Ryan Newman News Rumors

See Also: Ryan Newman Biography - Current Ryan Newman News

March 21, 2006:

Newman raises Prostate Awareness: NASCAR driver Ryan Newman will serve as spokesman for the Gillette Prostate Cancer Challenge, a program designed to raise awareness of the risks and symptoms of prostate cancer and the benefits of early detection. The campaign will feature screening vans at select venues across the country. For more information, visit www.gillettepcc.org.(Gillette PCC)

Dec. 5, 2005

Penske Racing and Newman receives 100K for Checkers Drive-Thru Challenge: Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc.  presented a check for $100,000 to the No. 12 Penske Racing Team with Driver Ryan Newman for winning the Checkers/Rally's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series contingency program with the most Double Drive-Thru Challenge wins this season. Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. is the parent company of Checkers(R) and Rally's(R), and the Official Burger and Drive-Thru Restaurant of NASCAR(R). "The pit crew is truly the backbone of the team on race day," said Ryan Newman. "Penske Racing South has worked hard to find the best over-the-wall guys and put them together to form the best crew possible. Obviously, they've done that with the Alltel(R) team winning the 2005 Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge. I also want to thank Checkers and Rally's for recognizing and honoring what a tireless, and often times thankless job, these crew guys have all season. It's nice to see them rewarded for what they do." "I couldn't be prouder of the job the Alltel pit crew has done all season long," said Crew Chief Matt Borland. "I personally witnessed the hard work and effort that these guys put into, not only race day, but every practice as well. Each of the over-the-wall members -- Trent, Joe, Britt and Mitch, Dennis, Scott, George and Steve -- push this team to the finish line each weekend. They really wanted to win this award, so I'm very happy for them, and thankful that Checkers and Rally's have created this award to recognize the Alltel pit crew's accomplishments." Checkers/Rally's has recognized the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series team with the best pit road performance each week with a $10,000 prize. The No.12 Team had taken home $80,000 in prize money already for its eight Checkers/Rally's Challenge wins this season. Checkers/Rally's awarded the $100,000 grand prize to the No. 12 Team during Friday's Myers Brothers Breakfast, part of NASCAR Champions Week activities in New York City. (Checkers/Rally's PR)

Nov. 24, 2005:

Newman applauds Wallace: Contrary to published reports, Ryan Newman, as well as his crew chief, Matt Borland, joined their fellow NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series competitors in a standing ovation in honor of their Penske Racing South teammate Rusty Wallace during the driver's meeting for last Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "I respect Rusty Wallace as a race car driver," Newman said. "And I put effort forward in recognizing that on Sunday." (Penske Racing PR)

Nov. 12, 2005:

Newman happy with new teammate Busch: Ryan Newman is thrilled he's getting a new teammate next year in Kurt Busch. Much of that has to do with the fact he doesn't get along with his current teammate, Rusty Wallace. "I think any change is definitely a good change, and I think Kurt is a better change than that," Newman said. "I've always heard good things about him as far as being a teammate." Newman and Wallace have barely spoken since they argued last year at Martinsville, and throughout the year they've taken subtle shots at each other through the media. Wallace has been the most outspoken on the subject. (Tampa Tribune)

Nov. 11, 2005:

Newman Wrecks Again...  Ryan Newman's racing luck has taken a nasty turn. Newman, who won the pole last week at Texas before crashing on his second qualifying lap, hit the wall again Friday at Phoenix International Speedway, just five minutes before the end of practice sessions on the 1-mile oval. The fourth-year driver for Penske Racing South turned a lap of 133.210 mph, the fastest of the final practice, before colliding with a car driven by P.J. Jones and smashing hard into the wall. Newman was not injured in the crash, but was disgusted by the incident. "There's no need for me to comment about what happened on the track," Newman said. "Just look at the replay on TV and paraphrase it." (ThatsRacin)

Nov. 4, 2005:

Wrecked Newman wins pole for Dickies 500: Ryan Newman beat the clock and then beat up his Nextel Cup car Friday afternoon. He won the pole for Sunday's Dickies 500 on his first qualifying lap and then slammed the wall on his second. Because of the damage to his car, he'll have to use his backup car and start from the back of the field.   But it was Newman's stunning crash in Nextel Cup qualifying that had everyone's attention. The No. 12 Alltel Dodge sped around the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway oval at 192.947 mph to claim the pole. But rather than ease off on his second lap, Newman was trying to better his time, and it cost him. He cut a right front tire, causing him to hit the wall in Turn 4. The car spun at nearly the same spot on the track in practice, but was not damaged. "I didn't think I had left everything out there on the first lap," said Newman, who also won the pole in Texas in April (and finished 16th). "I'm thinking I can go faster on the second lap." (Dallas Morning News - Lineup) ( J. Gordon outside pole, Matt Kenseth, Joe Nemechek and Jeremy Mayfield round out top 5.)

Oct. 29, 2005:

Again... Newman wins pole:  When it comes to qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Ryan Newman is in a class by himself. The "Rocketman," already considered NASCAR's best qualifier ever in only his fourth full season, showed the way again Friday night, winning his sixth straight Atlanta pole with a lap of 193.928 mph and posting the 34th pole of his career and seventh of the season. Runner-up Carl Edwards, the winner here in March, was considerably slower than Newman at 193.420 -- and very impressed with the pole winner. With four races remaining in the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup, Newman is third, trailing leader Tony Stewart by 63 points and runner-up Jimmie Johnson by 48. Greg Biffle is fourth, 20 points behind Newman and Edwards fifth, another 66 back. Stewart qualified 10th, Johnson 12th and Biffle 16th. Among the other drivers in the chase, sixth-place Rusty Wallace qualified 35th, seventh-place Mark Martin was fourth, eighth-place Kurt Busch was 30th, ninth-place Matt Kenseth was 23rd and 10th-place Jeremy Mayfield was 18th. (In part from News and Observer)

Oct. 7, 2005:

Newman visits Gulf Region: For information on the Ryan Newman Foundation's trip to the Gulf region last week, visit www.ryannewmanfoundation.org.

Oct. 5, 2005:

No. 12 ALLTEL Team wins Drive-Thru Challenge: The No. 12 ALLTEL® Team with driver Ryan Newman won the Checkers®/Rally's® Double Drive-Thru Challenge at the UAW-Ford 500® on October 2nd at Talladega Superspeedway with a pit-road-service time of 314.519 seconds. As the Official Burger and Drive-Thru Restaurant of NASCAR®, Checkers/Rally's recognizes the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series team with the best pit road performance each week with a $10,000 prize. At the end of the season, Checkers/Rally's will award the $100,000 grand prize to the team that garners the most Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge wins throughout the race season. Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge offers one of the richest weekly contingency awards in NASCAR. The Double Drive-Thru Challenge focuses on the team element of the race that is integral to successful performances each week. Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge takes place at all 36 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point races. To win, teams must finish on the lead lap while spending the least amount of time in pit lane. For details on the Checkers/Rally® Double Drive-Thru Challenge, visit . - (MARC PR)

Sep. 28, 2005:

Mobil #12 Crew wins Checkers(R)/Rally's(R) Double Drive-Thru Challenge: The No. 12 Mobil 1(R)/Speedpass(TM) Team with driver Ryan Newman was awarded $10,000 for winning the Checkers(R)/Rally's(R) Double Drive-Thru Challenge for the seventh time this season at the MBNA RacePoints 400(R) at Dover International Speedway on September 25th with a pit-road-service time of 238.872 seconds. "The Mobil 1/Speedpass pit crew has been phenomenal all season and it shows with its seven Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge victories," said Newman. "Now, it's crucial that their performance stay at that level throughout the remainder of the 'Chase'." The No. 12 Team's seventh win places it two victories ahead of the No. 2 Miller Lite(R) and No. 20 Home Depot(R) teams for the coveted $100,000 grand prize to be awarded at season's end. Newman's team has also captured the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge at NASCAR(R) NEXTEL(R) Cup Series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway, Darlington Raceway, Infineon Raceway, Michigan International Speedway, and New Hampshire International Speedway. (Checkers Drive-In PR)

Sep. 18, 2005:

Newman out races Stewart, NASCAR threatens suspensions: Twelve members of Kurt Busch's crew, two wielding orange mallets and one carrying a torch, scurried around his bashed-in stock car early Sunday afternoon. They were trying to salvage not just Busch's car, but also his season. Ryan Newman went on to win the Sylvania 300, but Busch's wreck was as important as anything else that happened at New Hampshire International Speedway. And a lot happened. A series of accidents late in the race ended with an irate Robby Gordon hurling his helmet at Michael Waltrip's car. This was the first of 10 races in the Chase to the Nextel Cup, and Busch, the defending champion, probably lost the title. He was nudged into the wall on the second lap by a car driven by Scott Riggs, fell 66 laps behind and finished 35th. "There are guys you race with and there are guys you can't," Busch said. Then, referring to Riggs, Busch said, "And he really doesn't know where he is most of the time." Tony Stewart led 173 laps Sunday, but he lost a crowd-pleasing duel to Newman on the next-to-last lap and finished second. Stewart did not lose ground otherwise. In fact, he extended his lead in the standings to 20 points from 5 over Greg Biffle, who finished fourth Sunday. "You're going to see some pretty stiff penalties coming out of this," the NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said in a postrace news conference. The penalties, which Hunter said could be announced Tuesday, could include suspensions of those involved Sunday in what he called shenanigans. Gordon, Waltrip and Kahne were summoned to a postrace meeting with NASCAR officials. (In part from NY Times - Results - Points)

Sep. 14, 2005:

Newman testing at Kentucky: #12 Penske South Racing driver Ryan Newman wouldn't be surprised if the last wound up first when the 10-race "Chase for the NEXTEL Cup" ends at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20. "As far as the points go, we deserve to be 10th and 10th is what gets us in," he said. "We were a 10th place team after the 26th race and we'd like to be better than that, hopefully first team after the 36th. We have a team that's capable of being first. We'll see if we can do that." The 27-year-old driver opened his bid for his first series title with a test at Kentucky Speedway today. He said he is comfortable starting his second "Chase for the NEXTEL Cup" just 45 points behind series leader Tony Stewart. The South Bend, Ind., driver used today's track time to acquire data that may help him improve on last season's seventh-place showing in "Chase for the NEXTEL Cup." He drove to a total of three top-three finishes during the 2004 title chase including a win in Dover, Del., a second-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway and a third-place finish in Martinsville, Va. (Kentucky Speedway PR)

Aug 7, 2005

Newman signs Extension: Ryan Newman was removed from the rumor mill with little fanfare. With a year left on his Nextel Cup contract with Penske Racing South, Newman signed a three-year extension July 29 with three subsequent mutual options that could keep him with the team through 2012. "You look at it as long-term if you want, you can look at it as a respectful, loyal commitment, a marriage of sorts," Newman, 27, said. "I'm happy to be a part of Penske racing, always have been." (St. Petersburg Times)

July 20, 2005

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

June 28, 2005

#12 Crew wins Checkers®/Rally's® Double Drive-Thru Challenge: #12 ALLTEL® Team with driver Ryan Newman won the Checkers®/Rally's® Double Drive-Thru Challenge at the Dodge® Save Mart® 350 on June 26th at Infineon Raceway with a pit-road-service time of 95.230 seconds. As the Official Burger and Drive-Thru Restaurant of NASCAR®, Checkers/Rally's recognizes the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series team with the best pit road performance each week with a $10,000 prize. At the end of the season, Checkers/Rally's will award the $100,000 grand prize to the team that garners the most Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge wins throughout the race season. (MARC Public Relations)

June 18, 2005

Hello Newman, Wins the Pole again: It took Ryan Newman just over 37 seconds Saturday to grab his fifth pole of the season and first at Michigan International Speedway. NASCAR's "Rocketman,'' well on the way to becoming the best qualifier in the history of the stock car series, was the 43rd of 47 qualifiers when he turned a lap of 194.232 mph on the 2-mile, high-banked oval. The lap -- timed at 37.069 seconds -- was easily good enough for his 32nd pole in 104 races. 1st) Ryan Newman - 194.232, 2nd) Casey Mears - 193.757, 3rd) Tony Stewart - 193.512, 4th) Kasey Kahne - 193.123, 5th) Jeremy Mayfield - 193.086, 6th) Bobby Labonte - 193.055, 7th) Brian Vickers - 192.818, 8th) Robby Gordon - 192.771, 9th) Jeff Gordon - 192.658, and 10th) Bill Elliott - 192.658 (NASCAR - NASCAR Batman Begins 400 Lineup)

June 4 2005

Newman Wants Medical Crew: Ryan Newman yesterday told the American College of Sports Medicine that NASCAR does an "overall excellent" job when it comes to driver safety but took the association to task in one area.   Newman said NASCAR is remiss in not appointing a permanent safety and medical crew to travel the circuit, work crashes and provide medical attention for injured drivers. "It's a no-brainer, and I'm 100 percent in favor of it," said Newman, who addressed a seminar which was part of the ACSM's three-day meeting at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center.  "It's simple. If you had to travel across the U.S. every year and had to see different doctors each place you went, would that be as good as having a doctor traveling with you who knows your medical history?" (Tennessean)

May 28 2005

Newman to start on Outside Pole: Ryan Newman's Penske Racing outfit has exercised the option to start on the outside of the front row in the Coca-Cola 600, crew chief Matt Borland confirmed Saturday.   "Yep, we're going to do it," Borland said. "The bottom of Turns 1 and 2 isn't real good, so we're going to start on the outside tomorrow."  Per the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series rulebook, the pole-winning team has the option to flip-flop starting positions with the second-place qualifier and start in the outside line if they so desire. (NASCAR)

May 16, 2005

Newman's Name Mentioned Around Garage: Ryan Newman - whose future with Roger Penske has been the topic of great debate the past month - Saturday's Chevy American Revolution 400 finish was another disappointment. Newman has another year on his contract with car owner Roger Penske, but Ford's Jack Roush, Dodge's Ray Evernham, and Chevy executives have all been making a run at Newman, who is the hottest qualifier on the stock car tour. (Salem-Journal)

April 18, 2005

Newman to Stay Put, Wallace to may own Cup team? The two biggest rumors appeared to have little validity. Biffle and Ryan Newman are likely to stay put next year.  Biffle is going into the final year of his contract with Roush Racing. After winning Sunday's race, he said he has no doubts about returning to the team next year.  The former Busch Series and truck champion is one of the first names that comes up for just about every possible ride. Biffle said he is still negotiating for a possible extension with Roush. Don Miller, co-owner of Penske Racing South with Roger Penske and Rusty Wallace, said the rumor that he, Newman and crew chief Matt Borland were going to switch from Dodge to Chevrolet and start their own team "just isn't true."  Wallace is driving his final full season. There has also been talk that the former series champion will leave Penske and run his own team with the intention of eventually fielding a car for his 17-year-old son. Steven Wallace is running late model stocks and recently signed with Dodge's driver development program.  Miller said Wallace hasn't indicated what his plans are. (FoxSports)

April 16, 2005

Newman, Borland to Chevy? The hottest news on the corporate front is that Chevrolet executives may be making a run at Ryan Newman and crew chief Matt Borland, according to NASCAR sources.  Newman apparently has one more year left on his driving contract with Roger Penske but Borland's contract is reported to be up at the end of this season.  Now comes word Chevrolet is offering to set up a team for Newman and Borland for 2006, reported to be with engines supplied by Hendrick Motorsports.  Penske is buying out the 48 percent share of Penske South that is owned by Rusty Wallace and his long-time business manager Don Miller. It was Miller who discovered Newman and put together his deal with Penske.(Winston Salem Journal)

March 16, 2005

Alltel Crew Wins at Las Vegas: Penske Racing South's crew for the #12 Dodge of Ryan Newman has collected the $10,000 prize for the fastest pit work in Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway among teams participating in the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge..(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(3-16-2005)

Feb. 23, 2005

Newman and Crew Chief: On Thursday, #12-Ryan Newman and crew chief Matt Borland, will hit the skies in a jet refueling mission from March Air Force Base near the California Speedway. Neither ALLTEL team member has been involved in such a mission before. Both Newman and Borland, however, flew F-16 fighter jets last year at Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix International Raceway.(Penske Racing)

Current Ryan Newman News