Motorsports FanHouse

Ryan Newman Calls Talladega Crash 'Worst Hit I've Ever Had'

Holly Cain — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:46:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR Crashes

For two mornings this week, Ryan Newman struggled just to lift his head off the pillow to get out of bed, his neck muscles still sore from a frightening airborne smash-and-roll wreck at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway last Sunday.

Even as he suited up Friday to practice for Race 8 of NASCAR's 10-race Chase for the Championship at Texas Motor Speedway, he was still aching from the crash, and bristling that it even happened.

Newman had been outspoken about NASCAR's immediate need to keep the race cars from launching into the air during accidents -- only to take that scary ride himself Sunday afternoon.

So instead of accepting the many interview requests to talk about the accident, a still sluggish Newman met with NASCAR officials at the Research and Development Center Wednesday in Charlotte.

"I was a little surprised at all the people wanting to do interviews, but I don't want to be interviewed because of my crashes, I want to be interviewed for winning,'' Newman said.

"I'm not in this for that kind of publicity. I'd rather meet with NASCAR and figure out a way to make the situation better."

"We talked about two different things, the extrication of myself from the accident scene and secondly, the reason why we're in that position in the first place, which is, to me, more important,'' Newman said.

Footage of the accident has been replayed daily -- even by the network morning shows and outlets that don't normally cover the sport. And it has sparked a lively debate on how to make the restrictor plate races at Talladega simultaneously exciting and safe.

Newman doesn't need to watch video of his accident. He has full sensory recall -- including watching and feeling the sparks shooting by his face because his helmet visor popped open before his car slid upside down along the asphalt track.

"I remember having to pull my visor back down in the middle of everything -- I felt like I flipped 10 times, but it was only three,'' Newman told FanHouse Friday as part of our weekly Inside the Chase Series with the Stewart-Haas Racing driver.

"I was all good until the roll cage came down and hit me. I wasn't ready for that one. It's the worst hit I've ever had.''

As his pit crew watched nervously on television monitors, it took track rescue workers nearly 15 minutes to get Newman out of the car after establishing he was conscious. Newman said one responder held his hand while the others worked to flip the car over and cut the roof off to free him from the mangled No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet.

He lost radio communication when the car came to rest upside down, disabling the antennae. But after the car was righted, he was able to radio his crew -- including his father, who spots for him -- and his wife Krissie to assure them he was all right.

"The first guy that got there talked to me and knew I was okay, but you can't properly assess the definition of okay until I'm out of the car,'' said Newman.

"I know (rescue process has) been an evolution, but the evolution is behind. I'm not mad at them, but I want it to be known from a driver's standpoint what can be done to make it better.''

Improving the show for the fans and the safety for the drivers remained a hot topic even as the series moved to the relatively calmer 1.5-mile track outside Dallas for Sunday's race.

Newman, a 2003 winner at Texas Motor Speedway, said he's inclined to agree with championship leader Jimmie Johnson, who suggested this week that altering the track's 33-degree banking is the most realistic option at Talladega.

"That's the easiest thing to do because we need to make it so the drivers have to drive the race car,'' Newman said. "We need it so it's not wide open, at some point we need to lift (off the accelerator) and that will make it better.

"We have crashes all year at every track, but only at Talladega do the cars leave the ground.''

Newman said NASCAR officials assured him Wednesday that they have already begun testing some things to help keep the cars from getting airborne.

"But I don't know that they have tested everything, I don't know if you can test everything,'' said Newman, who holds a degree in engineering from Purdue University.

"The faster you go, the more likely you are to take lift. An airplane takes off at 160 miles an hour. We're going 40 miles an hour above that at times. There's plenty of potential for a car to take lift, whether it's going forwards, backwards or sideways.''

"I talked to them a little about the the extrication of me, about the cars and the process of making all this better,'' Newman said.

"It's too little too late for me, but maybe on time for someone else.''

Ryan Newman Calls Talladega Crash 'Worst Hit I've Ever Had' originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint Cup N's & Q's: AMP Energy 500

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:14:00 EST

Filed under: Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Talladega Superspeedway, Sprint Cup

Notes, quotes & commentary from a NASCAR weekend at Talladega.

What a weekend it was, huh? Yes, I do have some comments and ideas about the overall product at Talladega this week. I'm going to wait, though, until the end of this post. First, the finer notes on Sunday.

Can anyone make sense of NASCAR's pit road penalties? Had Sunday's race been at another track where track position isn't so easily gained like it is at Talladega, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart and eventual race winner Jamie McMurray would have been downright hosed.

And good or bad as it relates to your particular driver, the rule that nabbed them just isn't fair.

The four drivers ended up in a sticky situation when they dropped from 190-plus mph to Talladega's pit road speed of 65 mph on lap 50 to make a pit stop. As they did so, Kurt Busch blew a tire and murdered the pit road commitment cone just in front of them before spinning through the grass.

Jeff Gordon, originally with the aforementioned drivers, swerved back on track and didn't pit after worrying that the caution flag would negatively affect his team's decision to pit. But the other drivers, yards from the pit road commitment line when Busch spun, continued down pit road and some made their pit stops.

Upon further review, NASCAR determined that the four had entered pit road while it was closed -- replays showed the red light activated before they crossed the pit road commitment line, meaning they had indeed done so. The penalty was to restart at the tail-end of the field.

But come on, had those guys made aggressive maneuvers to stay off pit road as Gordon had, they would have all piled up in a hot mess of bent metal. How is it smart for NASCAR to think that the drivers should have made such an ill-advised maneuver?

It's not, frankly, and someone will soon get burned on the rule at a track where it matters like, say, Texas Motor Speedway, the site of this weekend's race.

You've got to feel bad for Joe Nemechek after he was a part of Sunday's first caution.

Nemechek, who is trying to keep his race team afloat this season by pulling the start-and-park pattern, was intending to run his Nemco Motorsports car the distance on Sunday and maybe squeeze out a decent finish to earn some more cash for his generally unsponsored team to keep it racing.

But Paul Menard's tire had another idea as it exploded in turn two on lap 6, shooting Menard into the side of Nemechek and both into the wall. Nemechek wound up 43rd and went home with a destroyed race car.

Do you want to accuse Jamie McMurray of winning a fluky race? Go ahead, but not only does he not care, the stats from the race don't back it up. McMurray led 32 laps Sunday to take home five extra points for leading the most.

Mark Martin came with a completely different attitude to Talladega than his normal "I hate this place" shtick. It worked so well that Martin completed all but one lap and spent time sliding on his roof.

Dude can't catch a break at these restrictor plate joints, I suppose. He did, though, reason on why Talladega has reared into a big, ugly monster that fans love or hate (and from the sound of those comments, its mostly hate right now).

"It used to be we'd come here and it'd be all about speed and power," said Martin, talking about the difference between then and today's uniform set of rules designed with mostly safety in mind, before he identified what's to blame for Talladega's controversies. "Technology has brought us to this."

Very true. And sadly, technology doesn't exactly allow us too many things to fix it.

As promised, some ramblings and questions about Talladega, as a whole. Agree or disagree as you wish.

♦ Single-file lines are not new at Talladega. If you remember back to the fall of 2007 with the same car, Jeff Gordon led all of one lap that day after the race got crazy near the end. But before that, there was plenty of guys (i.e. Gordon) riding in the back to stay out of trouble and single-file lines in the middle of the race.

Heck, I even posted about it on Oct. 8, 2007:

For much too long Sunday, it was obvious drivers were scared to be aggressive or dice for the lead. Single-file packs and drivers purposely staying at the back of the pack to avoid trouble just doesn't cut it at this level.

Jeff Gordon managed to pull off the race win by sailing through the draft after a restart with eight laps to go but for a large majority of Sunday's race, Gordon rode around at times five to seven seconds behind the leader with teammate Jimmie Johnson and other Chase contenders.

That's not racing. That's riding.

Sounds eerily familiar to Sunday, doesn't? Like I said, single-file lines aren't new at Talladega, and we really can't blame NASCAR's no bump drafting in the corners edict for it.

♦ Do you think the fact that Jimmie Johnson skirted through the messes of Talladega and came out with what is really an insurmountable point lead had any factor on fan frustration?

I really think that's part of the case. Had Jimmie wrecked, it might have changed the whole rest of the season. You get the feeling people were banking on that.

♦ Ryan Newman is right. NASCAR Sprint Cup cars don't need to be taking off on their own. Something needs to be engineered -- bigger roof flaps? -- to keep them on the ground.

♦ People that think racing at Talladega without restrictor plates would solve everything couldn't be further from the truth. Going faster means race cars fly better. And when cars fly, they don't have control. And when you don't have control, you don't know where they'll land.

Therein lies the complete problem with going faster at Talladega.

♦ After much thinking about the subject, I think I've nailed down the frustration I felt after Sunday's race. It's simple: Talladega is too predictable in its unpredictability.

Other race tracks have different types of races nearly every visit and there's often quirks that are completely unexpected. NASCAR fans like quirks and the unexpected -- it makes things exciting and fresh to watch.

But at Talladega (I'm not lumping Daytona into this) the formula is simple: Ride, ride, pass, ride, ride, crash, race, crash, checkered flag.

We've gotten so used to the "Big One" and extraordinary crashes that they've become just ordinary and an off-shoot winner -- we should have had three in-a-row going to back to last season's terrible call to rob Regan Smith of the win -- happens more often than not now.

Simply, we've seen three-wide racing so much that we expect it and its not massively thrilling to the longtime viewer. And for the drivers, they've reached the point where they realize that nothing counts until the checked flag waves. Why, then, would they want to ride in peril for three hours?

Can you blame them? I can't.

It's not a good show for the fans, and there's no incentive for the drivers. That leaves one variable on the table: NASCAR.

Love it or hate it, Talladega has reached an interesting point with problems -- not the safety ones -- that really have no clear cut answer.

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: AMP Energy 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Different Day, Same Talladega

Holly Cain — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:25:00 EST

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR Crashes

Before Ryan Newman's horrific Talladega flip-roll-smash-and-slide on Sunday, there was Carl Edwards' car somersaulting into the front stretch fencing.

The late Dale Earnhardt had one of his most frightening accidents at Talladega Superspeedway, barrel-rolling through the tri-oval. Before that it was Ricky Craven and Bill Elliott on E-ticket rides. In 1993, driver Jimmy Horton's car flipped over the Turn 1 wall and landed outside the track.

Rusty Wallace's Talladega crash footage -- pick a year -- used to be standard play before any NASCAR restrictor plate race.

The point is -- while there is a justifiable outcry at the scary accident involving Newman this weekend -- spectacular, highlight-reel wrecks here aren't news. They are old news.

News would be if something unpredictable happened, something like. ... nothing.

And then the outrage would be "what a boring finish, what a boring race.''

And many are suggesting that, anyway. Instead of wrecking early and often, now NASCAR's brand of bumper-to-bumper draft racing in the COT produces the completely expected race-ending melee that typically shatters at least one drivers championship hopes and often introduces a dark horse to victory lane.

That's what happened Sunday. And everyone knew it would.

"We go through this every year,'' championship leader Jimmie Johnson said to reporters in his post-race interview. "You guys try to find new ways to have us answer the same question about the restrictor plate racing.

"Yeah, we have the steering wheel, gas pedal, brake pedal and all that kind of thing. But until somebody really has a chance to sit in these cars and understand how tough it is, it's easier to say these things from the outside.

"Inside the car, we're racing. We're doing our thing. We mind our manners during the race, single file and everybody was probably disappointed in that.

"Then we get racing in the end and you have the big wrecks. There is not a new angle. The only way we avoid this is if anybody wants to avoid these big wrecks and this type of racing is to eliminate the need for restrictor plates. That means get the tractors out and knock down the banking."

The question isn't only how to fix it. But do you really want to?

Practically every driver in the 43-car field can offer a plan to "fix" the close-quarter, pack racing that creates multi-car accidents. And the suggestions range from taking off the restrictor plates completely to aerodynamic modifications to adding horsepower.

The irony of Newman's car going airborne and crashing wildly certainly wasn't lost on him. He was the most outspoken driver coming into the race concerning NASCAR's need to keep the cars on the ground.

NASCAR will never be able to completely control drivers' actions behind the wheel, it does at the least need to keep these cars from launching like missiles.

"This is ridiculous,'' an understandably frustrated, but uninjured Newman said after a trip to the infield medical center.

"We don't need the cars getting upside down like this. There is way more technology than that to help us out. Whether it is a speed issue, a roof flap issue, whatever.

"It is a shame that not more is getting done. I guess maybe I expect NASCAR to call me. I am the only guy out there with an engineering degree. I would like to have a little respect on my end.''

Yet all the technical modifications to the car can't ensure against over-aggression, driver error or poor judgment. And that's the bottom line.

Tightening the rules to play by -- as NASCAR did when it warned drivers in the pre-race drivers meeting that it would penalize bumper-to-bumper contact -- may provide a chilling effect and the subsequent single-file parades.

But this remains the only major professional sport where if fans complain loudly enough, the sanctioning body will changes the rules in the name of entertainment.

Bloggers, radio show callers and internet comments indicate people were unhappy with the "show" at Talladega despite the fact there were 58 lead changes by 25 drivers - nearly 20 lead changes occurred before the race's midpoint.

The outcry against this type of racing isn't any different this Monday morning - the outlet is. Thanks to the Internet, we have instant indignation instead of perspective and that drives the news.

The television network morning talk shows invited Newman for interviews - he politely declined on Monday - and showed video of his wreck.

YouTube had the video posted before track workers extricated Newman from his car.

"The race is pretty safe up until the end,'' said Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished 11th. "You knew that.

"I don't think anybody wants to be out there and involved in what happens at the end. Dodging cars, seeing people flip upside down. Obviously there is something else that needs to be thought about. I am sure NASCAR will figure it out.''

Or maybe, as they say, "it is what it is" at Talladega.

"I hope everyone enjoyed the show,'' Mark Martin said minutes after climbing out of his wrecked Chevy and realizing his now 184-point deficit to Jimmie Johnson is probably a championship deal-breaker.

"Congratulations to (race winner) Jamie McMurray, and that's all I know about the whole race.''

Different Day, Same Talladega originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ryan Newman Blasts NASCAR After Flip

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:39:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR Crashes, NASCAR Videos, Sprint Cup

Ryan Newman left Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday obviously sore and presumably irritated after flipping violently in a late-race crash near the end of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' AMP Energy 500.

Newman, who was uninjured, was trapped in the car for almost 15 minutes as safety crews cut him out from exactly the type of wreck he had warned NASCAR against after an amazing crash involving him and Carl Edwards at the same track in April. And after being checked out of the infield hospital, Newman didn't hesitate to get on NASCAR again.

"Drivers used to be about to race each other and respect each other," said Newman. "Guys like Richard Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison -- all those guys have always done that. I guess they [NASCAR] just don't think much of us [drivers] anymore."

More Coverage: Amp Energy 500 Results | Sprint Cup Standings
Jimmie Johnson's Fourth Title in Full View

With five laps to go in the race, Newman got spun sideways on the backstretch before his No. 39 lifted off the ground, flipped on its roof, slid up the track's banking into the retaining wall and slid back down before tumbling multiple times. The car landed on its roof and safety officials were quickly on the scene.

Because they could determine Newman was not seriously injured, workers methodically attached Newman's car to a tow truck to turn it right side up. After gently setting it back on all four wheels, the workers cut away the roof of Newman's car to get him out.

All of this occurred as NASCAR put the rest of the field under the red flag, effectively putting a temporary stop to the race.

As Newman spoke -- he said he was sore -- he looked visibly shaken from the incident.

"I'm just really disappointed," said Newman. "We had the race back here in the spring and I complained about the cars getting airborne. Ironically, I'm the guy who gets airborne. I wish NASCAR would do something. That's not something anyone wants to see.

"It's probably the closest thing to being stuck in a tomb and not being able to get out -- all my body weight was pressed up against my head. ... I respect NASCAR. I just wish they respected me."

Just minutes later after the red flag was withdrawn for Newman's crash -- it included his teammate Tony Stewart, Marcos Ambrose, Kevin Harvick and others -- the race got underway again for a two lap, green-white-checkered finale but made it less than a lap under green before a bigger wreck, and yet another flipping car, ended the race.

Jamie McMurray, driving in his final season for Roush-Fenway Racing, scored the win after being in front at the point of caution after Kurt Busch was turned sideways by April's winner Brad Keselowski off of turn four. Busch's sliding car caught several others in the pack including Mark Martin.

Martin's car was hit in the right-rear, turned sideways, and tumbled across the front-stretch before coming to a stop on its wheels. As Newman did, Martin emerged without injury.

After the race -- one that ultimately left Martin with hardly a shot at catching teammate Jimmie Johnson for the championship thanks to his 28th-place finish (unofficially) -- Martin was quite contrite about the result.

"I just hope everybody enjoyed the show," said Martin.

To make the easy bet, I'd say more than a few -- especially those behind the wheel of crashing cars -- didn't.

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NASCAR Crash Photos

Ryan Newman (33) slides upside down on the track after crashing with Kevin Harvick (29) during the AMP Energy 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala. (AP Photo/Mark Young)

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LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers watches as Mo Williams #2 takes a shoe to the face by Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers after a steal in the closing seconds of the first half at The Quicken Loans Arena on February 8, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. (David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images)

David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images

Brazil's Diogo (L) vies for the ball with Paraguay's Hernan Perez during their U-20 South American Championship football match in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela on February 8, 2009.(Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images )

Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images

A Dalmatian looks at its handler as a judge goes to touch the dog during the first day of the 2009 Westminster Dog Show in New York February 9, 2009.(Lucas Jackson, Reuters)

Lucas Jackson, Reuters

Denver Nuggets forward Chris Anderson touches his head during a time out in the first half of their NBA basketball game with the New Jersey Nets in East Rutherford, New Jersey February 7, 2009. (Ray Stubblebine, Reuters)

Ray Stubblebine, Reuters

Margarita Marbler, of Austria, skis to a bronze medal finish the ladies moguls freestyle FIS World Cupskiing qualification at Cypress mountain in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. (Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP)

Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP

West Virginia guard Darryl Bryant (25) is fouled by Providence guard Jeff Xavier (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Morgantown, W.Va. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. West Virginia won 86-59. (Don Wright, AP)

Don Wright, AP

Missouri's DeMarre Carroll, top, celebrates the Tigers' 62-60 win over Kansas in Columbia, Missouri, Monday, February 9, 2009. (Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT)

Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT

David Clarkson #23 of the New Jersey Devils fights Erik Reitz #4 of the New York Rangers during their game on February 9, 2009 at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (Al Bello, Getty Images)

Al Bello, Getty Images

Driver Patrick Sheltra (60) begins to spin coming out of the fourth turn during the ARCA 200 auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009.

Darryl Graham, AP

Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives serves the ball, in this multiple exposure, to Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic during their Fed Cup tennis match in Brno February 7, 2009.

Petr Josek, Reuters

Ryan Newman Blasts NASCAR After Flip originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite Precautions, Talladega Remains Wild Ride

Holly Cain — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR Tracks

Depending on your perspective, Ryan Newman either had the best seat in the house or the worst during NASCAR's last visit to the mighty and unpredictable Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Carl Edwards, Sprint Cup rookie Brad Keselowski and Newman were 100 yards in front of the checkered flag, set to decide the winner amongst themselves, when Keselowski and Edwards collided directly in front of Newman. Edwards' Ford went airborne, bounced off the hood and windshield of Newman's Chevy, then flew into the fencing along the front stretch grandstands in a horrific-looking accident that led the country's sports highlight reels.

If you haven't seen the video, you will. It'll be played over and over and over all weekend as the Sprint Cup Series makes its Chase for the Championship visit to Talladega this week.

And each time you watch it, it will seem amazing that all the drivers were safe -- Keselowski got his maiden Cup victory and Newman went on to a career-best, third place at Talladega. Seven fans, however, were injured by debris that flew off Edwards car, prompting NASCAR and the track to institute some safety upgrades for this Halloween stop at the sport's largest track.

"It was a wild finish and it got a little tense at the end,'' Newman said in the ultimate understatement.

"We want exciting races, but we don't want to see cars airborne either,'' Newman said this week. "It's not safe and we need to collectively work to make sure what happened in the last race at Talladega doesn't happen again.''

After extracting himself from his mangled No. 39 Chevrolet that April evening, Newman immediately declared, "There's no such thing as an over-reaction for safety" and called the day's tightly-packed restrictor plate action, "just crazy."

Championship points leader Jimmie Johnson, involved in a multi-car crash with 10 laps remaining, was even more blunt: "It sucks racing here.''

Edwards somehow managed to climb out of his car unhurt, jog across the finish line, tell his mom in a television interview that he was "okay" and then sternly warned,"NASCAR has put us in this box and we'll race like this until we kill someone and then they'll change it.''

And NASCAR listened.

Sort of.

This weekend, NASCAR has mandated a smaller restrictor plate -- meaning there will be about 10-15 less horsepower for the cars. Talladega Superspeedway has extended the height of its catch fence another eight feet -- making it 22 feet high now -- and hired an engineering firm to "enhance" the fencing materials.

Daytona International Speedway, the other restrictor plate track on the circuit -- has also raised its fencing.

All this will at least give spectators peace of mind. Because of the pack-racing, multi-car crashes aren't going anywhere. They'll just happen at slightly slower speeds.

And let's face it, the "Big One" is part of Talladega's folklore. No one wants to see anyone get hurt, but fans love the unpredictable, from-last-to-first-in-10-laps possibilities that exist here. The baggage with that tight, draft racing is the potential for any driver lapse to create a 15-car melee.

NASCAR has had to balance the thrill of its show with the safety of its competitors and, just as importantly, the safety of its fans. Would NASCAR have reacted with new rules had fans not been hurt?

Newman not only had a front-row seat for the crash but also holds an engineering degree, making his perspective uniquely qualified. He likes the restrictor plate change and the fence modification, but thinks the real issue may be a question of aerodynamics and how to keep the cars from getting airborne in the first place.

"It's just a matter of excitement and strategy and the timing of those things in conjunction with what lap we're on and what there is to expect before the end of the race,'' Newman said.

"Realistically, you never know what to expect.''

And that's the rub ... and the attraction.

For his part, Edwards is scheduled to meet with Blake Bobbitt, the 17-year-old girl who was most seriously injured in April attending her first NASCAR race. Her jaw was broken and had to be wired shut for the remainder of her senior year of high school. After the race Edwards called it the worst feeling he's ever had in racing.

Since then Edwards has called periodically to check on her and the Bobbitt family will be a guest of NASCAR at the pre-race drivers meeting on Sunday.

"She's coming back to the track which is a great example of how passionate our fans are,'' Edwards said. "She's pumped about the race too, so that's cool.''

Despite Precautions, Talladega Remains Wild Ride originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Warmup: Tums 500

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:57:00 EST

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

The Essentials

Race: Tums 500

Where: Martinsville Speedway
Time: Sunday 1:30 p.m. EST
TV/Radio: ABC, MRN Radio
Twitter: Updates @ FanHouseRacing
Forecast: Mostly sunny, High 60s
Distance: 500 laps (263 miles)
Pole Winner: Ryan Newman
2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson

The Storyline

Jeff Gordon's last, best hope to stay in Jimmie Johnson's zip code for the 2009 championship might just be Sunday at Martinsville Speedway for two reasons -- the perks from his second-place qualifying run and Jimmie Johnson's mediocre starting spot.

And for their teammate Mark Martin splitting the point difference between Johnson and Gordon in the standings, a fourth-place starting effort might also be critical to bridging the 90-point gap between the No. 48 and No. 5.

Johnson, by his standards, had a rough day at Martinsville on Friday. The team never found speed in the car despite otherwise good handling and he wound up 15th in qualifying -- edging out a particular advantage for Gordon and Martin at the small, half-mile paperclip that is Martinsville Speedway.

Martinsviille's pit road ends off of turn two and oftentimes the shape leads to an advantage for pit stalls with an opening behind or in front of it. Otherwise, drivers can get blocked in and just a few lost seconds can translate into bunches of lost spots on pit road.

Ryan Newman, the polesitter, took the last and best stall on pit road while Gordon opted to move back to pit stall No. 11 due to the front edge of the pit stall bordered by the garage access lane. Martin, qualified fourth, chose pit stall No. 8 without any openings around it while Johnson took a stall before the start/finish line.

Most accounts would put Johnson's pit selection as a bad one, but the car in front of him is a card-carrying member of the start-and-park club in NASCAR -- meaning there's a good possibility that Johnson won't be dealing with any traffic in front of his pit stall on Martinsville's tight pit lane. His biggest problems, though, will come when he's trying to exit pit road and evade cars swinging out in front of him.

Another problem Johnson might find on Sunday -- above I'm just assuming he'll move up from 15th and be in contention for the win at some point (a risky proposition, I know) -- is the rain Martinsville had on Saturday. Not once did the No. 48 -- or any other Sprint Cup team -- get on the track for any practice on Saturday, meaning there might be some concern in Johnson's camp based on the qualifying run and him being stumped about why the car didn't run faster.

Unfortunately for the rest of the field, Chad Knaus is stll Johnson's crew chief. He's in good hands.

Johnson's lead in the points at the moment is steep -- the 90 ahead of Martin, 135 ahead of Gordon and 155 to Tony Stewart (he starts 13th) -- and there is a lot of risk for Johnson at Martinsville thanks to silly, mundane things like flat tires or brake failures. But such risk has been successfully avoided by Johnson on the way this three-straight titles.

Take, for instance, that Sunday's starting spot is Johnson's worst since April 2007 when he started 20th. That day? Johnson first sniffed the lead on lap 405 of 500 before grabbing it for good with 60 to go to take one of his many wins at Martinsville.

Need you know more?

Enjoy the race.

FanHouse Warmup: Tums 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Inside 'The Chase' With Ryan Newman: Helping the Animals

Holly Cain — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:24:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Chase for the Sprint Cup

FanHouse has partnered with Ryan Newman for a behind-the-scenes look at NASCAR's Chase for the Championship. Sunday's Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway is the sixth of 10 races that will decide the Sprint Cup Series championship.

Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army-sponsored Chevrolet, is ranked ninth of the 12 Chase drivers vying for the season title, 288 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson, but only 111 points behind fifth-place Kurt Busch. Newman is coming off an 11th-place finish Saturday at Lowe's Motor Speedway -- his third finish of 11th or better in the five Chase races so far.

In this week's installment of Inside the Chase with Ryan Newman, FanHouse gets the back-story of the Ryan Newman Foundation, which raises money for animal shelters and pet adoption education.

In only a five-year existence, the Ryan Newman Foundation has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, helped thousands of animals and benefited hundreds of animal shelters around the world.

And it all started with a single chance meeting between Newman's wife Krissie and a teenage fan outside Martinsville Speedway, the site of this weekend's race. It turned out to be a life-changing moment, an experience Krissie Newman vividly remembers.

After dropping off lunch for Ryan, Krissie was leaving the pit area in the infield headed toward the couple's
motor home when a young woman flagged her down and gave her a handwritten letter. Getting a note from a fan wasn't unusual. Getting this particular note turned out to be, however.

"She said, 'Please read this letter,' " Krissie Newman recalled of the fan's pleas. "I thought that was a little strange so when I got to the coach, I did, and it brought me to tears.''

The note essentially told the story of how the teenager's family had been adopting strays in their hometown because the local animal shelter didn't have the resources to properly care for the animals and too often resorted to euthanizing them.

The family had 15 dogs and were themselves in dire straits, but committed to saving the animals. The note wasn't asking for any handouts for the family, but just letting the Newmans -- well-known in their love for animal causes -- know about a bad situation in this community.

"I went back out and found that fan. ... She was wearing a Tony Stewart t-shirt and said she was a Dale Jr. fan,'' Krissie Newman said, recalling the details with a laugh.

"She was shaking and crying and could hardly remember her own phone number or directions to her house because she couldn't believe we'd come back.''

The next morning Krissie Newman and a friend went to the local Wal-Mart, spent almost a $1,000 on dog food and dog toys, packed it into the Newman's own SUV and delivered it to the family's house.

A few months later the Ryan Newman Foundation was born. And the inspiration has continued.

"In that case, we wanted to take care of the immediate problem, and that was take care of them,'' Krissie Newman said. "But it sparked my mind. This isn't just going on in Martinsville, Va., it's going on in our own backyard, it's going on nationally.

"The biggest thing we can do is educate people so we can all make things better for animals in all our communities. Until we change the situation, it won't change.''

While Krissie's reaction to one fan in Martinsville might seem extreme, it wasn't one bit surprising to her husband. Both of them have been lifelong pet-lovers and currently have a half-dozen dogs and a pair of bulls they're raising on their North Carolina farm, where they will host a fundraising gala in December.

The Newmans make it a point to visit pet shelters on every vacation no matter how remote the locale, and typically leave a large donation to make a difference in that community too.

"That's my wife with her big heart,'' Ryan Newman said, adding with a laugh. "She's a sucker for an animal story.

"I knew Krissie was doing it for all the right reasons; they couldn't help themselves,'' Newman said. "You don't not do that.''

"I can remember being on our way to the airport in California one time and we saw a chihuahua on the side of the road. She wanted us to turn around and get it.

"The foundation is our efforts and also our sponsors and our fans just trying to make a difference. Krissie brought (it) up to me that we have to find a cause.

"So many of the drivers are already doing things for kids and to help out with cancer and those important causes. We're trying to do our part for the animals that love unconditionally, too.''

For more information or to make a donation to the Ryan Newman Foundation, visit RyanNewmanFoundation.org.

Inside 'The Chase' With Ryan Newman: Helping the Animals originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Inside 'The Chase' With Ryan Newman: On NASCAR Safety, More

Holly Cain — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:44:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Talladega Superspeedway, Chase for the Sprint Cup

In this week's edition of Inside the Chase, FanHouse's Holly Cain visits with Ryan Newman, the driver of the U.S. Army-sponsored No. 39 Chevrolet, to talk Talladega safety improvements, a rough qualifying lap at California Speedway, reading to school kids, a vacation to Jackson Hole and the benefits of earning his college degree.

Ryan Newman is currently ranked ninth among the 12 drivers vying for the Sprint Cup title as the series stops at Auto Club Speedway of Southern California for the fourth of the 10-race Chase for the Championship.

Newman was a vocal proponent of having NASCAR make safety modifications in light of a horrific airborne crash at the spring Talladega 500-miler. In the midst of a multi-car accident at the front of the field, Newman's car launched Carl Edwards' car into the front stretch catchfence. Debris injured seven people in the grandstands.

In response to the accident, NASCAR announced Friday it has slowed down the cars for the Nov. 1 Talladega race by shrinking the restrictor plate -- the difference of about 10-15 horsepower. And both Talladega and Daytona International Speedway -- the two largest tracks on the NASCAR schedule -- have said they will raise the height of their fencing.

"The things they did are the right direction and I commend them for it," Newman said. I just wish they had come to me and said, 'We're thinking of doing this and this.' I shouldn't have to go to them. It's their job to make the cars and tracks as safe as possible.

"I still believe there are things we can do collectively to keep the cars from getting airborne. ... I don't know if it's the size of the roof flaps -- making them bigger -- or adding more. The cars are definitely safer than the old ones, but let's not stop developing the race cars.

"Changing the fence is good, but if the car was never airborne, the fence wouldn't have been an issue.''

On his 36th-place starting position for Sunday's Pepsi 500:

"We weren't pole capable, but we were eighth-fastest in practice. Qualifying was just a combination of me trying to get too much out of it and not having the car just right yet. On a bigger race track like this, there's less to worry about starting this far back. I'm confident we'll get the car better.''

On why he doesn't consider himself out of contention for the Chase for the Championship. He dropped two positions in the standings after last week's race in Kansas City and trails leader Mark Martin by 164 points:

"There are seven races left. Seven races is a long time, it's a fifth of the schedule. We proved in the first fifth of the season that we could come back from 31st place to as high as fourth place (in the championship). Before Talladega, it's not even a question that we're in it.''

On the trip Newman and his wife Krissie took to Jackson Hole, Wy., on the way to this week's Cup race in Fontana, Calif.:

"We had a lot of fun and it was a lot colder than it was supposed to be. Last week it was 75 degrees, it never got above 45 while we there. We went horseback riding though, had a good time.''

On reading to school children this week:

"I don't really know which book I'm reading yet, hopefully it's not Green Eggs and Ham (laughing), maybe it will be The Little Engine that Could. I'm looking forward to it. It's a good thing and it makes a difference.''

On being the only current full-time Sprint Cup driver to have a four-year college degree (Newman earned an engineering degree from Purdue University):

"I always wanted to use the degree to help with my racing career, but it was also a Plan B in case racing didn't work out, either if something happened to me physically, or if I didn't get my breaks.

"I was fortunate to have my family on my side, Don Miller and Roger Penske. That helped. My dad kept in touch with Don Miller and kept him up to date so he knew when I had one semester left. I had assistance like that and people observing me (as a race car driver).

"All it takes is a few people that care."

Inside 'The Chase' With Ryan Newman: On NASCAR Safety, More originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Inside 'The Chase' With Ryan Newman: Alive With the Sound of Music

Holly Cain — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Chase for the Sprint Cup

As NASCAR's Chase for the Championship enters week 3 of its 10-week playoff run, FanHouse delivers its third installment of Inside the Chase with Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet.

Newman sits seventh in the championship -- 110 points behind leader Mark Martin -- as the Sprint Cup Series visits the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway for Sunday's Kansas 400. Newman won this race in 2003 and has three top-5 finishes in eight starts.

Sponsorship obligations, press tours, cross-country travel, high speeds and risky maneuvers -- those are just the requirements of Ryan Newman's day job.

In the midst of his pursuit for NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series championship, Newman and his wife Krissie have launched an independent record label and this week Newman is making a 360-mile round trip jaunt -- twice -- from Kansas City to Knoxville, Iowa, where he and his NASCAR team owner Tony Stewart are entered in the Late Model Nationals.

Spare time? That's when the Newmans devote their efforts to raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Ryan Newman Foundation, which benefits pet charities and encourages pet adoption.

Gone are the days that these drivers simply showed up at the speedway on Friday to prepare for a Sunday afternoon race. Newman, like so many of his competitors, are more like high speed moguls -- businessmen with interests far from the drivers seat.

Krissie is spearheading the couple's production company: Music Row Publisher (MRP) -- RPM backwards. She concedes it wasn't anything either had ever really considered before.

"But the timing and opportunity were right,'' she said. Krissie spent this week's NASCAR stop at Kansas Speedway traveling to Kansas City area radio stations to promote the company's first artist, country singer Bridgette Tatum.

"I look back at the last 10 years of my life and it's taken a different direction than I ever thought," she said. "I'm a big believer in not putting all your eggs in one basket.

"Everyone is growing different interests and the more connections you make, the more relationships you form, and you learn about different industries. Your interest gets piqued. I like having a lot of different projects on the table.''

The Newmans aren't alone in capitalizing on outside business opportunities.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., has a thriving bar in downtown Charlotte. Carl Edwards also has a record label. Stewart owns his own race track.

The difference though, is that for Newman, this record label is more personal, a mission not a fluke. He sees it as a way to maintain the type of generous spirit that people offered him when he was trying to break into NASCAR's big leagues.

"From an investment standpoint and notoriety, we can make a difference in someone else's life,'' Newman said. "Someone did that for me. We'd like to at least help give back in that way.''

For Newman it was longtime motorsports executive Don Miller who, Newman said, helped him "get my first stock car ride, and helped me buy my first house.''

It was a huge benefit, having someone believe in him, willing to take a chance on him.

It paid off for Miller. And Newman, who has 13 victories -- including the 2008 Daytona 500 -- and 43 pole positions in his eight-year Cup career.

Newman hopes his efforts with Tatum will produce similar results. Her name and debut country single, "I Like My Cowboys Dirty" will be the logo on the hood of his late model car in Knoxville Saturday night. She's also singing the national anthem prior to the race.

Newman sees an important similarity between himself and Tatum.

"A lot of desire,'' Newman said. "She is very talented and she has a lot of desire.''

Inside 'The Chase' With Ryan Newman: Alive With the Sound of Music originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Soldiers Inspire Ryan Newman, NASCAR's Best

Holly Cain — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:39:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Chase for the Sprint Cup

It was not the scars and burns, nor all the prosthetic limbs, or even the constant hum of machines dripping life into some patients that most struck Ryan Newman during a visit Thursday with injured soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

It was a far more simple concept that impacted the 2008 Daytona 500 winner most.

"The age of the people we visited is mind-boggling,'' Newman said. "The average age of the soldier is way younger than you'd imagine.''

Eighteen, 19, 20 years old. ... ages when Newman, 31, in a pre-Sept. 11 era was frantically working toward an engineering degree at Purdue University during the week, then barnstorming across the Midwest during the weekend racing sprint cars in preparation for what's been a distinguished career in NASCAR.

"Every time I walked into a room, the first thing I said was 'Thank you, thanks for giving us the opportunity to do what we love,'' Newman said.

His No. 39 Chevrolet carries the United States Army colors on its hood. Newman carries a bit of the Army's morale on his broad shoulders.

So many of the soldiers he visited love watching Newman do what he loves. The pride goes both ways.

Newman, his wife Krissie, and a handful of other NASCAR stars, including Newman's team owner and two-time NASCAR champ Tony Stewart, stopped by Walter Reed on their way to this weekend's Sprint Cup Series venue in Dover, Del., for Sunday's second race in NASCAR's 10-race Chase for the Championship.

Newman's seventh place finish last week at New Hampshire moved him up three positions in the standings. He's seventh out of the 12 drivers eligible to win the season title and only trails leader Mark Martin by 79 points.

Newman, who will start third in Sunday's race, is a three-time winner in Dover ... four, if you count the impression he made on soldiers Thursday.

His visit to the hospital and also to troops at bases across the country this season are something he considers his privilege -- a mutually beneficial experience.

Having the U.S. Army as a team sponsor isn't like hawking beer or energy drinks or razors or dot-coms.

Newman has had major corporate sponsors before, such as Mobil Oil, and he's starred in national commercials advertising cell phones and wireless networks for Alltel.

But it's incomparable to having the U.S. Army or any branch of the armed forces on your car -- especially during a time of war. And Newman is reminded of that daily in ways both obvious and subtle.

His work on behalf of the Army isn't merely a photo op or chance for good publicity. It's about contributing to a greater sense of pride.

"I'm representing people, people fighting for our freedom,'' Newman said, his voice rising in conviction with each word. "And that's different than a corporation or a product or a service you're trying to sell.

"It's an absolute honor to represent and get the chance to connect to these people.''

"Today, we'd go into a room and you didn't know what to expect,'' Newman told FanHouse by phone Thursday evening shortly after leaving Walter Reed.

"Sometimes you'd walk in and be totally shocked that here was someone who just went through hell and they're talking about when they can get back (to the war).

"You'd walk into the next room and they're cheering you up.''

At times, it was hard to tell who was inspiring who, and who was motivating who.

Newman spoke of one young man in particular, Brendan, a 22-year-old from Staten Island. He had lost both legs and most of both arms in combat and told Newman that his nickname around Walter Reed is "Quad." He showed off four "bionic" prosthetic limbs and was proud to report that only four and a half months after being injured, he was walking again.

"He was breaking all kinds of records for healing time,'' Newman said. "Just to see his fight and drive, was one of the most eye-opening experiences.''

And that's when this all becomes a tangible moment when the seriousness of war meets the powerful diversion of sport.

"You can't put into words how grateful we are and how thankful we should be,'' Newman said.

"Some people we met didn't have a clue there was an Army race car out there, some just wanted us to beat the National Guard car and others had been Ryan Newman fans for a long time.''

Here's betting many more count themselves such now.

Soldiers Inspire Ryan Newman, NASCAR's Best originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ryan Newman Chats With FanHouse About His Case for the Chase

Holly Cain — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:39:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Stewart-Haas Racing

Ryan Newman is back where he's spent his entire career proving he belongs: contending for a season championship.

For the first time since 2006, last year's Daytona 500 winner Newman is part of NASCAR's Chase for the Championship, a 10-race playoff stretch that kicks off Sunday at New Hampshire International Raceway.

He enters the Sylvania 300 ranked 10th in the standings, only 40 points back from leader Mark Martin, and coming off three consecutive top-10 finishes in the No. 39 U.S. Army-sponsored Chevrolet.

Newman, 31, will be FanHouse's exclusive go-fast, go-to man for the Chase for the Championship partnering with FanHouse for weekly features and interviews every week throughout the next 10 races determining the 2009 Sprint Cup champion.

The South Bend, Indiana, native joined the other 11 Chase contenders Thursday in New York City on a press blitz, visiting with media outlets before heading up to Loudon, New Hampshire, for Sunday's race.

While traveling to a luncheon at the Hard Rock Cafe in Manhattan, he spoke on the telephone with me.

-- On the extra media responsibilities that come with making The Chase:

Newman: "It's not on my list of favorite things to do, but I realize it's a reward for our sponsors and all the people on our team. It's neat and my wife (Krissie) is from up here (New Jersey) so she definitely enjoys the time we can spend here. But all of us (drivers) really are looking forward to sitting in our race cars. This is just a different part of the job.''

-- On the one-mile New Hampshire International Speedway, where Newman scored has two victories including his first career Cup win in 2002 and won three pole positions, most recently in 2006:

Newman: "It's always been a good track for me personally and good for the team. Tony's (Stewart) done well there too.''

-- On his mindset entering the Chase:

Newman: "We still have to do the same things we've been doing and make sure we're consistent. Of course, everyone will take that same approach.

-- On how the non-Chase drivers might affect the standings:

Newman: "I think those guys will be aggressive, no different than they always are. There are those drivers with respect for the guys in the Chase and those drivers that don't care. It'll be pretty evident from the very beginning who they are.''

-- On the reception he and Stewart received back at the Stewart-Haas Racing shop this week following the first-year team's first championship berth:

Newman: "It was wild. We had our usual team meeting on Monday and then a separate meeting with lots of pats on the back. It was a nice chance to thank everyone, all the people back at the shop who have worked so hard on this.

"But now it's time to step it up and get our A-game going.''

And judging by his resume, Newman brings a good A-game to the Chase.

He has 44 career pole positions - including an astonishing 11 pole wins in 2003 while driving for the legendary Penske Racing operation, where he spent the first seven full time seasons of his career before joining the newly-formed Stewart-Haas operation this year.

Newman has 13 Cup wins, his last coming in the 50th anniversary edition of the Daytona 500 in February 2008.

He started defense of that title with a rough outing, going through three cars at Daytona this year and ultimately finishing 36th in the race. It took three more weeks for him to crack the top 30, which makes his championship effort to close out the regular season all the more impressive.

He answered a frustrating opening month with eight top-10s in the next 10 races including a streak of six straight late April to early June. He's led laps in 11 races with a best showing of runner-up in Charlotte's 600-miler on Memorial Day weekend.

And the Chase features a track lineup that heavily favors Newman.

He has victories at four (Dover, Texas, New Hampshire, Kansas) of the 10 Chase tracks and has started from pole position at seven (Martinsville, Charlotte, Phoenix, California, New Hampshire, Las Vegas, Dover) of them.

"(Team owner Tony Stewart) trusted a lot in me and I am glad that I have delivered up to this point,'' Newman said after clinching a spot in the 12-driver Chase last Saturday at Richmond, Va.

"We have got to pick up our performance a little bit, I mean if you look at the last few races, we've gotten better, but if you want to win this championship statistically, it take a lot better finish than what we did (10th at Richmond).

"This is a great opportunity that Sprint gives us to be able to do what we do. I'm happy to be in this situation.

"We are not taking a go-for-broke attitude but we are going to have fun in these next 10 races.''

Ryan Newman Chats With FanHouse About His Case for the Chase originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Race Fixing or Just Racing?

Holly Cain — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:25:00 EST

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing

RICHMOND, Va. -- With all the publicity surrounding allegations of cheating and race fixing in Formula One and drag racing this week, it begs the question, would NASCAR drivers ever purposely "help" a teammate win a race, improve a position or gain in the championship standings?

Is it even wrong? Or is it simply a long-practiced element of competition?

"I've already thought about that in regards to my teammates and if there's anything I can do to help my teammates, I'd do it," said Carl Edwards, who has two Roush Fenway teammates still trying to clinch a spot in the Chase for the Championship in Saturday's Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

"This is a team sport and especially at this point in the year, having more of your teammates in the Chase is good."

But what if you're winning the race?

"That's a tough call, if that's what it took and that's what had to happen then that's what I would do," Edwards said.

And if it meant wrecking another driver?

"You can't take somebody out because you're not just taking that person out, you're taking out their team and their sponsors and all that stuff, so I don't think it'll come to that.''

Clearly Edwards draws a line and most of the Sprint Cup drivers felt similarly. But there's a lot on that line Saturday night and the multi-car teams have a natural advantage in terms of determining track position."If I were leading, I don't believe they'd ever put me in that position (to let a teammate win). We haven't even spoken about that this week.''
-- Denny Hamlin

"I'd give 'em second if I was second, but not a win, that's all I would do,'' said Denny Hamlin, whose Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch is trying to race his way into the Chase Saturday.

"If it puts him over the top, you'd give up a position. But there's a lot of races that go on before this. You can't play a game of cards and have only one card in the deck that can help you."

"If I were leading, I don't believe they'd ever put me in that position (to let a teammate win). We haven't even spoken about that this week.''

It's an especially hot topic after allegations that the National Hot Rod Association's all-time winningest driver John Force "threw" a Funny Car class race at the U.S. Nationals last weekend to help another car he owns qualify for the championship playoff format.

Competitor Cruz Pedregon, who failed to make the playoff because of Force's loss to his son-in-law Robert Hight, angrily accused Force of "cheating" and manipulating."

Force has maintained he simply lost the drag race, adding "They're my teams and I'll do what I want with them.''

Renault made headlines Friday as the governing body, FIA, has called the team to appear before the World Motor Sport Council on Sept. 21 to answer to charges of race fixing. There are allegations that the team had one driver, Nelson Piquet crash late in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to bring out a caution and ultimately helped his teammate Fernando Alonso win the race.

FIA President Max Mosley told AUTOSPORT, "Fixing is one degree worse than cheating.''

He has given Piquet immunity if he'll provide evidence in the case and Mosley said he's not ruling out modifying the points finish in the Singapore race or the world championship standings -- now a year later.

The F1 situation is much more serious than what NASCAR drivers are suggesting happens all the time in racing.

"It's been going on ever since the first teammate back in the day,'' driver Ryan Newman said. "Absolutely there are always teams manipulating things ... giving up positions just to get points then giving it back.

"It's a part of racing whether it is NASCAR or NHRA or Indy car, it's part of racing.''

The question is whether that is playing fair.

"Everybody is trying to get the best run they can. Certainly if you have a teammate or a friend or somebody you respect on the track and maybe you have a chance to lead a lap and get points -- just like any other week all year -- that stuff probably happens.

"I certainly don't think you're gonna see teammates or anybody do anything goofy to change the outcome."

When three-time reigning series champ Jimmie Johnson was asked about the possibility of that happening for his teammate Mark Martin, who still needs to clinch a spot in the Chase, Johnson broke out in a huge grin.

"In the experience I've had at Hendrick Motorsports, regardless of the situation, it's not been discussed or even considered.

"I think if we threw something for Mark, I think Mark would get out of the car and whip some ass.

"He wants to go in there and earn it on his own. I don't think he'd tolerate that.''

Race Fixing or Just Racing? originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chat With Ryan Newman

Jerry Bonkowski — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman

NASCAR fans, join us here at FanHouse.com as we chat with Ryan Newman on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 4:15PM ET.

Ryan will be joining us from Eldora Raceway, site of Tony Stewart's rescheduled (rained out in June) Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream race featuring nearly two dozen NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, as well as racers from other series including the NHRA and World of Outlaws.

If you can't be there, catch "The Prelude" on HBO pay-per-view at 7PM ET.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=25c5cfcc6d&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Ryan Newman Chat 9/9/2009&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Chat With Ryan Newman originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jeremy Mayfield a No-Show at Daytona

Holly Cain — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Sprint Cup

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Jeremy Mayfield did not bring his race team to Daytona International Speedway Thursday, despite getting the go-ahead from the U.S. District Court in Charlotte on Wednesday.

Mayfield, an owner-driver in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR on May 9 after allegedly testing positive for methamphetamine on May 1. He has repeatedly denied that he took the illegal drugs, insisting the test was a false positive -- the result of mixing a prescription drug and a common allergy medication.

Mayfield has sued NASCAR over the test results, and Wednesday U.S. District Judge Graham Mullen ruled he could compete until his trial, saying the damage to Mayfield's reputation and career exceeded the potential damage done to NASCAR.

More Coverage: Drivers Welcome Stricter Testing

Mayfield had until 3 p.m. ET on Thursday to officially enter his team for Saturday night's Coke Zero 400, but he did not show up at the speedway. NASCAR official John Darby was posted by the garage entrance checking his watch.

A pair of team owners reportedly rebuffed Mayfield's offers to drive for them, so it remains unclear if Mayfield is planning on competing any time soon. He could potentially still show up this weekend and drive for another team.

Because of the suspension and ensuing negative publicity, Mayfield's own single-car team has struggled securing financial backing and sponsorship, forcing him to lay off at least 10 crew members. Even before the suspension, Mayfield had qualified for only five of the first 11 races.

Drivers in the garage had mixed reaction about sharing the race track with Mayfield. Most weren't ready to concede NASCAR's point even if the judge gave Mayfield a reprieve. According to court documents, both Mayfield's primary and second samples tested positive for methamphetamine.

"The judge didn't say the result [of the drug test] is wrong, he said it can be questioned,'' said veteran driver Jeff Burton.

"If and when he comes back, NASCAR has every right to test him as many times as they want to. The only problem is, it's not an instant test.

"From Jeremy's perspective, if the judge ruled it can be questioned, it should be questioned. ... But he's [the judge] potentially putting my safety in question.""I have no idea how Jeremy got out of this one, but he did."
-- Kasey Kahne

Like many competitors, Kasey Kahne, Mayfield's former teammate at Evernham Motorsports, had particularly strong feelings about the situation on Thursday prior to practice for Saturday's race. Few were willing to give Mayfield "the benefit of the doubt."

"I'm not concerned about my safety. More than anything, I wonder how this happens and how he get backs back on track after it,'' Kahne said. "Everybody out here wants to race and they want to race hard and race people that are in the same state of mind that you're in. If people are into other things, they should go do those things by themselves and not be on a race track going 200 mph with other racers.''

"I have no idea how Jeremy got out of this one, but he did.

"As far as racing with Jeremy, I don't ever race with him. He's usually at one end of the track and I'm at the other.''

Driver Ryan Newman was similarly concerned about the potential of going door-to-door with Mayfield or anyone who has tested positive for drug use.

"The situation we had when someone tests positive is something to be seriously considered and when you release someone to go back and do that without clarifying everything, that's not cool,'' driver Ryan Newman said.

"People make mistakes. I just hope the judge didn't make a mistake.''

NASCAR Chairman Brian France is scheduled for a "mid-season update" press conference on Friday and will address the issue.

Jeremy Mayfield a No-Show at Daytona originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ryan Newman Live Chat from Daytona

Holly Cain — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Sprint Cup

Join driver Ryan Newman trackside at Daytona International Speedway Friday at 3 PM ET for a live chat with FanHouse readers. Newman, who drives the No. 39 U.S. Army-sponsored Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, is ranked seventh in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. The 2008 Daytona 500 winner enters Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 with eight top-10s, and his best showing in Daytona's summer race is 11th. This is your chance to catch up with one of the season's biggest success stories.

Also, 2003 Daytona race winner Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion, will join FanHouse for a live chat at 3 PM ET on Saturday.

Chat with Ryan Newman after the jump.

&lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;altcast_code=6b31cec6e4" &gt;Ryan Newman Live Chat&lt;/a&gt;

Ryan Newman Live Chat from Daytona originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Calls for NASCAR to Reveal Mayfield's Drug Violation Not Neccessary

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 15 May 2009 11:12:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, NASCAR Rumors, Sprint Cup

Ryan Newman jumped on the bandwagon Thursday night asking for NASCAR to become a tell-all of Jeremy Mayfield's apparent drug use.

"I think everyone wants a list right now," said Newman of NASCAR's banned substances. "The whole system would be fixed if they just tell us what Jeremy did."

Sadly, Newman couldn't be more wrong because such a list wouldn't 'fix' a problem and the precedent set by both NASCAR and other major sports leagues has said that revealing an accused user's drug of choice is not an option.

I get where Newman and the rest of the NASCAR drivers and media members on the tell-all brigade this week are coming from. It's scary to think that one week a guy like Jeremy Mayfield, who from all previous accounts was a just a guy trying to scrap his way back into the Sprint Cup Series, can be sidelined in such a shocking way.

They feel like a bit of the rug has been swiped from under their feet and that more drivers are next on the list.

"To be honest with you, I'm a little scared," Newman said. "I'm afraid to take Nyquil. If I get a cold I don't know what to take. To me this is extremely gray, extremely vague."

Frankly, it's all a bit of an overreaction.

I'd be willing to bet that NASCAR, and more narrowly their contracted drug testing company Aegis Sciences Corporation, know that the ill effects of placing a driver on suspension after a positive test are staunch and steep, and that a mistake in the process leaves them wide open for a large lawsuit.

The only real reason drivers are scared is because Mayfield has disputed the results in the media as a combination of drugs for allergies. There wasn't an admission or arrest, as was the case in the last high-profile drug case in the sport with the admitted heroin use of former driver Aaron Fike.

But you've got to take into account that NASCAR tested Mayfield once, revealed to him that he had failed the test, and allowed him to submit another sample. Both showed the same substances when tested by Aegis and obviously left little doubt in the eyes of both companies to take such drastic and newsworthy action.

You think NASCAR likes having its name connected to drug abuse? Surely not.

Reports are a little conflicting on how exactly teams were notified at the beginning of the season on which drugs to avoid. Some have said only a list was published for crew members and others have said NASCAR handed out a 300-page brick with the illicit substances. Lists, however, don't stop abusers.

Regardless, confusion on what exactly is illegal doesn't mean NASCAR should reveal what Mayfield was busted for.

Do we know what Manny Ramirez took exactly to earn a 50-game suspension in baseball? Nope. And what about the other crew members this season -- including one fired from Mayfield's team earlier this year -- who have been busted for failed drug tests?

No information was released at all, begging the question as to why Jeremy Mayfield's status would be any different.

And who knows, perhaps an issue involving medical privacy law might be a big factor in revealing what substance earned Mayfield the boot.

We're now 11 races in to the Sprint Cup season and just one driver has found the ill end of the new drug testing policy that started back in February. Hundreds, if not thousands, of tests have been run with just a handful coming up on the wrong side of the indicator strip.

The biggest issue here isn't what Mayfield took or the witchhunt going on to find out, but rather that NASCAR's drug policy seems to be working, even if a little more clarity for the comfort of drivers is needed.

Calls for NASCAR to Reveal Mayfield's Drug Violation Not Neccessary originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 15 May 2009 11:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Believe It: Stewart-Haas Ready to Win

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:01:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing

There's a lot of folks in the NASCAR world that said Tony Stewart was straight crazy to leave his championship-winning team of Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2009 season.

Me? I didn't exactly make a prediction to stay on the safe side, mainly because I know how Stewart always produces when the odds are against him.

But for all of those that said Stewart and hired teammate Ryan Newman wouldn't find success, the still-young Stewart-Haas Racing is proving the doubters to be completely wrong.

Such a fact, of course, isn't just based on the team's marvelous performance Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, but on the results that SHR has turned in through the season's first ten races.

That isn't to say, though, that the SHR success in the Russ Friedman 400 should be overlooked.

Team patriarch Stewart led the SHR onslaught by taking a distant second-place behind an untouchable Kyle Busch, with Newman allowing just Jeff Burton between him and Stewart to take fourth spot. Stewart's No. 14 didn't ever nose up front to lead a lap, but some crafty pit work put Newman in front of the 43-car field for some 45 laps of the 400 lap event.

After the race, though, Stewart was pleased with his finish, but felt like circumstances late in the race contributed to his runner-up spot.

"I think we backed into this one today," said Stewart. "We got lucky and got a chance to get tires there with about 50 to go and then got that green flag run at the end, which we typically don't get. So that helped us. We had a lot less laps on the tires than those guys."

Luck or not, it was still a good run and showed a team is developing past just having fast race cars.

Newman, on the other hand, thought he might have seen one slip away.

"We had a winning race car and I think the guy typically out in front had a winning car but the bottom line was we didn't get out in front when we needed to. We had the leader strategy when we got caught up in that restart behind the No. 5 car," said Newman. "I told the guys if we keep doing this we'll get what we want and obviously we want to be in victory lane."

Newman has now scored two straight top-fives -- a first for the South Bend, Ind., driver since the end of the 2007 season at Penske Racing.

"I can't wait to get to the shop Monday and see the smiles on their faces. They have been working hard," said Stewart. "It is just coming together, one piece at a time."

Indeed the season is coming together for SHR -- something that's quite an improvement over the lows the team had hit just before the season-opening Daytona 500 when both primary cars were wiped out in a crash during final practice.

What's worse for the rest of NASCAR? Tony Stewart's forte in this business has nearly always been the mid-season stretch of races at slick race tracks in the heat.

In fact, 15 of Stewart's 33 career wins have come at the next ten tracks on the Sprint Cup schedule, with just one -- the site next weekend's 500-mile jaunt around the famed Darlington Raceway -- being a track where Stewart is yet to visit victory lane.

At the clip this team is advancing, it wouldn't be a surprise for Stewart to erase that zero from his résumé.

Believe It: Stewart-Haas Ready to Win originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 03 May 2009 17:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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David Ragan Claims 1st NASCAR Win

Holly Cain — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 18:39:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Ragan, Ryan Newman, Nationwide Series

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- After competing in nearly 200 races in NASCAR's three marquee series, David Ragan picked up his first victory in Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway besting, among others, restrictor plate expert Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Ragan positioned his No. 6 Discount Tire Ford just behind the lead pack cars of Ryan Newman, Earnhardt and veteran Tony Raines in the final laps. And when the typical Talladega last lap scramble broke out, Ragan slipped by for the checkered flag about six feet in front of Newman. Joey Logano, Raines and Earnhardt rounded out the top 5.

As Ragan made his maiden trip to Victory Lane, most drivers -- including Earnhardt and Newman -- stepped out onto pit to congratulate the 23-year-old.

"It feels good," Ragan said, adding with a laugh, "but I guess I don't have anything to compare it with.

"It feels good to make a last lap pass like that, something you grew up watching on television.

Arguably, the last lap wasn't even Ragan's most eventful moment of the afternoon.

He overcame a one-lap penalty for speeding on pit road. And then he triggered an accident on lap 104 of the 120-lap race that sent his Roush Racing teammate Matt Kenseth's Ford barrel-rolling down the track.

While racing in a tightly-bunched pack, Ragan hit Kenseth's car from behind causing it to flip twice and roll along the track apron with flames blazing out of the roof. Kenseth was fine, however, amazingly climbing right out after the badly-damaged car came to rest right-side up.

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TALLADEGA, AL - APRIL 25: Ryan Newman, driver of the #33 Rheem Chevrolet, leads the pack during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, 2009 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ryan Newman

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TALLADEGA, AL - APRIL 25: Kyle Busch, driver of the Z-Line Designs Toyota, leads the pack during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, 2009 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch

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Matt Kenseth runs from his burning race car after crashing during the Aaron's 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala. on Saturday, April 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Jeff Vest)

TALLADEGA, AL - APRIL 25: A pack of cars race through the tri-oval during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, 2009 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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TALLADEGA, AL - APRIL 25: David Ragan, driver of the #6 Discount Tire Ford, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, 2009 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** David Ragan

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TALLADEGA, AL - APRIL 25: Brad Keselowski driver of the #88 Klondike Chevrolet makes a pit stop during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, 2009 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Brad Keselowski

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He was frustrated, but not angry at his young teammate, who quickly sent apologies to the team.

"I hated to see that," Ragan said. "It was one of those things that can happen when you're racing hard with your teammate. And anytime we tear up a car, it's tough for the whole organization. We're pulling for the 16-team too."

And after checking on Kenseth in the infield medical center, Roush gave the former Cup champ the crumpled car as a souvenir.

Ragan's victory was the eighth by a Sprint Cup driver in eight Nationwide races this season.

"Bottom line, he was in the right position at the right time," runner-up Newman said of Ragan. "You want to get your first win in style. He won it in fashion. He earned it."

David Ragan Claims 1st NASCAR Win originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 25 Apr 2009 18:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Questions Arise for Bristol Lap Record

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:04:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Bristol Motor Speedway, Other Racing Series

Bristol Motor Speedway's public relations department got a nice kick this week thanks to a few NASCAR Whelen Modified Series drivers putting down some impressively fast laps at on the high banks of the half-mile east Tennessee track.

The laps, according to the track, were "record-breaking" because they eclipsed Ryan Newman's 2003 lap of 14.908 seconds (128.709 mph) during Sprint Cup qualifying at the track.

It turns out, thanks to the ever-mindful Jayski, that the laps might not have been so record-breaking after all.
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From the Jayski.com Sprint Cup site:

"in an old July 2003 post on the uscsracing.com site, it says: Kenny Adams was one of four drivers who tested winged sprint cars with the United Sprint Car Series on Wednesday [July 2003] at Bristol Motor Speedway [...]

Adams [...] recorded a 14.29 second lap as did Doug Berryman from Mansfield, Ohio. Two time USCS champion Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee flew around the high 36 degree banks in 14.37 seconds and Jim Raptis from Marietta, Georgia, had a best for the day of 14.63 seconds. All four drivers unofficially broke the record of 14.908 seconds set by Ryan Newman during qualifying for the Winston Cup event at BMS last March [2003]"

Those lap times are important because the Modified driver Ted Christopher ran a lap of 14.479 seconds (133.269 mph) Tuesday after his team removed the carburetor restrictor plate in the waning hours of the test session. That lap was roughly two-tenths of a second slower than 14.29 that winged sprint car driver Dave Berryman was said to have run.

It should be noted, however, that these lap times are all completely unofficial and that "Rocket Man" Ryan Newman still holds the official track record because he made the lap during a sanctioned qualifying session. The general rule of thumb is that track single-lap speed records can only be challenged during a qualifying session -- often because the timing systems are set up to be highly accurate.

Regardless, if I was going to be in town for the fall Bristol night race in August, I'd certainly be buying a ticket for modified event because its quite obvious that those cars are going to fly around the half-mile. I'd imagine it'll be dangerous, but it would sure be a blast to watch

Questions Arise for Bristol Lap Record originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blown Tire Puts Daytona in Chaos for Stewart-Haas Racing

Holly Cain — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 12:31:00 EST

Filed under: Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, Daytona Int'l Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It's pretty much the worse case scenario for the Stewart-Haas Racing debut.

Defending Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman's Chevrolet blew a tire in the final minutes of practice for Sunday's Daytona 500 and the wreck collected the car immediately behind him - his team owner, Tony Stewart.

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: David Ragan, driver of the #6 UPS Ford, spins into a gravel pit during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** David Ragan

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: A view of cars racing during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard Chevrolet, races Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Dale Earnhardt Jr.;Kyle Busch

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Crew members work on the #82 Red Bull Toyota, driven by Scott Speed, in the garage are during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Scott Speed

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Crew members work on the #18 M&M's Toyota, driven by Kyle Busch, on pit road during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Crew members work on the #29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet, driven by Kevin Harvick, on pit road during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kevin Harvick

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, sits in his car on the grid prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kyle Busch

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, sits in his car on the grid prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Brian Vickers

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 07: Denny Hamlin (R), driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, talks with his crew chief Mike Ford on the grid prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Mike Ford;Denny Hamlin

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NASCAR driver David Ragan talks with reporters as he leaves the infield care center after he was involved in an accident during the NASCAR Budweiser Shootout auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009.(AP Photo/John Raoux)

More Coverage: Stewart Rebounds to Win Nationwide Race | Saturday Notes

"Don't get them (Goodyear) anywhere near me," said Stewart, who described his emotions as "ticked, not nice and not cordial" as his crew worked feverishly to prepare his car.

"It's frustrating because the gold and blue caused another deal. I'm so tired of talking about Goodyear. Apparently this is their marketing strategy to get publicity."

Both drivers will have to go to a back-up car for the biggest race of the year - for Newman, it's his third car of the week. Stewart had earned the fifth starting position for the 500 but now will have to join Newman in a back-up at the rear of the 43-car field.

Stewart returned to the track to get in a couple laps of practice, Newman's car wasn't ready.

"If it was a driver's mistake that's one thing," Stewart said, "but a manufacturer that's got the sole deal. ... they don't have any competition, they can't give us something to keep us from having problems like this?"

"I'm just amazed how much everybody kisses their butt right now."

This isn't the first time Stewart has been disappointed with Goodyear. He's perhaps the garage's most vocal critic of NASCAR's sole tire supplier, and has often had good reason. Last year the tires were so dysfunctional at the series Indianapolis Motor Speedway race, officials had to throw caution flags every handful of laps for safety concerns.

Earlier Saturday, Goodyear recalled eight right side tires from eight Cup teams.

The force of the right rear tire failure yesterday essentially blew off the right rear side on Newman's No. 39 Chevy. The tire had less than a dozen laps of use.

"The car was handling well, everything was fine," Newman said. "It gave me about 100 yards of sign that it might do something.

"It's ridiculous the situation we have with these tires."

After examining the tire, Stu Grant, Goodyear's General Manager of Worldwide Racing, said the evidence clearly shows a puncture in the tire indicating that Newman's car ran over debris on the race track, versus a structural tire problem.

"The tire did no show excessive wear, it did not show any evidence of heat, blistering or abuse of any kind," Grant said. "What we did find was a clear puncture through the tread and both belts in one of the pieces we found."

Grant said he wasn't entirely surprised to hear Stewart's comments, especially in this situation.

"But we're focused on doing the best possible job we can at all levels of involvement in the sport," Grant said. "It can be frustrating for us to hear that criticism, but we also understand it's got to be extremely frustrating for him to experience what he did today.

"I do want to talk to Tony and I do plan to talk to Tony."

NASCAR Wives and Girlfriends

Kevin Harvick and his wife Delana arrive at the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Awards Ceremony at The Waldorf Astoria on November 30, 2007 in New York City.

Brad Barket, NASCAR / Getty Images

NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson kisses his wife, Chandra, after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship for the third consecutive year on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008, in Homestead, Fla.

Terry Renna, AP

Jeff Burton and his wife Kim, left, share a light moment in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Bank of America 500 auto race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008.

Chuck Burton, AP

Juan Pablo Montoya and his wife Connie Freydell pose on the red carpet prior to the Juan Pablo Charity Gala hosted by Juan Pablo Montoya, Fonseca, Fanny Lu, Angela Patricia Janiot, Silvia Tcherassi, Camilo Vellegas and United for Colombia at Karu & Y on November 16, 2007 in Miami, Florida.

Doug Benc, Getty Images

Race car driver Sam Hornish Jr. (L) and wife Crystal Hornish arrive at the 3rd annual GM All-Car Showdown held at Paramount Pictures on July 11, 2006 in Hollywood, California. The GM All-Car Showdown is a charity-driven event celebrating the hottest modified GM vehicles, where athletes and celebrities compete for the King of Bling title.

Mark Davis, Getty Images

Actress Ashley Judd and IRL driver Dario Franchitti arrive at the 2007 ESPY Awards at the Kodak Theatre on July 11, 2007 in Hollywood, California.

Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images

Ingrid Vandebosch (L) and race car driver Jeff Gordon arrive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2008 in New York City.

Stephen Lovekin, Getty Images

A.J. Allmendinger, driver of the #84 Red Bull Toyota, celebrates with his wife Lynne Allmendinger after winning the NASCAR Sprint Showdown on May 17, 2008 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

Rusty Jarrett, NASCAR / Getty Images

Samantha Sarcinella and Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&Ms Toyota prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LifeLock.com 400 on July 12, 2008 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.

Rusty Jarrett, NASCAR / Getty Images

Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 Aflac Ford, poses for a photo with his fiancee Nicole Lunders as he celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series LifeLock 400 at Kansas Speedway on September 30, 2007 in Kansas City, Kansas.

Jerry Markland, NASCAR / Getty Images

Blown Tire Puts Daytona in Chaos for Stewart-Haas Racing originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 14 Feb 2009 12:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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