Ryan Newman put the No. 39 US Army Chevrolet on the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 to give Chevrolet 600 poles in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition. It is Newman’s ninth pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the 46th of his career to move him in a tie with NASCAR Hall of Famer Junior Johnson for 10th on all-time pole list. Here is the question and answers from the press room.
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 39 U.S. ARMY CHEVROLET – POLE WINNER Question - CONGRATULATIONS. THIS IS ALSO CHEVROLET’S 600TH CAREER POLE IN THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES, WHICH IS QUITE FITTING FOR THE COCA-COLA 600
“Thank you. I’m glad the numbers worked out right for once. Ultimately it was a great lap. I ran the high line, which I’ve never done in qualifying here before. So it tells you how much things have changed between the tires and the race track and the cars to be able to do something different than I’ve always done to create that ultimate fast lap. So, I had a lot of confidence after practice and I watched Montoya have a good (Turn) 1 and 2 and he missed (Turns) 3 and 4. That gave me more hope because I knew he was going to be the benchmark, at least for the overall speed that he put down in practice. So, it was great to have U.S. Army on the car this weekend for Memorial Day weekend and the Coca-Cola 600. It’s an honor to represent those soldiers and try to do our best to celebrate Memorial Day in the right way.”
Question - FOR A GUY WHO IS GOOD AT QUALIFYING, WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO MAKE SUCH A DRAMATIC CHANGE?
“The where and the way I ran in practice, we were still two-tenths off of Montoya but we were running his line and he was the quickest car. From my standpoint and looking at it, he was showing us how to do it. And I used his example and fortunately had a great lap. But I lost a little bit of confidence in my sail when Tony Gibson came on the radio before I went out and said the top five guys ran the bottom. And I’m thinking to myself if you’re trying to convince me to run the bottom, I don’t appreciate it (laughs) because I’d already made up my mind. I talked to Jimmie Johnson actually. He asked me and I was going to ask him, but he asked me first. Are you going to run the top or the bottom? The top. I’m going to go for it all. I did. And it paid off. When you feel it’s right, you feel it’s right. It’s probably no different than a baseball player swinging at a pitch. He knows he can hit it. He just hits it and knocks it out of the park.”
Question - ON SAYING THIS WAS THE MOST COURAGEOUS LAP HE’D EVER RUN AT CHARLOTTE. COMPARED TO THE OTHER 45 POLES YOU’VE WON, HOW WAS THIS LAP?
“I’ve never run into a corner at 200 miles an hour up against the wall and made it stick (laughs) and still come out the other end. So, to have the courage to put yourself in that position and do that, is tough enough; let alone doing it and pulling it off and winning that pole. So, it was, from my standpoint, courageous because I’ve never been a guy to run the wall, let alone in qualifying. So, from my standpoint it was courageous. From other people’s standpoint (like) Dale Jr. or Martin Truex Jr. and other guys that run the top all the time, it may not have been that big of a deal.”
Question - NINE POLES AT THIS RACE TRACK, WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS TRACK?
“Ideally, I would like to spread it all out over some different race tracks, but I haven’t been that fortunate. I guess beggars can’t be choosers. In general, I like this race track, I like the speed, I like the banking. When I first came here with Buddy Baker, we drove around in a rental car and after one lap I told him I was going to like this place. I always have. It is a place that I like. I have been fortunate to have good equipment and I have been able to take that good equipment and make it fast. It is just a combination of team effort and nine times out of 19 we have been able to pull it off.”
Question - WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO TURN THIS POLE FOR THE 600 INTO A DIFFERENT OUTCOME AT THE END OF THE RACE?
“I don’t know. You asked me that after the fifth one, and the fourth one and the third one. (LAUGHS) Honestly, it is just a matter of going out there, just like we did tonight, it is a team effort and the difficulty of that expands once you include the pit crew; once you include multiple pit stops and strategies and everything else. I have always told you guys, it has been easier for me to go out and run one lap and do it fast than it is to go out there and run 600 miles fast. I can do that, it just a matter of putting yourself in that track position. Putting yourself in that right position; the right tires on the car because you have a good pit crew and things like that. I feel like I am more prepared than I ever have been as far as our team. Our pit stops have gotten better. I feel like, from an experience standpoint, five times now, I know what I did wrong. (LAUGHS) Ultimately, it is the best to start and it is where we all want to finish. There is only one that gets it all together. I’ll have to talk to Jimmie I guess. (LAUGHS)
Question - COULD YOU IMAGINE THAT IT WOULD BE 13 RACES IN BEFORE YOU GOT YOUR FIRST POLE THIS YEAR AND YOU’RE STILL A FEW AWAY BUT YOU ARE IN A POSITION TO EVENTUALLY OVERTAKE DAVID PEARSON WITH POLES HERE, WOULD THAT MEAN ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR TO YOU? “No different than it would be than it would be taking over Buddy Baker’s record at Atlanta. I think I am tied with him now. Ultimately, it’s what we all strive for is to be the fastest, to be the best, to be the quickest and get to victory lane. It would a lot to me. I think David Pearson was an excellent race car driver, still is. Ultimately it is just a number, but to be where I am and have a shot at it, that’s cool. But I’m still a long ways away. It took me this long to get nine, not that it took me that long, but it’s not easy to win one and five more is not going to be easy at all.”
Ryan Newman Wins the Pole for the Coca-Cola 600 is a post from: Awesome Race Fans
Filed under: Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Darlington Raceway, Sprint Cup
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Filed under: Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Stewart-Haas Racing
First Victory in More Than Two Years Makes Ryan Newman a New Man originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Sprint Cup
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When the Cup Series heads to Bristol this weekend, it marks the fifth race on the 2010 schedule. It will be the final race that the top 35 in the owners standings from 2009 will have a guaranteed starting spot. The following weekend at Martinsville, the 2010 owners points will decide who is in and who is out. Bristol will be crucial for those who are floating right around that 35th spot in the standings.
Those who are on the outside looking in right now include Kevin Conway, Boris Said, Robby Gordon, and Max Papis. A good run at Bristol for any of these drivers could mean the difference between racing and going home at Martinsville and beyond. For Said, Gordon, and Papis who all have limited sponsorship, the idea of not having a guaranteed starting spot could drastically affect the health of their race teams and their ability to continue competing.
The drivers who are in currently, but are dangerously close to being out, include Mike Bliss, Travis Kvapil, Brad Keselowski, David Gilliland, Sam Hornish, Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman, and Marcos Ambrose. A bad finish at Bristol, combined with some good runs by the competition, could knock any of these drivers out of the top 35 and that vital guaranteed starting position.
Two drivers who stand to benefit following Bristol are Mike Bliss and Scott Speed. Speed is very solidly in the top 35 (currently 12th) after a difficult 2009 season left him having to race his way in to the first five of 2010. But his team has rose to the occasion this season, and their performance has improved markedly. Bliss currently sits in the final guaranteed spot in 35th, which, if he could keep it would be a huge boost to his Tommy Baldwin Racing team. This team continues to run severely underfunded, but a locked in spot in every race could help this team secure more sponsorship.
Bristol is always an exciting race anyway, filled with drama from start to finish. And this season’s spring stop in Thunder Valley will be no different. But if the usual story lines don’t grab you, take a look down the leaderboard a ways. You will definitely find a tension filled race for many teams./
The Nationwide Series gets its first off week of the year, while the Truck and Cup Series head to Atlanta this weekend. It’s only midweek though, and that means another round of reader questions and answers. If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
I missed a couple of questions last week, so we will kick this edition off with those first. Sorry for my screw up! – T.C.
1. From Gene:
Why is wind tunnel time so expensive? On TV it looks like a car on rollers in front of a big airplane propeller. Costwise,what am I missing here?
First off, the cost to build a wind tunnel has got to be pretty high. Besides a roller and some big propellers, it also takes some very sophisticated computers and machinery to control everything. On top of that, the energy bill alone needed to run everything is probably astronomical, not to mention the engineers needed to run the place. It all adds up very quickly. If they were cheap, everyone would have one. – T.C.
2. From Christopher:
After Daytona, I looked at the NASCAR rankings page, which lists winnings in dollars. I noticed that every driver listed- including those who did not qualify for Daytona- had some winnings. First of all, how do you win money if you don’t race at all? Secondly- why do the non-qualifying drivers have slightly different amounts? Derrike Cope has some $40,000 and Jeff Fuller some $21,000. Both didn’t race- what did Cope do earn that extra money? Finally, with the racers that did compete- how come some in 20th place made more than guys who finished well ahead of them?
I believe what you are seeing for drivers like Cope and Fuller, who didn’t run, is there winnings from the Bud Shootout and Gatorade Duels. NASCAR doesn’t pay prize money if you don’t make the race. Teams get owners points, but no money. And the reason some drivers make more then others depends on what contingency programs a team is involved in, and in what payout plan a team is in. I believe NASCAR has four different plans setup, and each team fits into one of those plans. I don’t know specific details, but the plans award prize money based on not only where you finish, but also past performance and longevity. – T.C.
3. From Eddie:
How many people involved in NASCAR are still unemployed?
I can’t give you a specific number, but the answer is a lot. There were unfortunately far more positions lost than positions available and added. Contractions like this are bad for everyone involved. – Journo
4. From Ric:
Do teams use different pit boxes at different tracks? If teams only have one pit box do they have backup pit boxes in case something happens to it?
No, teams use the same pit box at each race. A backup pit box really isn’t necessary, because I don’t know what would happen to a box that would warrant a team needing to have it replaced. The only exception being if the box was destroyed in transit. – T.C.
5. From Mike:
I understand when the drivers choose the ball from the fish bowl, they are choosing there starting order for qualifying. Joey Logano not being 21, his crew chief will pick for him. Is this policy in effect because of driver age and being possible gambling?
I’m not aware of a rule that says one must be 21 to select the ball for the qualifying draw. I do know that it doesn’t need to be a driver who selects the ball, just a representative from the team. – T.C.
6. From Sue:
Was wondering whatever happened to Fatback McSwain?
Fatback is running an auto repair shop in Dallas, NC. – T.C.
7. From Michelle:
What is going on with Ryan Newman’s team and Tony Stewart being the successful team? Do you think that the #39 team will be able to rebound and battle for the championship?
The first two races were things beyond the team’s control. There isn’t much you can do about a wreck and an engine failure. I wouldn’t worry about it too much at this point. If you remember last year he wasn’t great through the first four races, and then made the Chase. Give it a few more races here. – Journo
8. From Marc:
Any ideas as to why the #26 has performed so poorly? I thought they got cars and engines and perhaps even some technical help in addition to the 2009 #26 points as part of the ?comprehensive services agreement with Roush Fenway. Based on their poor performance both qualifying and running, I really wonder if they got the worst from the Roush shop. Boris Said did a lot better with the old Mark Simo #60, which also had support from Roush.
It all comes down to funding. Yes, the team did buy old equipment from Roush, and they do get engines from Roush Yates Engines. But you only get what you pay for, and this team is severly underfunded. They have very little, if any sponsorship, and they have a bare bones crew and operation. If this team makes it past the first five races of the season, they will most likely be just a start and park entry. – T.C.
9. From Margaret:
I’ve noticed on Preliminary Entry Lists that there is a section that appears to list the vehicle manufacture date. Most list 10 as the year, but some list 09 and Brian Vickers car is listed as 08. Does this have anything to do with the date that the car itself was built or does it deal with what nose they run? What is the difference? Thanks!
I believe the model year designated refers to the body style being run, not the date the chassis was built. I’m not sure how an ‘08 model car could be run by Vickers though, as the rulebook specifies that only 2009 and 2010 models are eligible this season. – T.C.
10. From Measure:
Start N Park cars, causing a bit of concern to NASCAR. Why doesn’t NASCAR implement a rule that says if you don’t finish 80% of a race, your team is suspended for the next race? Exceptions could be made for cars involved in wrecks and for those in the ‘top 35′.
It’s not necessarily a bad idea, and I believe a similar rule has been talked about. In lieu of suspending teams, I think a more powerful tool is to cut the purse; that is, after all, why some of the teams are there. I think NASCAR doing further inspection of the last place car is a good first step and I foresee them trying to curtail this as much as they can as the season moves along. – Journo
11. From Tim:
I literally stopped watching NASCAR because of Jimmie Johnson. Now I know how people felt about Earnhardt Sr. and Gordon. Will the spoiler make any difference in the 48 team’s dominance?
It might. There has been a lot of discussion about the effect of the spoiler on the racing. Some think it’ll make a difference, others don’t. I know Jeff Burton thinks we’re going to have a pre-spoiler/post spoiler season. Carl Edwards disagrees. We’ll definitely have to wait and see. – Journo
12. From Kevin:
What is going on with AJ and the rest of RPM
I don’t know what to tell you. It would appear to be an issue throughout the RPM camp as none of their drivers have been running particularly stellar. Paul Menard’s been the most consistent and Kasey did finish 9th last week, but it’s hard to say. It’s still early in the season and with the changes at RPM it could take some time for everything to come together. – Journo
And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions. And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!
Filed under: Sprint Cup