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DAYTONA BEACH, Florida.
Jeff Gordon grabbed the lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr., then held off Kurt Busch and Earnhardt in extra laps to win his third Daytona 500 on Sunday. |
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Tickets - Races - Concerts |
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| Summer 2005 Concerts: |
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Order Tickets Online or
Call
1-888-638-1800 |
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Ryan Newman Driver Profile
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 Born: December 8,1977, in South Bend, Ind.
Lives in: Sherrills Ford, N.C.
Height, weight: 5-11,207
Car: No. 12 Dodge
Car owner: Roger Penske
Crew chief: Matt Borland
Engine builder: Penske/Jasper
First NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race:
November 5, 2000, at Phoenix; started
10th, finished 41st
Career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup wins: 11 ! 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup wins: 2 I First NASCAR NEXTEL Cup win: September 15, | 2002, at New Hampshire; started 1st : Career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup poles: 27 12004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup poles: 9 I First NASCAR NEXTEL Cup pole: May 24,2001, at Lowe's; finished 43rd Best points finish: 6th (2002,2003)
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WHERE HE'S FAST: Newman is awesome on short tracks, where his average start was second and his average finish was 7.6 in 2004. He also is solid on flat one-milers such as New Hampshire and Phoenix. Newman won a pole and had a top five at each track. On two-mile flat tracks, where Penske engines traditionally purr, Newman posted an average finish of 5.75.
WHERE HE'S SLOW: Newman improved dramatically at restrictor-plate tracks but didn't qualify in the top 10 at Daytona or Talladega. Road courses were a problem: Newman's average finish at Infineon and Watkins Glen was 20th. But Newman's biggest failures came on
1.5-milers. Although his qualifying average was better than fifth at those tracks, Newman was involved in four accidents on those tracks and had six finishes of 27th or worse.
STRENGTHS: There's not a faster racer on Fridays. The No. 12 started from the pole nine times and from the front row in 12 races in 2004. It was the third year Newman won the most poles. Once he's up front, he generally has no trouble staying there. Newman led at 24 tracks-two-thirds of the schedule-for a total of 957 laps. He is a hard-charger who enjoys challenging tracks such as Darlington. Newman adapts quickly to changes in the cars and conserves his tires better than most.
WEAKNESSES: Inconsistency. How many points and races did Newman lose to accidents and engine failures? Many. Despite the strength of the Penske powerplants in time trials, Newman broke engines at Charlotte, New Hampshire and Darlington. This engine shop should work overtime in the offseason. Because of nine DNFs, Newman's chances of winning were decreased tremendously.
IN THE PITS: This has been the savviest team in the pits, and crew chief Matt Borland's calls have been instrumental to the No. 12 car's success. The pit crew picked up the pace in 2004. The addition of Britt Goodrich as the jackman was a positive move.
BOTTOM LINE: Newman's seventh-place finish in the 2004 standings was below expectations. This team will be faced with more challenges in 2005, primarily acclimating to the new Dodge Charger and a different tire compound from Goodyear. Certainly, it helps to have two engineers on top of the pitbox and one behind the wheel to bring the cars up to speed. Newman and teammate Rusty Wallace have different driving styles and don't always see eye to eye, so a one-car approach works better for both. |
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Crew chief Matt Borland and Ryan Newman know what it takes to go fast. If they make it to the end of more races in 2005, look out.
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