penske Racing rumors and Newman has a contract thru at least 2008.(7-29-2007)

The Latest on Hornish to NASCAR: Sam Hornish Jr. [is] taking a long, hard look at what he wants to do next and whether it includes a risky jump to NASCAR. "It's safe to say that the challenge of it intrigues me," Hornish said in the midst of preparations for this week's Honda 200. After eight years in IRL, he's itching for something new. Despite his IRL success, Hornish makes no secret of the fact that he's restless. His agreement with Penske Racing allows him to try some different things. He's driving in several Busch Series events and is testing himself in other ways. "That's one of the great things about this deal I have with Roger right now is that we have an opportunity to go either way," Hornish said. "The best part is that I don't have to make a decision today or tomorrow. We started off this year knowing that we were going to do 11 to 14 stock-car events, run the whole IndyCar schedule, run the 24 Hours of Daytona, have a whole bunch of different kind of racing thrown in there. We're going to continue to work on that plan. We'll sit down at the end of the year when that's all over with and make a decision on what we're going to do."(Associated Press)
AND: Hornish refuted the prevailing rumor that he already has made up his mind and that owner Roger Penske will add a third car to his NASCAR team next year for Hornish. "I'd say where I'm at right now, the scales are 50-50," said Hornish. "I haven't made any decision; the team hasn't made a decision."(Columbus Dispatch)(7-21-2007)

More on Hornish to NASCAR: Sam Hornish Jr. is pondering a move from his Penske Racing's open wheel to its Nextel Cup outfit, where he could join #2-Kurt Busch and #12-Ryan Newman next season. Testing his stock car skills in the ARCA and Busch Series, he is expected to wait until his team's September deadline to announce a decision, in part to appease his IRL sponsor, Marlboro. Penske officials feel Hornish's [IRL] points finish this season could have an impact. He's currently fifth, a hefty 97 out, with just seven races remaining.(St Petersburg Times)(7-11-2007)

Third Penske team in 2008? Mobil 1 as sponsor? UPDATE 2: hearing that Mobil 1 will be a full sponsor of a third Penske Racing Nextel Cup car in 2008, no word on a driver.(6-8-2007)
UPDATE: Roger Penske said Sunday he plans to field two Dodge-backed Nextel Cup Series teams in 2008. Recent reports said Penske Racing may leave Dodge next season in favor of a move to Toyota, a rumor Penske dismissed. "Our Dodge commitment is a long-term contract," said Penske, one of the world's largest Toyota dealers. "I read in the paper where we were switching to Toyota. We haven't even talked to them about it." As for the speculated third team? "We've looked at whether we'd run an additional car," Penske said. "We haven't made any commitment on it at this point. There's lots of speculation. We've got a lot of moving parts right now. I'm not committing to a third team at this point, at all."(ESPN.com)(6-11-2007)
UPDATE 2: Penske Racing appears to be expanding to three teams in 2008, and former Indianapolis 500 champion Sam Hornish Jr. likely will fill that seat. Hornish is expected to compete in an unspecified number of Nextel Cup races toward the end of this season, team owner Roger Penske said Sunday morning at New Hampshire International Speedway. "We're looking at it," Penske said of the third team. "We definitely are very interested in doing that, but we have to look and see where we are with Hornish. That'll be a deciding factor on exactly what we do." More than likely Mobil 1, the sponsor on Hornish's Busch car and an associate sponsor on both Penske Cup cars, would be the primary sponsor on the Cup car. Mobil 1 and Penske have had a long association. With this apparent plan to expand to three teams with Hornish, Penske said he is not in the running for free agent Kyle Busch. Busch's older brother, Kurt, early last week lobbied on behalf of his brother during a national teleconference saying Penske Racing would be "stupid" not to talk to his brother.(ESPN.com)(7-2-2007)

No Engine change for Newman: after Happy Hour practice for the Autism Speaks 400 presented by Visa at Dover International Speedway it was reported that #12-Ryan Newman's team may change engines, it was reported on ESPN2's NASCAR Now that the #12 team will not change engines and will start from the pole, when the race starts.(6-3-2007)

Toyota: Gibbs? Penske merge with Waltrip? UPDATE 2: Toyota, sources said, has approached the Gibbs team with a proposal to leave Chevrolet, which would give it #20-Tony Stewart, #11-Denny Hamlin and #18-J.J. Yeley. Gibbs’ management doesn’t appear to be that interested, but the offer hasn’t been rejected, according to team sources. Penske [#2, #12], who has been with just about every manufacturer in racing over the years and who is one of the world’s biggest Toyota dealers, could be making the move to Toyota for next year. According to sources close to the situation, Penske could be looking at a merger with Michael Waltrip’s struggling Toyota operation. And there is speculation that Robert and Doug Yates [#38, #88] may be willing to listen to Toyota offers, even though they have long-standing ties with Ford.(Winston Salem Journal)(5-31-2007)

UPDATE: Several sources tell SI.com that Toyota is going hard after Joe Gibbs Racing and that Gibbs is very interested. Officially, the Gibbs team denies any contact with Toyota: "It's news to us," team spokesman Mike Arning said. Toyota, as a matter of policy, does not comment on contract negotiations. The potential deal is a delicate subject for Gibbs and Toyota. Gibbs' contract with Chevrolet, which runs out at the end of the year, stipulates this is a non-negotiating period with other manufacturers. Is contact to determine interest negotiating? You'd have to read the fine print and then get a clarification from an arbitrator to determine that. But sources say there definitely has been communication between Toyota and Gibbs.(Sports Illustrated)(6-2-2007)
UPDATE: Representatives from Penske Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing on Saturday disallowed rumors of an impending merger between the two organizations, which currently field Dodges and Toyotas, respectively, in a variety of NASCAR series. "I heard about it for the first time [Friday]," said Ty Norris, Michael Waltrip Racing's general manager. "I wish he would come and talk to us." Wally McCarty, Penske Racing's marketing director, was just as succinct. "We're racing Dodges through the end of next season, and right now we're most concerned about winning races for Dodge -- we have to be," McCarty said. "We have a beautiful new facility and so does [Waltrip]. There's no 'win' there. I don't know where people come up with these things. Roger [Penske] sells nearly every car make made in the world, and he has great relationships with all of them. We race Dodges, Hondas and Porsches out of the same shop, and we have great relationships with all of them. Would we race Toyotas at some point? When it's appropriate, we might talk about it, and if it's right, we might do that [but] right now [Waltrip] has three teams and we have two -- and you can only have four [total] so it doesn't make sense." McCarty said Penske was considering a third team "depending on what [Penske IndyCar Series driver] Sam Hornish decides to do," over the next year or two.(NASCAR.com)(6-3-2007)

AT&T suit could have Alltel rethinking its plans: The court ruling that allowed AT&T to rebrand the #31 Richard Childress Racing Chevy has Alltel thinking about challenging the restrictions placed on its NASCAR team sponsorship. Until now, Alltel has abided by a set of rules that aren't specifically written into its deal with Penske Racing, and many of those rules restrict Alltel from activating its deal the way other sponsors do. Because it is a wireless company that competes directly against Sprint Nextel, which spends close to $100 million a year to be NASCAR's top series sponsor, Alltel can't set up interactive displays, it can't title sponsor a race, it can't do any more than put its mark on driver Ryan Newman, the car, the pit crew and a single merchandise trailer. And like Cingular, Alltel has always been told that it can't change its name if ever acquired by another company. But these prohibitions could be subject to debate after a judge's ruling on May 18 that allowed Cingular's #31 car to carry AT&T sponsorship. Sprint Nextel has said that the ruling diminishes its exclusivity in the sport. U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Shoob granted AT&T a temporary injunction to put its blue globe on the #31 car because, in part, NASCAR's restrictions weren't specifically outlined in Cingular's team contract with Richard Childress Racing. Alltel's restrictions are likewise vaguely referenced in its contract with Penske, said Samira Zebian, Alltel's director of sponsorship marketing. "Could this allow us to leverage the race track and other platforms that have been off-limits to us?" Zebian asked. "What has been conjecture in the past now must be formalized. We've always been very respectful of Nextel's rights, but we need a better understanding of how far-reaching those rights are. What the suit brings to light is that a league deal shouldn't impact our category so negatively that we can't put our product in front of the fans the way every other team sponsor can." Alltel has no plans to challenge NASCAR legally, Zebian said, but "it does force a conversation" about Alltel's activation rights.
NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said the case could prompt NASCAR to review the way its team contracts are written. The governing body has purposely kept the wording in the contracts as neutral as possible to maintain flexibility with the teams and sponsors, he said, but that flexibility could be lost in future contracts. NASCAR likely will be much more specific in its wording on any sponsor restrictions.
Once the AT&T trial concludes, though, the issue still might not be settled. Alltel was recently acquired by TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners and while the name is expected to remain the same, some analysts believe Alltel remains a target for one of the larger wireless companies.(SportsBusiness Journal/SceneDaily.com)(5-30-2007)

Newman to Gibbs? doubtful; Yeley controls his future: #12-Ryan Newman’s name has surfaced prominently in early Silly Season rumors, most notably in connection with a possible move to Joe Gibbs Racing. But Penske Racing officials have said Newman is under contract through the end of the 2008 season, and the driver said Saturday that neither he nor the team are distracted by the Silly Season rumors. “A lot of names are in the hat right now,” said Newman, who will make his 200th NASCAR Nextel Cup start on Sunday. “I guess it’s a good thing being in the hat, being considered. At least someone thinks you have talent, but I’m happy where I’m at and I’m happy doing what I’m doing. We’ll just play it like that. It doesn’t distract me. I don’t think it distracts the team. It’s all about confidence whether it’s confidence qualifying the race car and putting it on the edge or having confidence in me. That doesn’t change.” At Joe Gibbs Racing, #18-J.J. Yeley was told last week by J.D. Gibbs that he controls his own destiny, team officials said. Yeley, who is in the final year of his contract as driver of the #18 JGR Chevrolet, needs to improve his results if he wants to keep that ride next season, according to a JGR spokesman. But if he does that, he’ll be back.(SPEEDtv.com)(5-27-2007)

Penske Poles: Penske Racing's Helio Castroneves won the pole for Sunday's Indy 500 and Penske's two Nextel Cup drivers, #12-Ryan Newman and #2-Kurt Busch, sit on the front row for the Coca Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The 2nd time Penske Racing has had that happen, the first happening in 2003 when both Newman and Castroneves won the poles for their respected races. Newman finished 5th and Castroneves 2nd in 2003. Penske driver have sat on the Indy 500 pole 14 times and 3 times [all Newman] for the Coca-Cola 600, Penske has won the Indy 500 14 times, but never won at Lowe's Motor Speedway.(5-25-2007)

Newman wins pole at Charlotte: #12-Ryan Newman won the Budweiser Pole for the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway with a speed of 185.312mph for his 2nd pole of 2007, 6th at LMS and 39th of his career. Newman has only won three races in the 38 races which he won the pole. #2-Kurt Busch qualified 2nd after being the slowest in practice, picking up over 8mph over practice. The rest of the top-10 are #19-Sadler, #8-Earnhardt Jr., #17-Kenseth, #11-Hamlin, #88-Rudd, #22-Blaney [best of the non top-35 teams], #43-Labonte and #40-Stremme. Points leader #24-Gordon will start 32nd. The non-top 35 teams that made the race were: #22-Blaney, #10-Riggs, #21-Elliott, #44-Jarrett, #36-Mayfield, #84-Allmendinger and #78-Wallace. See the qualifying results on my Qualifying Results/Order Starting Lineup Page.(5-24-2007)

Career start #200 for Newman: The last time #12-Ryan Newman posted four consecutive top-10 finishes it was early in the 2005 season. The streak began in Darlington and continued through Richmond, Charlotte and Dover. In those four races, Newman, driver of the #12 Alltel Dodge Charger, earned a fifth, a third, a fifth and an eighth-place finish, respectively. This weekend at the Coca-Cola 600, Newman will be seeking his fourth-consecutive top-10 finish at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Newman also will be celebrating a milestone in his eight-year career in NASCAR’s top series -- his 200th start.(Penske Racing PR)(5-23-2007)

Alltel to Be Acquired by TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners: Alltel Corp. announced that it has signed a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners (“GSCP”), in a transaction valued at approximately $27.5 billion. Alltel’s Board of Directors has unanimously approved the merger agreement after a comprehensive review of the company’s strategic options, and has recommended the approval of the transaction by Alltel’s shareholders. Completion of the transaction, which is currently expected to occur by the fourth quarter of 2007 or by the first quarter of 2008, is contingent upon customary closing conditions, including approval by Alltel's shareholders and certain regulatory approvals. Shareholders will be asked to vote on the proposed transaction at a special meeting that will be held on a date to be announced. Scott Ford, Alltel’s chief executive officer, will remain in his current role.(Business Wire), no idea how this could effect the sponsorship of the #12 Penske Racing team Ryan Newman drives for.(5-21-2007)

Newman looking for a new ride? It might be difficult to see a ride better than with Roger Penske, one of the most famous names in racing. But #12-Ryan Newman’s name is suddenly out in the rumor mill. It’s been a while since Newman, a Purdue grad, was making headlines.(Winston Salem Journal), of NOTE: Newman is supposedly signed thru 2009, and supposedly has talked to a few teams about a ride in 2008, including Joe Gibbs Racing.(5-17-2007)

#12 Alltell Dodge Takes Nextel Pit Crew Championship: The #12 Alltel Dodge team led by crew chief Mike Nelson won the third annual Nextel All-Star Challenge presented by Craftsman in a thrilling all-Dodge final. The team edged the #43 Cheerios Dodge team led by Paul Andrews by .33 seconds to grab the championship and the $70,300 prize. It looked like the #12 team would falter in the finals when jack man Britt Goodrich had trouble lifting the second side of the car and was late getting to the car for the final push. The #43 crew had their Dodge rolling first, but was unable to hold off the hard-charging #12 team. The Alltell Dodge team finished the competition in impressive fashion. The team was assessed a five second penalty in the first round for excessive fuel spillage but was flawless afterwards. In each of the final four rounds, the #12 team posted the top time. The team had been successful in the previous two events as well, making the quarterfinal round in 2006 and the semifinal round in 2005. The crew of the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, the defending champions, were knocked out of the competition in the first round. The team beat the #07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet team to the finish line, but was penalized three seconds for having a loose lug nut. The #9 UAW/Dodge Dealers Dodge team was also eliminated in the first round. The team won the inaugural competition in 2005 and finished second last year. Jeff Patterson and Brian Larson – the gasman and catch can man for the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet – won the individual competition for the second consecutive season to win $10,000 each. They were the only individuals to repeat as champions.
Team champion: #12 Alltell Dodge
Crew chief - Mike Nelson
Front Tire Changer - Ben Brown
Front Tire Carrier - Scott Reiniger
Rear Tire Changer - Joe Piette Jr.
Rear Tire Carrier - Trent Cherry
Gas man - George Whitley
Catch can - Brian White
Jack man - Britt Goodrich
Individual Champions:
Jack man – Mitch Lash (#44 UPS Toyota) – 5.94 seconds **
Gas man/Catch Can – Jeff Patterson/Brian Larson (#20 Home Depot Chevrolet) – 10.92 seconds
Front Tire Changer/Carrier – Nick O’Dell/Jason Gay (#9 UAW/Dodge Dealers Dodge) – 15.18 seconds
Rear Tire Changer/Carrier – Daniel Rankin/Bryan Rockwell (#43 Cheerios Dodge) – 13.85 **
** New individual record.(NASCAR PR)(5-17-2007)

Penske would like to talk to Dale Jr. Roger Penske said Friday that he has an interest in adding Dale Earnhardt Jr. to his Nextel Cup team, but he realizes it isn't likely to happen. "Certainly we'd like to talk to him," Penske said. "Obviously, he's one of the top drivers in the sport. But from everything I've heard, he wants to say in a Chevrolet. We have a contract with Dodge and we're loyal to that." Even at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the day before Indy 500 pole day, Earnhardt Jr. is a big topic. Penske is hoping to win his 15th Indianapolis 500 as a team owner. He has a two-car IndyCar Series team with Sam Hornish Jr., last year's winner, and Helio Castroneves, a two-time Indy 500 winner. But Penske also has a two-car Cup team with #2-Kurt Busch and #12-Ryan Newman. Cup team owners are allowed to have four cars, so Penske has the space to add Earnhardt. Penske also is a team owner with the money to make a serious bid for Earnhardt's services. Forbes magazine recently listed Penske's net worth at $2.2 billion.(ESPN.com)(5-12-2007)

Kodak returns to the track, on the #12: #12-Ryan Newman will run a special "Think" themed #12 Kodak Dodge this Sunday (April 29) in the Aaron's 499 Nextel Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. "Think" is part of a new campaign by Kodak to challenge consumers to think about how much they spend on ink. Kodak's new EasyShare inkjet printers, available now at Best Buy, use premium ink that can save up to 50 percent on printed documents and photos. The Talladega race marks the first time since 2005 that a Kodak car will compete in a Nextel Cup event. Look for more news about the "Think" campaign and the #12 Kodak Dodge in the near future.(ketchum PR), see images of the scheme on my #12 Team Schemes page.(4-28-2007)

Newman heading to a dubious record: #12-Ryan Newman won the pole for this past Friday for the Atlanta race. Doesn't seem to translate into wins for Newman who is now on the brink of setting a modern-era record that he probably does not want. Newman has gone winless in the last 26 races that he has started from the pole. This places him in a tie for second with Ricky Rudd (who snapped his 26 race losing streak when he won from the pole at Pocono in 2001). Newman is one race shy of moving into a tie with the current record holder. Geoffrey Bodine started his losing streak at Daytona in 1982 and lost 27 consecutive races when starting from the pole. It was almost 8 years later before Bodine would be able to finally score a win from the pole (Martinsville 1990). Bodine went 0 for 27 to begin his career. He would go on to win from the pole three times in his career. Ricky Rudd went 0 for 26 to begin his career. So far, he has only one win from the pole position. Ryan Newman only went 0 for 3 before scoring his first win from the pole. He was hot for awhile, winning 3 times in his first 12 poles, then his current streak took over.(LTPicks.com)(3-20-2007)

Penske Plans to build track near shop: Roger Penske has now consolidated all three of his teams -- his NASCAR, Indy Racing League and American LeMans groups -- under one enormous roof in Mooresville, N.C. That includes approximately 260 employees working in a state-of-the-art, 425,000-square foot, shop. It is an impressive campus that includes a wind tunnel and a seven-post vehicle dynamics rig, and now with all the teams, all the engineers, all the employees under one roof, the thought is there can be plenty of knowledge sharing. For instance, a Cup crew chief can study the aerodynamics of an open-wheel car and apply what he learns to the Cup car, particularly the new Car of Tomorrow. Penske said he is finalizing plans to build a test track near the shop. There is plenty of land to spare, and about 70 acres will be used. "We could build an oval that's the size of the Richmond [International Raceway]," Penske said, referring to the .75-mile track. "And we'd put a road course in. We look at it as a test track, but our sponsors could use it. There's lot of different things you could use something like that for, so I think it will be terrific." Penske is, of course, thinking out of the box yet again. He figures that the test track would cut the expenses of going on the road for testing, and it would eliminate some of the travel wear-and-tear on the drivers and crews. Of course, Penske figures the test facility could be used for sponsor and customer entertainment, as well.(ESPN.com)(3-20-2007)

Hornish to run Brickyard 400? Defending the Indianapolis 500 title will be tough enough for Sam Hornish Jr., but he says he'd like to win twice on the historic 2 1/2-mile oval this year. Hornish, who already has driven in two Busch Series races this season, said Wednesday he likes the idea of trying to drive in both major American races at the track - Indy and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. "The biggest thing would be our resources," Hornish said. "But if they asked me to do it, I'd do it." It's not unprecedented. A few NASCAR drivers, most notably Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon, have competed in Indianapolis on Memorial Day weekend and later returned to compete in the Brickyard 400. Hornish won the second-closest finish in Indy 500 history by 0.0635 seconds in 2006. Hornish might be setting himself up for even greater expectations. When asked if he had any inkling about running in the July 29 Nextel Cup race in Indianapolis, he didn't hesitate. "I'm trying to work on Roger (Penske) as far as that goes," Hornish said. "I think it would require a little bit of testing, and the biggest thing would be our resources. Obviously, we don't want to take away from what Kurt (Busch) and Ryan (Newman) do there." #2-Busch and #12-Newman are the two regular drivers for Penske's NASCAR team. Hornish also is trying to become only the sixth driver in Indy history to repeat as champion, something his teammate Helio Castroneves accomplished in 2001-02.(Associated Press)(3-15-2007)

Newman's tire changer has tough pit stop: Ryan Newman's #12 team was able to avoid serious problems during its first pit stop on lap 9 at California Speedway when a lug nut off the right-rear wheel flew up and hit rear-tire changer Joe Piette Jr. in his left eye, knocking out his contact lens and leaving him without the vision in that eye. "I'm just glad Newman didn't come over the radio after he left the pits to ask if all the lug nuts were tight. Maybe I'm better at changing tires when I'm blind," Piette joked as he told the story to Penske teammates. "I have never had that happen to me. The lug nut didn't cut my eye, but it knocked out the contact lens. It was weird." The NASCAR official standing in the pit stall located Piette's contact and after washing it off, Piette returned it to its proper place and was ready to get back to work. "I literally got the lens washed off just before you came in for the second stop," Piette told Newman. When Piette was asked how he was doing on Monday, he replied, "I can definitely feel that I got hit in the eye, but other than a small bruise at the corner of my eye, you can't see anything. I can see just fine."(Penske Racing)(2-27-2007)

Alltel selling? mergining? Verizon? Alltel Corp. could fetch a price tag of $25 billion to $31 billion from private equity firms or other U.S. mobile service providers looking to expand in rural markets, analysts said Tuesday [Feb 20th]. Alltel, the top rural U.S. wireless provider, fueled merger speculation when it said during an earnings conference call Tuesday that it was reviewing its strategic options. Analysts said a sale agreement could happen as early as April. Its shares rose 3.3 percent to $62.40 after the comments, also spurred by better-than-expected quarterly results. Some analysts said Verizon Communications was the most likely company to bid for Alltel as Verizon Wireless uses the same CDMA network technology, making any merger easier. Verizon Wireless has the second-biggest U.S. customer base but leads in terms of revenue. Alltel, with 12 million customers, could also attract bids from AT&T's Cingular Wireless, Sprint Nextel or Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA, analysts said. Alltel has approached AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, and "made the rounds" among some private equity firms, but no one has jumped to buy the company yet, the source said. Michael Nelson, an analyst at Stanford Group, said private equity firms, which have bought a series of technology companies last year, were more likely acquirers than Alltel's wireless rivals. "I would say Verizon's the most likely strategic buyer," he said. But since Verizon has grown nicely on its own, "I still don't believe Verizon is a willing buyer of the asset unless their hand is forced and they risk losing it," Nelson added. Analysts said Alltel would likely aim for a sale agreement by April or May, ahead of a U.S. government sale of wireless airwaves that could take place as early as August. Rival bidders are barred from talking to each other once they register to take part in the auction. Analysts said #3 U.S. wireless provider Sprint Nextel could be a bidder as it also uses CDMA technology, but they note that Sprint's financial results have flagged in recent quarters as it struggled to integrate its Nextel purchase. Representatives for the companies in this story declined to comment or were not immediately available for comment.(money.cnn.com), what does this mean to the #12 team which is sponsored by Alltel? no idea...too early to tell.(2-25-2007)

Alltel puts name on race UPDATE: Alltel Wireless, sponsor of Ryan Newman's #12 Alltel Dodge, will make a major announcement early next week regarding what is rumored to be a race unlike any other - the Alltel "My Circle 500." The pursuit begins February 13, 2007. To learn more, fans can visit mycircle500.com. Also two time champion ('84 & '96) Terry Labonte is getting back into racing this season. Labonte is making his return in the highly anticipated Alltel "My Circle 500."(alltel Racing PR), also see some images I came accross of the scheme on my #12 Team Schemes page.(2-7-2007)
UPDATE: Alltel Wireless is giving race fans the chance to experience the thrill of winning a race and taking home the grand prize with the Alltel "My Circle 500" sweepstakes. 10 sweepstakes finalists will win the opportunity to take their 'pit crew' of 10 friends and family members on an all-expense-paid trip to Charlotte, N.C., on May 24-27 and put their skills to the test in an ultimate go-kart and pit crew for challenge for the chance to bring home $500,000. From now until April 30, 2007, fans can enter by going to mycircle500.com.(alltel Racing PR)(2-14-2007)

Mobil 1 back with Newman for 5 races: haven't seen a PR or anything, but got an image of the #12 Mobil 1 Dodge scheme that Ryan Newman is scheduled to drive in five races in 2007, see my #12 Team Schemes page for the image. The scheduled races are basically the same as last season: California (Feb), Chicago (July), Pocono (Aug), New Hampshire (Sept) and Atlanta (Oct).(2-3-2007)

Penske plans a test track behind shop in Mooresville: from a Clear!Blue/Dodge PR: COMMENT ON BUILDING A TEST TRACK, team owner Roger Penske said: "Our goal here is to take the roughly 70 acres out back and we build a test track [in back of their shop in Mooresville NC]. We're in an exploratory stage today. I'd like to see an oval with a big skid pad, also a road course would be intermingled within the oval side. I think the cost we have to go to tests and the fact we can use this for customer entertainment, for our sponsors, maybe police academies. It's like when we built the wind tunnel people said no one would use it. I can tell you it's being used every day. I think this is an opportunity for us to extend our commercial relationship within the sport. We really haven't said how big it is, but it'll be bigger than a half mile. Let's put it that way. Maybe we could build a Bristol here, but I don't have enough room for the stands. I'm not going into the track business. Don't get the wrong idea. This will be a test facility."(Clear!Blue/Dodge PR)(1-26-2007)

Penske to test COT at Daytona UPDATE: Speed's Bob Dillner reported on Speed's Preseason Thunder report Monday night that Penske Racing is bringing two COT's [Car of Tomorrow] to Daytona and will test them on the track Tuesday or Wednesday with #2-Kurt Busch and #12-Ryan Newman.
AND Kurt Busch says his #2-Miller Lite Dodge team will “surprise everyone” on Wednesday at Daytona when they shake down their superspeedway version of the Car of Tomorrow [COT]. Busch says “It’s just matter of us wanting to get ahead of the game and set the curve and raise the bar for people that are thinking they have their Car of Tomorrow scienced out while we’ve got ours here ready to go for a speedway test." Meanwhile, while the acronym “COT” for the Car of Tomorrow has been widely used, some have felt the need to create initials for the current racecars. In the spirit of fun, Busch revealed his Miller Lite Dodge team has come up with several including “CORN” meaning the “Car of Right Now” and “COY” is the “Car of Yesterday.” Busch said, “We’ve got a bunch of engineers in the back with way too much time on their hands I guess. Or they’re just working so hard they’ve got to curse the car somehow.”(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(1-16-2007)
UPDATE: Penske Racing South drivers worked on a variety of gear and restrictor-plate combinations as they tested a "car of tomorrow" Wednesday during Nextel Cup practice at Daytona International Speedway. Both #12-Ryan Newman and #2-Kurt Busch took turns in the car, which won't be used on a restrictor-plate track until the October race at Talladega Superspeedway. Busch turned a top lap of 191.188 mph in a single-car run with a 1 1/8th-inch restrictor plate. The team went as low as a 15/16ths-inch restrictor plate. The current version car uses a 7/8ths-inch restrictor plate. Newman said the test proved that NASCAR couldn't run these cars without restrictor plates.(SceneDaily.com)(1-18-2007)

2006 News

Congrats: Mike Nelson: #12-Crew chief Mike Nelson and his wife, Kim, welcomed a baby girl into their family on Friday, December 22 at 11:33 a.m. Claire Margaret Nelson arrived three weeks early at 5 pounds, 6 ounces, but mother and baby are doing fine. Claire joins big brother Carter, who is 2.(12-24-2006)

Borland: Staying at Penske South wasn't an option: UPDATE: Crew chief Matt Borland and driver #44-Dale Jarrett discovered they had something in common after Tuesday's initial get-to-know-you meeting at Michael Waltrip Racing. Both left the four-hour session feeling they had something to prove after a 2006 season in which the struggles of their former teams led to their partnership. Borland didn't sound at all like somebody ready to give up on his job as crew chief for #12-Ryan Newman to join a new organization. He stopped short of saying he was the scapegoat for what was Newman's worst season since he ran his first full Nextel Cup schedule in 2002. "I didn't really decide I needed a change," said Borland, who was named Jarrett's crew chief Friday. "Let's just say it was a mutual ... umm ... it was the best thing for all parties concerned." Borland was replaced for the final two races by Mike Nelson, who has since been named Newman's crew chief for '07. At the time Penske officials said Borland asked for a leave of absence to spend more time with his family. Newman said he hoped Borland would stay on in another capacity such as director of team competition. "It wasn't necessarily an option," he said.(ESPN.com)(12-13-2006)
UPDATE: #12-Ryan Newman may have struggled through the 2006 Nextel Cup campaign, but he doesn't fault his friend and now former crew chief Matt Borland, who's landed a new job with Michael Waltrip Racing and #44-Dale Jarrett. Newman is clearly unhappy his car owner Roger Penske apparently forced Borland to leave. "It´s difficult for me. When you´ve got a guy that´s your crew chief and your best man and they don´t offer him a position that he´s fully capable of ...it´s not the way I thought things were run." "It´s kind of a difficult situation to explain on the radio, but I´ll definitely miss Matt and I know that he still wants to be a part of the team in a round about way but he was kind of run off." As for what Newman has to say about his new crew chief Michael Nelson, who used to be the team engineer for the Alltel Dodge.."I think Mike will do a good job, but we´ve got parts and pieces we´ve got to build to make the race cars faster. Changing people isn´t the final answer on making the race car go faster."(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(12-14-2006)

New crew chief named for Newman? UPDATE 2 official: hearing Mike Nelson, who crew chiefed #12 Ryan Newman for the final two 2006 Nextel Cup races, was named crew chief for the Penske #12 team this week.(12-1-2006)
UPDATE: Michael Nelson has been appointed Ryan Newman's crew chief at Penske Racing South for the 2007 season, and a source says former crew chief Matt Borland may yet be leaving the organization. Nelson's appointment hadn't officially been announced as of midday Monday, but a source familiar with the situation said Nelson had the job and David Dembicki would serve as the team's race engineer. That's the role Nelson held with the team prior to November's race at Phoenix. He served as the team's interim crew chief the last two races as Borland stayed in North Carolina. At the time, Newman said that he'd need a new crew chief as Borland wanted to come off the road to spend more time with his family. While rumors persisted that Borland was being courted by other race teams, Don Miller, the team's president, insisted Borland had no interest in leaving Penske Racing South. Borland and owner Roger Penske met following the season finale, and Miller confirmed on Nov. 27 that Borland would remain with the team in a role still being defined. Borland was expected to oversee the competition department for an operation fielding two Cup teams and a part-time Busch Series team, even if the parameters hadn't been finalized. But after a phone conversation with Penske on Saturday, the source said Borland may be leaving. Once thought to be a leading candidate for a job with Team Red Bull, the source indicated that Michael Waltrip Racing has made Borland a substantial offer for a major position with a team that will field three Nextel Cup teams in 2007. In a move to further bolster its engineering department, Penske Racing South has also hired longtime engineer Troy Raker to work as a chassis engineer in the engineering group.(SceneDaily.com)(12-5-2006)
UPDATE 2: Mike Nelson, a race engineer for Penske Racing since 2000, has been named crew chief of the #12-Alltel Dodge team that competes in the Nextel Cup Series. Nelson, who served as the team's interim crew chief for the 2006 season's final two races, assumes his role immediately. Nelson, 33, joined Penske Racing in 1998 as a data acquisition engineer. He attended Ryan Newman's first test with the team in April 2000 and was offered the opportunity to be the team's first race engineer. Nelson has worked side-by-side with previous crew chief Matt Borland and the Alltel team ever since. Newman noted that due to Nelson's tenure with the team, the two men have a strong working relationship.(Penske Racing PR)(12-7-2006)

Kodak to sponsor Newman in three Cup races and: Eastman Kodak Company will serve as primary sponsor of the #12 Dodge driven by Ryan Newman at three Nextel Cup races in 2007. Kodak will also sponsor Newman’s car in seven Busch Series races next year, and will be an associate sponsor of Penske Racing’s IndyCar Series entries driven by Helio Castroneves and Sam Hornish, Jr. Plans call for Newman’s Dodge to wear red-and-yellow Kodak colors at Nextel Cup races in Talladega [Apr or Oct?]; Fontana, CA [Feb or Sept?] and Watkins Glen, near Kodak’s headquarters in Rochester. At 33 other Cup events, Kodak will be an associate sponsor of the #12 Alltel Dodge. The seven Busch Series races where Newman will drive a Kodak EasyShare Gallery-sponsored car are Bristol, Texas, Darlington, Chicagoland, Watkins Glen, Fontana, and Richmond [assuming they are in order of the races, so Bristol would be in March..not August, but it doesn't clearly say]. [Businesswire.com), see image of the scheme on my Paint Scheme Gallery.(12-4-2006)

Borland staying at Penske: Matt Borland, Ryan Newman's longtime crew chief, is staying at Penske Racing South for the 2007 season, team president Don Miller said Monday, although no title or job description has been finalized. One of Borland's first jobs will likely be helping to determine who will replace him as crew chief for Newman and the #12 Dodge team. Miller said Monday that Borland met with owner Roger Penske following the season finale. "He told Roger that under no circumstances does he want to leave, because Roger gave him the option," Miller said.(Scenedaily.com)(11-27-2006)

Newman called to the Hauler about Montoya wreck: #12-Ryan Newman's final night of the 2006 season lasted a little longer than he had planned when he was called to the NASCAR hauler after #30-Juan Pablo Montoya spun into the wall and his car burst into flames. "That's just one of those things," Montoya said. "He came up to me and if that's what he wanted to do, I don't care. I'm not racing for points or anything here." Newman spun into the grass with 21 laps to go and said that was his fault with no help from Montoya, who was beside him when it happened. When Newman was behind Montoya when his car went into a tailspin, NASCAR officials wanted to talk to Newman to find out if it was a payback move. "We were basically going for the same piece of real estate," Newman said when he came out of the hauler. "His bumper went across my nose and it spun him out. This was nobody but racing's fault, in my opinion. I felt bad for the situation because obviously it looked like I was retaliating and that wasn't the case, and that's what we talked about in there."(Richmond Times Dispatch)(11-20-2006)

Borland to meet with Penske: Matt Borland [former? #12 crew chief] is scheduled to meet with Penske Racing South owner Roger Penske on Monday, a day after missing his second consecutive Nextel Cup event. If no decisions are reached regarding Borland's future in that meeting, nothing might be decided until he meets with Don Miller, the team's president, and others the week after Thanksgiving. Borland has served as Ryan Newman's crew chief since Newman made the move to stock cars, but he received permission to skip the year's final two events. Newman said at Phoenix that he'd have a new crew chief in 2007, as Borland focused on spending more time with his family. A source, though, indicated Borland could still remain crew chief if he had a change of heart. Reached by phone on Saturday, Borland said he wasn't sure where things stood, adding that he didn't want to say anything more until after meeting with Penske. While rumors persisted at Homestead that Borland is looking for opportunities elsewhere, Miller expects Borland remain with the team, though it could be in an engineering role.(SceneDaily.com)
AND Matt Borland's run as Ryan Newman's crew chief appears to be over. Borland, who asked for a leave of absence as Ryan Newman's crew chief for the final two races, is expected to become the director of competition at Penske Racing South next season. Team officials said an official announcement should come within the next couple of weeks.(NASCAR.com), one recent rumor had Borland going to Red Bull Racing as Brian Vickers crew chief in 2007.(11-20-2006)

Borland to Red Bull? UPDATE 4 Borland on leave..personal reasons: A shakeup is looming for the Roger Penske operation, with Toyota's Red Bull team reportedly making a run at crew chief Matt Borland to take the helm of Brian Vickers' team next season. Borland is #12-Ryan Newman's crew chief at Penske's.(Winston Salem Journal)(10-28-2006)
UPDATE: Penske Performance president Tim Cindric would not rule out the possibility of crew chief changes during the offseason, but said rumors that Matt Borland would leave Ryan Newman's #12 Dodge program for Team Red Bull's new operation were "just speculation." "When you don't have a season you expect to have ... there's always speculation," Cindric said. "I think we're going to look at how we are this season and what's best move going forward to ensure we have better season next year."(St Petersburg Times)(10-31-2006)
UPDATE 2: Penske Racing South president Don Miller said Sunday that he expects to have crew chiefs Matt Borland (#12-Ryan Newman) and Roy McCauley (#2-Kurt Busch) back next year leading their respective cars. Borland had been rumored to move to a Toyota [Red Bull Racing] team. Miller also said he expects the new nose Dodge teams will get next year should prove to be a big benefit for the team.(Speed Channel)(11-6-2006)
UPDATE 3: however, been told that Borland will not be with the #12 team at Phoenix, supposedly team engineer Mike Nelson will be Newman's crew chief for the last two races.(11-7-2006)
UPDATE 4: Matt Borland, crew chief for Ryan Newman, will miss the final two races of the 2006 Nextel Cup season. Borland is taking "some personal time off," and team engineer Mike Nelson will lead Newman's efforts this weekend at Phoenix and next weekend at Homestead, a Penske Racing South spokesperson said Wednesday.(SceneDaily.com)(11-9-2006)
UPDATE 5: Ryan Newman said Matt Borland, his crew chief his entire Nextel Cup career and the best man at his wedding, "won't be back next year" in the same capacity. He could return in another role, Newman speculated. Borland was allowed to miss the final two races of the season to attend to personal matters and was replaced on an interim basis by engineer Mike Nelson. "He's in a position with his two children and wife that they need him to spend more time at home, and that's way more important than what we do at the racetrack," Newman said.(St Petersburg Times)(11-11-2006)

Newman wins open wheel race in GA: #12-Ryan Newman returned to his open-wheel roots Wednesday night and emerged victorious in the South Georgia Motorsports Park 100. The event, part of the Premier Racing Association’s Silver Crown series, featured Silver Crown “Big Cars” and NASCAR drivers Ken Schrader, Dave Blaney and Newman. Newman, driving the #192 car, qualified second earlier in the day with a time of 17.169 seconds, just behind series point leader Chet Fillip. However, the PRA’s Silver Crown series mixes things up a bit by inverting the top six. The qualifiers must draw for their spot after qualifying and after the selection, Newman moved back one spot to third, while Fillip was relegated to sixth. Marc Jessup began up front. After a brief autograph session with all of the drivers, the 100-lap race began with Newman quickly moving into second in the race’s opening laps.(Penske Racing PR)(10-27-2006)

Newman tested a Toyota? UPDATE: Toyota's 2007 Cup lineup so far: two Davis teams, three Waltrip teams, and two Red Bull teams, and two part-time teams. "I won't deny we've had conversations with existing teams, from every manufacturer," White said, leaving the answers up in the air. "It's not something we're actively pursuing. Teams have approached us; we have not approached them." One of those teams, sources say, could be Roger Penske's two-car Dodge operation. According to one source, Penske's Ryan Newman has just tested a Camry.(Winston Salem Journal)(10-15-2006)
UPDATE: being told Penske tested Toyota at Rockingham...sources told me they did it because supposedly "they wanted to see what the other guys had".(10-16-2006)

Hornish to run Busch and ARCA Races UPDATE 2 testing..#77?: Roger Penske said Saturday that he was working on a plan that would allow his IRL driver Sam Hornish Jr. to race in some NASCAR Busch Series and ARCA Series races next season. That would be in addition to a full IRL schedule for Hornish, who won the Indianapolis 500 this year. “Sam has talked about running some Busch or ARCA races, and we’re looking at a potential program,’’ Penske said before the Sharpie 500. “We haven’t put all the pieces together.” Although Penske used an ARCA, Busch and Nextel Cup program to develop the driver Ryan Newman before promoting him to the Cup series full-time, Penske said it was too early to say if Hornish would move up to compete in the Cup series by 2008.(New York Times)(8-28-2006)
UPDATE: Reports that Indianapolis 500 champion Sam Hornish Jr. would be running races in the NASCAR Busch and ARCA Series next year in addition to his Indy Racing League schedule are premature. "There's no confirmation," Team Penske director of marketing and communications Chris Schwartz said. "They're considering a plan that would allow Sam to run some Busch and ARCA events next year. The details of that plan are tentative. Some people are thinking that this is something more than it really is."(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(8-31-2006)
UPDATE 2: Sam Hornish Jr. could begin testing a Penske Racing South Dodge sometime this fall in preparation for what could be a limited Busch Series and ARCA schedule in 2007, team president Don Miller said Saturday. "They're just looking at that possibility [for next season]," Miller said. "He'll probably do some testing a little bit later on." Whether Hornish begins testing this year or not until next season will depend, in part, on how Penske Racing South's preparations are going for next season. The team has struggled with its intermediate-track program this year and is also busy working to gear up for the introduction of the "car of tomorrow" next season. Hornish, who will run the full IRL schedule next year, would ease into stock cars. If Hornish were to make the move to NASCAR full time in 2008 or beyond, it would likely mean Penske Racing South would resurrect the #77 team it shut down after last season.(SceneDaily.com)(9-3-2006)

Sony on the #12 at Calif: Ryan Newman and his #12 Dodge Charger will carry the Sony colors for the season's second race at California Speedway.(Penske Racing) see an image on the #12 Team Schemes page.(8-30-2006)

Trout Unlimited receives $10,000 grant from Ryan Newman Foundation: When Ryan Newman, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver of the Penske Racing #12 Alltel Dodge, isn't racing he can often be found fishing in the company of his dogs. Newman's favorite pastime has become one of his passions that is supported by his charitable foundation, which he co-founded with his wife, Krissie, in 2005. Recently the Ryan Newman Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant to Trout Unlimited whose mission is to conserve, protect and restore North America's trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds. The foundation is also working with the conservation organization to develop programs that enable individuals to help protect rivers, lakes and streams.(Ryan Newman Foundation)(8-17-2006)

Alltel Fastap scheme at Indy for Newman: Beginning Aug. 6th at the Brickyard 400, the #12 Alltel Dodge driven by Ryan Newman will introduce a special paint scheme in support of Alltel's new LG AX490 phone. The new silver and black design resembles the sleek car form of the LG AX490 - the first and only phone to feature a Fastap keypad. This keypad integrates the traditional 12-number keypad with raised buttons for each letter of the alphabet. In addition to the Fastap keypad, the LG AX490 comes pre-loaded with exclusive Ryan-Newman themed content including ringtones, wallpapers and a special 'Racing with Ryan' game.(Penske Racing PR(8-2-2006)

Ryan Newman Foundation kicks off Big Fix Rig in New Orleans: #12-Ryan Newman, and his wife Krissie have been named spokespeople for the National Spay/Neuter Response Team (NSNRT). Their first project for the initiative was welcoming the Big Fix Rig into New Orleans, Louisiana. Krissie Newman traveled to New Orleans with Ryan Newman Foundation Executive Director Rosalie De Fini on July 11 to christen the Big Fix Rig, a new 53-foot mobile spay/neuter clinic capable of performing 120 cat sterilization surgeries per day as part of the effort to reduce pet overpopulation nationwide. The mobile clinic was funded by grants from the PETCO Foundation and the Leonard X. Bosack & Bette M. Kruger Charitable Foundation. Welcoming the Big Fix Rig into Louisiana kicks off a major spay/neuter program in the Gulf Coast. Leading animal welfare organizations-the ASPCA, PetSmart Charities, the Humane Society of the United States, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and United Animal Nations-have joined in an effort to fund $3.2 million in support of spay/neuter programs in the hurricane affected areas of Mississippi and Louisiana. The National Spay/Neuter Response Team is an initiative of the Humane Alliance, which is a nonprofit public, low-cost spay/neuter clinic in Asheville, North Carolina. One clinic that is slated to open in 2007 is the Ryan Newman Foundation Spay/Neuter Clinic at the Humane Society of Catawba County's multipurpose animal welfare facility that is being constructed this year. The Ryan Newman Foundation pledged a donation of $400,000 to build the clinic, which will serve eight counties in the heart of NASCAR country in North Carolina. While in the Gulf Coast for the Big Fix Rig kick-off, Krissie Newman and Rosalie De Fini took time to visit the Humane Society of South Mississippi and St. Francis Animal Sanctuary. Both organizations received a grant from the Ryan Newman Foundation for Hurricane Katrina Pet Rescue. More info at www.ryannewmanfoundation.org.(7-14-2006)

#12 to honor fan at MIS: On April 5, NASCAR driver Ryan Newman surprised Albuquerque resident, Cindy Bachicha at an Alltel retail store in Albuquerque as part of Alltel's "Go Racing with Ryan" promotion. As a prize, Bachicha received a trip to this weekend's race at Michigan International Speedway and her name will be included on the #12 Alltel Dodge paint scheme.(PR)(6-14-2006)

Ryan Newman Day in Michigan; June 6 was the first Ryan Newman Day in the state of Michigan, and the four-time MIS winner wants to make sure it wasn't his last. With his first MIS appearance of 2006 in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup 3M Performance 400 just a week and a half away, Newman took the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing by storm on Tuesday. Along with Governor Jennifer Granholm's proclamation of June 6, 2006 as NASCAR Day, Senator Mark Schauer and Representative Leslie Mortimer delivered a resolution to announce the day as Ryan Newman Day in the state. Granholm, Schauer, Mortimer and several other key state legislators applauded Newman not only for his on-track success but for his off-track endeavors as well. Newman was on hand to promote several important causes throughout his day at the Capitol, the first of which was the recently-approved $18.5 million allocation for highway improvement in the area surrounding MIS. Newman applauded the government leaders for their devotion to the loyal Michigan fan base. Along with the discussion on local highway improvement, Newman also promoted his Ryan Newman Foundation and the book Pit Road Pets, which features several top NASCAR drivers and their beloved animals. Newman and his wife, Krissie, have joined with local humane societies in many areas for the cause of animal preservation, and he continued to promote this cause during his day in Lansing. Before leaving the Capitol in the afternoon, Newman got the chance to be introduced on the floor of the House of Representatives. As the legislators representing the MIS area explained their district alignments to Newman, he maintained that there was really only one locale that concerned him. Tickets for both NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races, the June 18 3M Performance 400 and the August 20 GFS Marketplace 400, are currently on sale at MIS's official website, http://www.mispeedway.com or by calling the MIS ticket hotline at 1-800-354-1010.(MIS PR)(6-8-2006)

Horish: No plans to run NASCAR..for now: Sam Hornish Jr. has always had a stock answer when asked about moving from open-wheel cars to the more popular and lucrative NASCAR series. He wanted to win the Indianapolis 500 first. So what about now? "I'm never going to tell you that I won't do that," Hornish said Tuesday, two days after winning the second-closest Indianapolis 500 ever. "But there's still a lot that I want to do as far as Indy cars go. I'd love to win another championship." Hornish won two season titles in three years in the yellow Pennzoil car for Panther Racing. At age 22 in 2001, he was the youngest driver to win a major open-wheel championship in America, and switched to Penske after the 2003 season. Penske also has NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch teams, but there are no current plans for Hornish to race stock cars. "Obviously being with Roger, it gives me a lot of opportunity to be able to do that," Hornish said. "Roger hired me to drive an Indy car. If we ever come to a mutual discussion where we feel that's something we may want to do, we'll weigh our pros and cons."(Associated Press)(5-31-2006)

Newman visits fan: As part of Alltel's "Go Racing with Ryan" promotion, NASCAR Driver Ryan Newman made a visit to the North Raleigh Alltel retail store and surprised Louisburg resident, Sherwood Wood. Wood will receive a trip to the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 9 and have the opportunity to get his name on the #12 Alltel Dodge for that race. Newman will surprise other random Alltel customers throughout the season at various Alltel retail stores when the Alltel Dodge show car is in town. Visit alltelracing.com to see where the Alltel Dodge Show Car will be appearing next.(5-18-2006)

Penske to lead GM? on Sunday's Wind Tunnel [Speed Channel on Sunday's at 9:00pm/et], Robin Miller said he heard from someone a little bit connected in Detroit [home of Chevy/Ford] that General Motors is thinking about pursuing Roger Penske to take over General Motors [Chevy]. Not much more to it and have to wonder since Dodge is signed with Penske Racing in NASCAR thru at least 2007.(4-25-2006)

#12 to run blue and purple scheme? UPDATE 4: got images from Penske Racing in Mooresville, NC from a reader in which the nose and smaller parts of the #12 Alltel Dodge of Ryan Newman is painted purple. See my #12 Team Schemes page.(4-6-2006)
UPDATE: hearing this scheme could run at Phoenix on April 22.(4-7-2006)
UPDATE 2: #12-Ryan Newman will make his eighth Phoenix International Raceway start and his 160th in NASCAR's Cup Series this Saturday. The new paint scheme on the Alltel Dodge this weekend will be hard to miss. The paint [purple] scheme highlights a new feature that Alltel will launch soon. The team plans on showcasing the paint scheme in several upcoming NEXTEL Cup Series races.(Penske Racing PR).
UPDATE 3: have another image of the car, looks like the program will be MyCircle as is noted on the purple hood, see images of the scheme on my #12 Team Schemes page.(4-18-2006)
UPDATE 4: Alltel announced that Ryan Newman's #12 Alltel Dodge, traditionally royal blue and black, will display a special paint scheme at various races throughout the 2006 season. Set to debut on April 22 at the Subway Fresh 500 in Phoenix, a new purple and black color design will hit the track in support of Alltel's exclusive wireless feature "My Circle." The new paint scheme will be featured during a total of five races, which include Talladega, Richmond, Darlington and the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge.(Alltel Racing PR)(4-21-2006)

Newman going for a record: #12-Ryan Newman leads all active drivers with six Atlanta Motos Speedway poles, all of them coming in the past six races at the track. Buddy Baker, Newman's mentor and coach, has a record seven AMS poles. In his eight appearances at AMS, Newman has qualified on the front row for seven of them. In October 2002, qualifying was canceled due to rain, placing Newman sixth on the starting grid. The current record for consecutive poles is held by David Pearson, who earned 11 straight pole positions at Charlotte Motor Speedway [now Lowe's Motor Speedway] from 1973-1978. Newman's average AMS start of 1.75 leads all drivers.(Penske Racing)(3-17-2006)

Newman puts out fire: #12-Ryan Newman and a Leatherman helped control a fire that threatened to engulf Sledgehammer Charlie's in downtown Lenoir [NC] Monday afternoon. Chris Barlowe and Jeffrey Rocks with Gateway Grading were having lunch with NASCAR driver Ryan Newman at Sledgehammer Charlie's discussing a business venture, according to Barlowe and Rocks, when the fire started. “Our lunch had just arrived when the restaurant filled with smoke,” Rocks said. Barlowe, who used to work with Lenoir Fire Department, asked where the roof access was, and Barlowe, Rocks and Newman climbed up to the roof. Once on top, they saw a vent system cover. If not for Newman's Leatherman, a knife-like tool, the men still may have been trying to get to the fire when Lenoir arrived. However, Barlowe said Newman used the Leatherman to remove the bolts to the ventilator cover while he used a fire extinguisher on the flames. “Once they got the top off, Ryan and Chris expended every fire extinguisher (they had),” Rocks said. “Instead of running away (Newman) ran to the fire."
“Ryan saved the day,” Barlowe said. Fire Chief Ken Briscoe said he saw Barlowe on the roof, but he didn't know a NASCAR driver was working reserves for the department as well. “When (Barlowe) came down he was telling me he and this other guy took fire extinguishers to knock this fire down,” Briscoe said. “I thanked him and said ya'll did a great job.” Then Barlowe told the chief he may want to thank the man that helped him. “I walked over there and said, ‘Gosh! Ryan Newman,'” Briscoe said. “He said, ‘Yeah.'” Briscoe said he thanked Newman again for helping knock the fire down until Lenoir's firefighters arrived on the scene, and Newman told him not to worry about it. “He was very personable and polite,” Briscoe said. “He did a great job up there knocking the fire down.” By Monday evening, the entire report wasn't complete, but Briscoe estimated around $12,000 to 15,000 in damages. A Sledgehammer Charlie's employee said the restaurant may be open this weekend, but more than likely will be closed until next week.(News-Topic)(3-7-2006)

Penske talks about Toyota: Of rumors Penske Racing South [#2, #12] would leave Dodge and align with Toyota, Roger Penske said, “I have no contract with Toyota. I have a long-term commitment with Dodge, so we’ve not made any commitments at all with Toyota.”(Speed Channel)(2-27-2006)

Penske plans to keep running Intrepids: Penske Racing South General Manager Don Miller said on Friday that the team plans on racing 2004 Dodge Intrepids at all 1.5.- and 2.0-mile tracks for the foreseeable future. Penske drivers #2-Kurt Busch and #12-Ryan Newman both brought Intrepids for Sunday’s Auto Club 500, as did Petty Enterprises for #43-Bobby Labonte. All the other Dodge teams brought the aerodynamically troublesome Dodge Charger, which was introduced last year. Asked how long Penske would campaign the two-year-old Dodges, Miller was blunt. “As long as Dodge will let us,” he said.(Speed Channel)(2-24-2006)

Ryan Newman Foundation releases book and book signing: The Ryan Newman Foundation announced the nationwide release of a book it has published entitled Pit Road PetsT: NASCAR Stars and Their Pets. The hardcover, 164-page book features first-person stories and intimate photographs of nearly 50 NASCAR celebrities and their pets. The Ryan Newman Foundation will donate 100% of its proceeds from the book to humane efforts, including the Humane Society of Catawba County's (Hickory, NC) new no-kill animal shelter and regional low-cost spay/neuter clinic serving eight counties in the heart of North Carolina's NASCAR country. Pit Road Pets: NASCAR Stars and Their Pets retails for $24.95 and is available from most major booksellers nationwide, more info and to buy the book, see the Ryan Newman Foundation siteis a Proud Charity of NASCAR.
Daytona Book Signing - Ryan & Krissie Newman Ryan and Krissie Newman will be supporting the Halifax Humane Society at their annual NASCAR Memorabilia Auction Wednesday, February 15 at Daytona International Speedway. Ryan and Krissie will participate in a Pit Road Pets book-only signing from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Hospitality Tent. Fans must purchase a $10 ticket to the event to gain access to the book signing. Tickets are available at www.halifaxhumanesociety.org. Books can be brought or are available for purchase at the event.(2-10-2006)

Penske likely to run Intrepids at Vegas & Calif: After #2-Kurt Busch tested both a 2004 Dodge and an 2005 model at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Penske Racing South expects to field 2004 models for both #12-Ryan Newman and Busch at California Speedway and Las Vegas. "We're going to use whichever car our team thinks is the better performer," team president Don Miller said Wednesday. "Right now, that looks like it's going to be the 2004." Dodge introduced the Charger nameplate last season, replacing the Intrepids it used from 2001-04. Both the '04 and '05 models are approved for use by NASCAR. Ray Evernham said his team plans to stick with Chargers for drivers #19-Jeremy Mayfield and #9-Kasey Kahne. While details have not been finalized, a number of Dodge teams are trying to schedule a group test at Nashville to see if they can come to a consensus before presenting an 2006 Charger to NASCAR to see if it can get a new nose approved.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(2-3-2006)

Newman/Busch split Busch duties: Penske Racing announced its two drivers, #12-Ryan Newman and #2-Kurt Busch, will split time in 14 Busch Series races this season [#39 Dodge](Florence Morning News)(1-27-2006)

Alltel Extends #12 Sponsorship: Alltel has signed an agreement to extend its sponsorship with Penske Racing South through 2008, company officials announced Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. "Our relationship with Penske Racing and Ryan Newman has provided invaluable exposure and creative marketing opportunities over the past six years to win new customers and strengthen relationships with existing ones," said Scott Ford, Alltel President and Chief Executive Officer. "We look forward to capitalizing on those opportunities even more this year and, with this extension, for many years to come."
"Alltel has become synonymous with myself and the #12 Dodge in NASCAR Cup racing," Newman said. "They've been with us since the very beginning of this venture. They have always been very supportive of me, Matt (Borland, crew chief), the entire Alltel team and Penske Racing. Alltel stands by their service with America's only network quality quarantee and I stand by their quality as a sponsor in this series. I'm proud to be associated with Alltel and to have them on the #12 Dodge."
"Penske Racing South is excited and proud to have the opportunity to continue our successful relationship with Alltel," Roger Penske said. "Alltel has been a terrific sponsor with great products, services and people. We look forward to providing the Alltel employees, their customers and their race fans with many more victories over the next several years."(Penske Racing)(1-27-2006)

No Plans for Penske to switch: Penske officials announced a contract extension that will keep Alltel as Ryan Newman’s sponsor through the 2008 season. Walt Czarnecki, Penske Racing LLC president, also said the team has “a long-term commitment from Dodge,” obviously implying that no move to Toyota was imminent. “We wanted to answer that question because I anticipated that coming up,” he said.(Gaston Gazette)
AND John Fernandez, Dodge's racing boss, was asked about the possibility that some of his Dodge teams might jump ship. "Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi and Ray Evernham are all under contract for periods of time beyond when Toyota is coming into the marketplace," Fernandez said. "Nothing is guaranteed, but we believe those people will be loyal to us." Penske Racing's Don Miller said that Roger Penske's Dodge contract runs through the end of 2009.(Winston Salem Journal)(1-27-2006)

Newmans make donation to Humane Society: Ryan Newman, Nextel Cup Series driver of the #12 alltel Dodge, and his wife Krissie Newman have revved up the Humane Society of Catawba County Capital Campaign by pledging a $400,000 donation to name the facility’s regional spay/neuter clinic. The Newmans have a close relationship with the Humane Society, which is located in Hickory, North Carolina. They serve as the honorary co-chairs of organization’s capital campaign, and Krissie Newman serves on the no-kill animal shelter’s board of directors.(Ryan Newman Foundation)(1-25-2006)

Newman's comments on Rusty: Q) Lookings back, is there a place where you wish you could have gone back and changed things with Rusty [Wallace, former teammate]? A) “It would have taken a different Rusty Wallace and a different Ryan Newman, and that wasn’t the situation. It probably never could have been any different than the way it was. We all know Rusty is the way he is and I’m the way I am. That wasn’t the best scenario for teammates. There wasn’t a point where we could have fixed it.”(Clear!Blue PR)(1-11-2006)

2005 News

Carter out at Penske? UPDATE changes: hearing #2 Miller Lite crew chief, Larry Carter has been released from his duties as crew chief at Penske Racing and is looking for work, supposedly Roy McCauley, an engineer for Penske Racingand crew chief for #39 Busch team of Ryan Newman will supposedly be Kurt Busch's crew chief.(12-7-2005)
UPDATE: Penske Racing South announced today that Roy McCauley will become the crew chief of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge effective immediately. McCauley replaces Larry Carter who will move to a management role within Penske Racing South's operations division. "I am pleased to announce these changes to our racing organization," Roger Penske said. "Roy brings a wealth of technical and engineering experience to the #2 team. Roy and Kurt will be a great team and when you combine them with Ryan Newman and Matt Borland, we are looking forward to building on our recent successes. I want to thank Larry Carter for his contributions as crew chief with the #2 team. His leadership was instrumental in guiding Rusty into 'The Chase' this season. Whereas Matt and Roy will focus on the competition side of our business, Larry will bring a wealth of experience to an important management role within the operations of Penske Racing." The moves of Carter and McCauley were made along with other personnel changes at Penske Racing South as the company prepares its two NEXTEL Cup teams for the 2006 season.(Penske Racing PR)(12-9-2005)

Jasper's 2006 Plans...no #77: been told that an announcement was made at Jasper Engines today detailing their 2006 plans in which Jasper will supply the transmissions and differentials to Ryan Newman's #12 car and Kurt Busch's #2 car in the NEXTEL Cup Series; the Rusty Wallace owned Busch Series #64 car and the Penske Busch Series ]#39] team, as well as the #77 truck owned and driven by Brendan Gaughan in the Craftsman Truck Series. Penske Jasper Engines will build the power plants for all these teams with the exception of Gaughan's truck team which owns its engine program. Jasper also plans to add an expanded R&D area that will house the NASCAR transmissions and differentials operations. Jasper will not return as a sponsor of the #77 Penske Racing Dodge in Nextel Cup racing.(12-8-2005)

Penske to consolidate team headquarters UPDATE: Penske Racing is moving its headquarters next year, leaving Reading, Pa., after the 2006 Indy Racing League season concludes, relocating to the company's new NASCAR facility in Mooresville, N.C. The move will allow the organization to consolidate its stock-car, Indy-car and sports-car teams in the 424,000-square-foot facility Roger Penske opened last year in the Charlotte suburb. "There is certainly a lot of crossover capabilities," said Tim Cindric, the president of the team's Indy-car program. "Definitely one of the motives is to put everything under one roof." Penske set his team's roots in Reading in 1973 after it spent its first seven seasons in Newtown Square, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia. Penske's Indy-car team has about 90 employees, most of whom are Pennsylvania natives. Cindric doesn't know how many people will follow the team.(Indianapolis Star)(11-1-2005)
UPDATE: Penske Performance is moving its NASCAR, Indy Racing League and American LeMans Series programs under one roof in North Carolina, and Roger Penske has announced that Tim Cindric will oversee the entire operation. Since 1999, Cindric, 37, has been responsible for Penske Racing's IRL effort, Penske Cars Ltd., Racing Experience Inc., Penske Technology Group and Penske Motorsports Inc. Cindric led Team Penske to two IRL titles and 25 victories, including three consecutive Indy 500 wins. Penske Racing South president Don Miller will retain his role; Penske Racing South general manager John Erickson will become G.M. of Penske Motorsports' ALMS Porsche program.(Sporting News)(11-28-2005)

Standing 'O' for Rusty at drivers meeting, except....UPDATE: Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, invited Rusty Wallace to the microphone within the first five minutes of the weekly prerace drivers meeting at Homestead on Sunday. Wallace, who went on to finish 13th on Sunday evening, drew a standing ovation from the drivers in the room. Everyone stood, with the exception of Penske Racing South teammate Ryan Newman, who has been at constant odds with the 1989 Cup champion."It's been a great ride," Wallace told his fellow drivers. "I can remember when I came in, it was [Cale] Yarborough, [David] Pearson, [Richard] Petty and [Dale] Earnhardt. Now those guys are all gone and you guys are all here. I'm looking forward to life after racing. And if I've roughed anybody up along the way, I'm sorry. I didn't really mean it, unless it paid more."(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(11-21-2005)
UPDATE: Contrary to published reports, Ryan Newman, as well as his crew chief, Matt Borland, joined their fellow NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series competitors in a standing ovation in honor of their Penske Racing South teammate Rusty Wallace during the driver's meeting for last Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "I respect Rusty Wallace as a race car driver," Newman said. "And I put effort forward in recognizing that on Sunday."(Penske Racing PR)(11-24-2005)

Newman to run 04 Dodge, Rusty/Kvapil the Charger: Don Miller, President of Penske Racing South told Claire B. Lang XM Satellite NASCAR Radio that: "We wanted to run ( an 04 Dodge) one earlier in the season and Dodge asked us to hold off until we did some further testing but now we fully intend to run it here and if it works out like we think it will, we will probably run it again next season on certain race tracks. We had trouble with the 2005 being so pitch sensitive on smooth high speed one and a half mile race tracks. Everyplace else the other car is just fine. Definately the #12 is going to run an 04 this weekend." Miller says the 2 and the 77 will run the 2005 Dodge Charger this weekend at Homestead.(Claire B. Lang XM Satellite NASCAR Radio)(11-18-2005)

Newman Comments on New teammate: #12-Ryan Newman is thrilled he's getting a new teammate next year in Kurt Busch. Much of that has to do with the fact he doesn't get along with his current teammate, #2-Rusty Wallace. "I think any change is definitely a good change, and I think Kurt is a better change than that," Newman said. "I've always heard good things about him as far as being a teammate." Newman and Wallace have barely spoken since they argued last year at Martinsville, and throughout the year they've taken subtle shots at each other through the media. Wallace has been the most outspoken on the subject. Busch will be taking over for Wallace, who is retiring after next week's finale at Homestead. Penske Racing South also fields the #77 Dodge, driven by Travis Kvapil. "We've operated for four years now as a one-car team and supported a lot of things the other two teams were doing and got nothing in return," Newman said. "It'll be nice to see the tables turned as far as some of the help coming back our way."(Tampa Tribune)(11-12-2005)

Penske to consolidate team headquarters: Penske Racing is moving its headquarters next year, leaving Reading, Pa., after the 2006 Indy Racing League season concludes, relocating to the company's new NASCAR facility in Mooresville, N.C. The move will allow the organization to consolidate its stock-car, Indy-car and sports-car teams in the 424,000-square-foot facility Roger Penske opened last year in the Charlotte suburb. "There is certainly a lot of crossover capabilities," said Tim Cindric, the president of the team's Indy-car program. "Definitely one of the motives is to put everything under one roof." Penske set his team's roots in Reading in 1973 after it spent its first seven seasons in Newtown Square, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia. Only A.J. Foyt Racing, which is now based in the Houston suburb of Waller, Texas, has stayed in one area longer. Foyt's team was founded in 1965 in Houston. Penske's Indy-car team has about 90 employees, most of whom are Pennsylvania natives. Cindric doesn't know how many people will follow the team.(Indianapolis Star)(11-1-2005)

Newman goes for 6 straight pole: #12-Ryan Newman has won five straight poles at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. He also has won five pole award at AMS's sister track, Lowe's Motor Speedway. If Newman wins the pole at AMS this weekend, Atlanta will become the track where he has won the most poles.(AMS) Newman will run the Mobil One scheme at Atlanta for the final time in 2005, see images of the scheme on my #12 Team Schemes page.
ALSO Penske Racing will hold their annual Penske Racing Hot Rod Picnic to benefit SCAN on Friday, Oct 28th in Mooresville, NC...more info on my

Racing Charities page.(Penske Racing)(10-27-2005)

#12 jackman Injury Update: Mitch Lash, the jackman for the #12 Alltel Dodge driven by Ryan Newman, was injured during a lap 95 pit stop on Sunday at Kansas Speedway. Lash received multiple injuries to the muscle tissue in his right foot, including a severe sprain to his right ankle. Lash will begin physical therapy in the Charlotte area this week. Britt Goodrich, former jackman for the team, will take over jacking duties until Lash can return.(Penske Racing)(10-10-2005)

Newman's car not passing pre-race insp: Speed Channel's NASCAR This Morning is reporting that the #12 alltel Dodge of Ryan Newman, went threw pre-race inspection Sunday morning at Kansas Speedway a couple times, but couldn't pass as a left rear quarter panel height was too high, after being given 5 minutes to try to fix the problem and still couldn't pass, the team was told to go to the back of the line and try again and be the final car thru tech. The team can work on the car since Newman will go to the back before the drop of the green flag since the team already changed transmissions after qualifying.(10-9-2005)

Alltel awards Tampa resident opportunity to 'Go Racing With Ryan Newman': Alltel enlisted the help of driver #12-Ryan Newman to provide a customer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Alltel gave Joe DiCorte of Tampa, Fla. an all-expense paid trip to the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Oct. 15 and will put his name under the Alltel logo on the deck lid of the #12 Alltel Dodge for the race. This is the first time Alltel has put the name of a customer on its race car. Newman surprised DiCorte with the announcement at Alltel's retail store at 8203 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa. DiCorte, who was randomly picked for the honor while visiting the store, also will receive one year of free wireless phone service from Alltel.(Alan Taylor Communications)(10-5-2005)

Krissie Newman helps out: After completing an exhausting animal aid and rescue mission along the Gulf Coast last week, Krissie Newman had one word to describe the destruction. "Surreal would be the best way," said the wife of Nextel Cup driver Ryan Newman. "You can see the pictures and watch it on TV, but you don't get the true feel of it unless you're standing there looking at it." Touring the region devastated by Hurricane Katrina became an eye-opening experience for two groups from the NASCAR community last week. With a 43-foot truckload of pet food donated by Purina in tow, Krissie and three other representatives of the Ryan Newman Foundation left in a Tom Johnson RV for Gulfport, Miss., at 7 a.m. Monday and didn't return until 3 a.m. Friday.(read full story at the Richmond Times Dispatch)(10-4-2005)

Newman wins at New Hampshire: #12-Ryan Newman won the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway with a exciting pass with 2 laps to go for his 1st win of 2005 and 12th of his career. Newman's win makes him the 13th different driver to win a race in 2005. It was Newman's first win in 34 races, since Dover in Sept last year. #20-Tony Stewart led 173 of 300 laps, including lap 298, before he and Newman dueled for the lead with Newman getting the win. #17-Matt Kenseth finished 3rd, followed by #16-Greg Biffle and #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stewart increases his points lead to 20 over Biffle. #97-Kurt Busch wrecked early in the race but the team fixed the car and he finished 35th gaining an extra 24 points, but is now 10th in The Chase and 142 behind Stewart. #7-Robby Gordon, while running upfront, got together with #15-Michael Waltrip, Gordon then tried to back into Waltrip missed, tossed his helmet at Waltrip and used a 'bad word' during a TNT interview, so look for penalties on Tuesday or so. #9-Kahne wrecked when #5-Busch came up the track and hit Kahne, Kahne then drove around the track and waited for Busch and Kahne made a hard right accross Busch's nose, Busch was able to stop and get minimal damage. Many drivers were called to the NASCAR Trailer after the race.
See my New Hamp Race Info/Rundown Page, for race rundown, caution info, lucky dogs, race notes, lap leaders, etc.
For race results and awards, and other site links, see my

Jayski's New Hampshire Race Results/Awards page.(9-18-2005)

Two plus 12 equals friction: Asked if there was anything that Penske Racing teammates Rusty Wallace (No. 2) and Ryan Newman (No. 12) could share in the Chase, Wallace crew chief Larry Carter said, “Nothing that comes to mind.” Wallace and Newman have gotten almost as much publicity for their inability to get along as the five Roush Racing drivers that made the Chase have for getting along. But Carter said sharing information goes beyond getting along. “Rusty and Ryan have different driving styles,” he said. “I’m not sure if we knew what the 12 car was doing would benefit us. It might, but we don’t know. We just don’t know.”(The State)(9-17-2005)

Newman/Jarrett Settle: #12-Ryan Newman said Friday that he met with #88-Dale Jarrett last week to discus their bumping incidents at Bristol two week ago. Jarrett appeared to intentionally turn into Newman's car after Newman had bumped Jarrett into the wall earlier in the race. "We talked in California in the NASCAR hauler," Newman said. "I told him I didn't intentionally hit him, but it was obvious he intentionally hit me. I told him it was hard for me to take. He voiced his opinion on the situation, not necessarily about that race but previous races. We walked out arguing about who was going to open the door ... so I think we should be all right."(Dallas Morning News)(9-10-2005)

New Penske Driver Debut: USAC National Midget standout Billy Wease will make his stock car racing debut in a Dodge fielded by Penske Racing South in the Sept. 10 SK Hand Tool ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. In the first day of a two-day test late last month at the 1.5-mile speedway, Wease posted the quickest time in his #27 Kodak Dodge. Wease, who began racing Quarter Midgets at age 5, recorded a lap of 173.244 mph, 31.170 seconds. The second day of the test also went well when the team concentrated on qualifying setup. Wease will drive the Dodge that Penske Racing South NASCAR NEXTEL Cup regular Travis Kvapil drove to victory in an ARCA RE/MAX event at Pocono Raceway in June. The ARCA effort is under the direction of Penske Racing South chief engineer Roy McCauley, who spearheaded Ryan Newman and a rookie crew to three straight Busch Series victories in August. Wease joined Penske Racing South's driver development program earlier this year. Since joining the Mooresville, N.C.-based operation, he has tested at Rockingham, N.C., Greenville, S.C., Memphis, Nashville, Kentucky, and twice at Chicago. During Wease's 13 years of racing, the Indiana native has won two Grand National Quarter Midget championships, 10 regional Quarter Midget championships, two Kenyon Midget titles and Rookie of the Year, and claimed one national USAC victory.(Penske Racing)(9-7-2005)

Penske to Toyota? UPDATE: Penske Racing's deal with Dodge ends after 2006, with widespread speculation that Penske will side with Toyota in 2007. Penske's recent hiring of 2004 champion Kurt Busch (for 2007) is being cast as Toyota's way of strengthening its roster with a proven champion.(Speed Channel)(8-23-2005)
UPDATE: Walter Czarnecki, vice chairman of Penske Racing and Penske Racing South, said Dodge's contract with the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup team extends past 2007.(Penske Racing South)(8-23-2005)

Newman re-ups with Penske thru 2009: Penske Racing South President Don Miller said #12-Ryan Newman, whose original contract ran through 2006, signed a three-year deal through 2009 with an option for three more years. In an active "Silly Season" of lineup changes, Newman said he was courted by Roush Racing but had no intentions of leaving Penske. "I never had any temptation," he said. "I had teams looking at me for the first time in my career, and that was unique for me."(Richmond Times Dispatch)(8-7-2005)

#12 Crewman getting hitched on weekend off: Dennis Terry, the front tire changer for #12-Ryan Newman has made special plans for the series' off-weekend. Terry and his fiancae, Micki, are getting married Saturday in the historic city of Charleston, S.C. The team's jackman, Britt Goodrich, also will be in Charleston to attend the wedding.(Penske Racing)(7-28-2005)

Newman goes Mobil: Sunday's race at Pocono will be the third time this season the #12 Dodge will have Mobil 1 as its primary sponsor. Mobil 1 was the primary at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where driver Ryan Newman earned his first pole of the season. Mobil 1 also sponsored the #12 NNCS Cup team and the #39 NASCAR Busch Series team at Chicagoland Speedway earlier this month.(Penske Racing), images of the car on my #12 Team Schemes page.(7-20-2005)

Newman wrecks at Bristol: What was supposed to be a routine practice session at Bristol Motor Speedway instead nearly turned into a catastrophe for NASCAR driver Ryan Newman arrived at Bristol Motor Speedway Tuesday hoping to get in some practice with his #39 Busch car, but his day came to an abrupt end. Only a few laps into the session, Newman hit the wall outside of turn four. Emergency personnel and Newman's team were on hand almost immediately to assess the damage. The right front fender and the right front tire were worse for wear. Newman got out of the car under his own power, but was obviously concerned with what went wrong. 6 Sports tried to talk to Newman after the crash but he refused our questions. He did say that he was all right.(6 Sports - images of the car there)(7-20-2005)

Streak gone: #12-Ryan Newman will start 17th at Pocono on Sunday, breaking a streak of 20 consecutive top 10 starts.(6-12-2005)

Congrats: as heard on FX's Dover race coverage - Trent Cherry, rear tire carrier on the pit crew for #12-Ryan Newman, got married on Saturday to Ashley and will honeymoon after the season is over.(6-5-2005)

Newman wants set Medical Crew in NASCAR: #12-Ryan Newman yesterday told the American College of Sports Medicine that NASCAR does an "overall excellent" job when it comes to driver safety but took the association to task in one area. Newman said NASCAR is remiss in not appointing a permanent safety and medical crew to travel the circuit, work crashes and provide medical attention for injured drivers. "It's a no-brainer, and I'm 100 percent in favor of it," said Newman, who addressed a seminar which was part of the ACSM's three-day meeting at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center [Nashville, TN]. "It's simple. If you had to travel across the U.S. every year and had to see different doctors each place you went, would that be as good as having a doctor traveling with you who knows your medical history?" NASCAR currently permits each track to provide its own safety and medical personnel on a race-by-race basis. NASCAR, represented at yesterday's meeting by Gary Nelson, vice president of research and development, has said it will consider implementing a permanent traveling safety and medical crew.(Tennessean)(6-3-2005)

Newman signs seat: #12-Ryan Newman became the third driver to sign a seat in the DuPont Monster Bridge Friday morning [Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin did last year]. "I figured when they put the seats up here they did it for money and that's when they said Jeff (Gordon) signed the deal. I knew he hadn' won a race here (since bridge was built). I think it's a cool deal to sign the seat. Everybody doesn't get an opportunity to do that. To win here last fall was awesome. We led 325 laps of the 400 and had a real fun day. It was definitely a lot more fun than the June race for us. We'll have to see (if they need to add more No. 12 seats). If they had built the bridge a couple of years ago they would have. We'll have to see if we can keep doing what we have been doing here."(Clear!Blue PR)(6-3-2005)

Newman's team may change thr engine: from a Clear!Blue - Dodge Charger quotes PR:
MATT BORLAND (Crew chief No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger) COMMENT ON POSSIBLE ENGINE CHANGE FOR SUNDAY'S 600:
"Ryan felt a vibration (in Happy Hour). We don't know if it was the engine tires or what. It got better afterwards. Usually it doesn't get better. I wouldn't take a chance on a 300-mile race. Usually if the engine is vibrating it's going to go and it's going to go pretty soon. They've torn everything down and everything looks as good as normal. We're still looking. By then (tomorrow) we'll either change it or give it a blessing and send it on its way." NOTE: If the team does change engines, Newman would start at the rear of the field befpre the drop of the green flag for the Coca Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.(5-29-2005)

Newman to start Coke 600 on outside pole? UPDATE - Yep: during Newman's press conference, he was asked: "WILL YOU START ON THE OUTSIDE? [at the start of Sunday's Coca-Cola 600] "Do I have that option? I'll have to think about that. I've got two or three days. That's a good one."(Dodge/Clear!Blue PR), yes he has the option, the pole sitter can start on the inside or outside line, if the driver chooses the outside, only the outside pole sitter [in this case #24-Jeff Gordon] changes, moving to the 'pole' or inside. And yes, this is an option the pole sitter has for every race.(5-27-2005)
UPDATE - Yep: Ryan Newman's Penske Racing outfit has exercised the option to start on the outside of the front row in the Coca-Cola 600, crew chief Matt Borland confirmed Saturday. Yep, we're going to do it," Borland said. "The bottom of Turns 1 and 2 isn't real good, so we're going to start on the outside tomorrow." Per the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series rulebook, the pole-winning team has the option to flip-flop starting positions with the second-place qualifier and start in the outside line if they so desire. Though rare, this has happened before, and in fact happened just last weekend in the Nextel Open when pole-winner Mike Bliss chose the outside line over the traditional pole position, leaving second-place qualifier Kyle Busch to start in the typical pole slot. Jeff Gordon will start in the traditional pole position in the Coca-Cola 600.(NASCAR.com)(5-28-2005)

Newman wins pole with new track record: #12-Ryan Newman won the pole for the Coca Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway with a new track record of 192.988mph, breaking his own track record set last Oct of 188.877mph. Twenty-two driver broke the old track record thanks to the levigation [smoothing] that was done this past spring. The Budweiser pole is the 4th of 2004 for Newman and 31st of his career. Newman has won three career races from the pole. Did ya know? all four of Newman's 2004 poles have been at SMI tracks: Las Vegas, Atlanta, Texas, Lowe's.
#24-Jeff Gordon is on the outside pole with the rest of the top-five being #17-Matt Kenseth, #9-Kasey Kahne and #48-Jimmie Johnson. Missing the race were #11-Leffler [was 37th fastest], #32-Hamilton Jr., #66-Sadler, #36-Said, #34-Fuller, #00-Long, #92-Raines, #75-Garvey and #27-Shelmerdine. #13-Sacks withdrew after running slow in practice.
The speed of 192.988mph moves Lowe's Motor Speedway in 2nd for the fastest CURRENT race track on the tour with only Atlanta faster.
Qualifying will re-air on Speed Channel: 2:00pm/et on Friday, May 27th; and 12:00am/et on Saturday, May 28th.

See starting lineup, qualifying results, pole progression, top-35 how they did, practice results on Jayski's Semi-Live Qualifying Page.(5-26-2005)

So what is up at Penske Racing? Now that Roger Penske owns all of Penske Racing South, crew chief Matt Borland has been signed to a contract extension and driver #12-Ryan Newman is in negotiations for a similar extension, the focus shifts to finding a replacement for Rusty Wallace. Penske bought the 48% share of the team owned by Wallace, Don Miller and John Erickson this week, giving the racing magnate complete control of the three-car [#2, #12, #77] team. Wallace has announced he'll retire at the end of this season, and many believe Jamie McMurray, whose contract with Chip Ganassi Racing ends this season, will climb into the #2 Miller Dodge. McMurray, who is dating Wallace's daughter, is trying to avoid all the speculation. "Last year I got to talking about my contract," McMurray said. "I'm not going to talk about that at all." Newman has talked with Roush Racing and Evernham Motorsports about a future, but he's leaning toward staying with Borland and Penske.(Augusta Chronicle)(5-19-2005)

Newman being courted: #12-Ryan Newman has another year on his contract with car owner Roger Penske, but Ford's Jack Roush, Dodge's Ray Evernham, and Chevy executives have all been making a run at Newman, who is the hottest qualifier on the stock car tour.(Winston Salem Journal)(5-16-2005)

Penske Happy with Dodge: #2-Rusty Wallace shot down talk of Penske Racing South aligning itself with Toyota. He said the team is happy with its current contract with Dodge. "People would think that [switch] would be a natural because he's running Toyota in the IRL Series, and he's the largest Toyota dealer," he said. "But he's also one of the world's largest Daimler Chrysler dealers." Wallace said he hasn't "personally talked" with Toyota about his #64 Busch Series team but said he would never say never.(Richmond Times Dispatch), remember the denials in 2000 that Penske would switch to Dodge?(5-15-2005)

Gillette Young Guns - Weekly Update: By picking Ryan Newman as the highest finishing Gillette Young Gun in the Dodge Charger 500 at Darlington Raceway on May 7, Diana R. of Sturgis, KY was the winner of the weekly Gillette Young Guns $5,000 Challenge. Diana picked Newman as the highest finishing Gillette Young Gun by going to www.gilletteyoungguns.com and entering before the weekly deadline. As the highest finishing Gillette Young Gun, a $1,000 donation will be made to the National Prostate Cancer Coalition (NPCC) on behalf of Newman. This is the second time this season a donation has been made to the NPCC on behalf of Newman.(Alan Taylor Communications)(5-13-2005)

Newman comments on rift with Rusty: The never-ending feud between supposed teammates #12-Ryan Newman and #2-Rusty Wallace is apparently no closer to abating. Newman has been mostly silent, while Wallace has made no secret of his antipathy toward Newman and, in particular, his crew chief, Matt Borland. Newman said the feud has had no practical effect on the team’s performance. “Rusty has voiced his opinion in a lot of areas,” said Newman. “I’ve maintained a pretty calm stance, and basically our performance has been related to our performance as a team. We’ve had our goods and bads throughout the season, and none of it has been anybody else’s fault except ours.”(Gaston Gazette)(5-7-2005)

Newman to run Sony scheme at Calif: #12-Ryan Newman will run a Sony HDTV scheme at California Speedway in Sept. See an image of the scheme on my #12 Team Schemes page.(5-5-2005)

Kvapil like Switzerland in in Wallace-Newman feud: #77-Travis Kvapil said he gets along fine with both his Penske Racing South comrades – #2-Rusty Wallace and #12-Ryan Newman. But he also said the ongoing feud between those two is awkward at times. "I don't want anybody to think I'm choosing sides," Kvapil said. "I do feel like I'm caught in the middle a little bit. I'm just trying to stay quiet. Whatever their differences are is between them. I wish we could work through it and it would all go away." Kvapil, who drives the #77 Kodak Dodge, said his team shares information with the #2 Miller Lite Dodge of Wallace and the #12 Alltel Dodge of Newman. But Wallace's and Newman's teams don't share info with each other.(Dallas Morning News)(4-29-2005)

#12 Crew wins at Phoenix: The #12 ALLTEL pit crew earned its second Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge Award at Phoenix International Raceway last weekend. The ALLTEL team is now tied with its teammate, the #2 Miller Lite team, as well as the #38 team for the Checkers/Rally’s Challenge lead.(Penske Racing)(4-28-2005)

Jeff Gordon, Newman and Kenseth to test at Indy UPDATE: #24-Jeff Gordon is scheduled to begin preparations today for what could be a historic victory in August at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The four-time Brickyard 400 champion is representing Chevrolet in a closed two-day tire test at the Speedway. He'll be joined by Ryan Newman (Dodge) and Matt Kenseth (Ford) as Goodyear checks to see how its new, softer tire compounds fare on Indy's newly paved surface. All the teams can be expected to test at the Speedway either before or after the Nextel Cup race July 10 at Chicagoland Speedway. The sessions are scheduled July 5-6 and 11-12. Rain is in the forecast for today, which could disrupt a test already postponed once. It was pushed back to allow for grinding of the track after a Firestone test in preparation for the Indianapolis 500 produced unusual tire wear. A subsequent Firestone test indicated the grinding had done its job.(Indianapolis Star)(4-26-2005)
UPDATE: Goodyear will attempt -- again -- to hold its NASCAR tire test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway today after Tuesday's session was rained out. The tire manufacturer postponed a similar session earlier this month when the track's surface was being grinded. Today's test is closed to the public.(Indianapolis Star)(4-26-2005)

Newman to run a limited Busch Series Schedule: #12-Ryan Newman will drive a limited NASCAR Busch Series schedule this year, beginning in May at Lowe's Motor Speedway, team President Don Miller announced Tuesday. "When this opportunity presented itself, we felt we couldn't afford to turn it down," Miller said. "It will be interesting to see Ryan competing in the Busch Series again." Chief Engineer Roy McCauley will oversee the Busch Series program and serve as Newman's crew chief on that circuit. The Busch Series crew will be comprised of personnel who worked with McCauley last fall on Penske Racing South's #06 Dodge that was driven by Travis Kvapil and Chad Blount. Penske Racing South's entry in the Busch Series will carry #39, which was the number used by Newman when he raced Midgets in USAC. Sponsorship for the Dodge will be announced at a later date. In addition to the May 28 CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Newman's tentative Busch schedule includes: Chicago, July 9; Watkins Glen, Aug. 13; Michigan, Aug. 20; Bristol, Aug. 26; Richmond, Sept. 9; Dover, Sept. 24; Charlotte, Oct. 14; and Texas, Nov. 5. This is Newman's first venture into the Busch Series since 2001 when he competed in 15 events. That season he won the August Michigan race, produced two top-five and seven top-10 finishes, earned six poles and started on the outside of the front row on four occasions.(Penske Racing)(4-26-2005)

Newman's to visit animial welfare league UPDATE: #12-Ryan Newman and wife Krissie will visit the Arizona Animal Welfare League in Phoenix on Wednesday [Apr 20th]. The Newmans recently founded the Ryan Newman Foundation which focuses on animal welfare, wildlife preservation, and conservation and educational scholarships.(Penske Racing)(4-20-2005)
UPDATE: Ryan Newman paid a visit to the Arizona Animal Welfare League on April 20 while in town for the Subway Fresh 500 race at Phoenix International Raceway. Newman toured Phoenix's largest and oldest no-kill animal shelter with his wife, Krissie, and executive director of the Ryan Newman Foundation, Rosalie De Fini. The mission of the Arizona Animal Welfare League is to provide excellent care, protection and loving compassion for the life of the animals entrusted to the shelter and to take a leadership role in promoting humane values for the benefit of all animals and people. Newman donated an autographed life-size standee, which the AAWL plans to auction off at their fall fundraiser. While in town, the Newmans are planning the Ryan Newman Foundation Benefit Dinner and Auction, which will be held in Scottsdale on November 11 prior to the Checker Auto Parts 500 race to be held at the Phoenix International Raceway on November 13. For more information about the Arizona Animal Welfare League, visit www.aawl.org.(Barking Dog Communications PR)(4-25-2005)

Rusty-Ryan Update: It's no secret that teammates #2-Rusty Wallace and #12-Ryan Newman have not been best of friends since their cars collided last fall during a race at Martinsville Speedway. Because Wallace is a co-owner of the team, along with Roger Penske and Don Miller, there was considerable speculation Wallace would make an effort to patch up their differences during the offseason. Instead, the relationship has grown, if anything, colder. At least part of the problem is their differing racing philosophies. The 48-year-old Wallace is an old-style, seat-of-the-pants racer, while 27-year-old Newman is a graduate engineer who likes to depend on technology and information from his engineers to set up his cars. "It's really two separate teams, totally,'' Travis Kvapil, the third member of the Penske team, races the #77 Dodge. "The 77 and 2 share, every tire pressure, every shock, every piece,'' Wallace said. "The 12 car is totally off limits. It's totally a separate team. They're at one end of the shop, and it's unfortunate. I'm resigned to the fact. I'm tired of wearing myself out trying to fix it. I'm just going to do my deal and drive my guts out and give it everything I've got. ... I've beat this 12 thing to death forever, and they've got a whole different train of thought