Looking for a good book about Ryan? I found one. It really is a great read. 

Congratulations on being the winner of the Daytona 500.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Throughout Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway, all the talk had been about teamwork — and most of it involved the dominant Hendrick Chevrolets and the presumptive pretenders to the throne, the Joe Gibbs Toyotas.

But it was the unsung Dodges of Penske Racing that ganged up on Tony Stewart during a three-lap run to the finish, with Kurt Busch propelling Ryan Newman to victory in Sunday’s 50th Daytona 500.

The victory was team owner Roger Penske’s first at a restrictor-plate racetrack, and with Busch running second behind his teammate, it was the first time Penske cars have finished 1-2 in a Cup race.

With his 13th NASCAR Cup victory, Newman broke an 81-race drought dating to Sept. 18, 2005, at New Hampshire.

“Just to be part of the 50th running of the Daytona 500 … 15 years ago I was sitting in the grandstands in the Seagrave Tower,” Newman said. “Obviously, [I want to thank] Kurt Busch. Without a doubt, he could have easily gone three-wide and split us through the center and made one heck of a mess going into [Turn] 3.

“But he chose to be a teammate, and that’s the most honorable thing that he could be — and I would have done the same thing for him.”

Stewart salvaged a third-place finish, with Kyle Busch finishing fourth despite leading 86 laps in the race’s dominant car. Reed Sorenson ran fifth and Elliott Sadler sixth, followed by Kasey Kahne and Robby Gordon — as Dodge claimed six of the top eight positions.

“I’ve been here probably almost 30 years trying to get in victory circle, and to achieve this, with this competition and with Ryan, a student of the sport, and [crew chief] Roy [McCauley] and the whole team, it’s really unbelievable,” said Penske, who now has a Daytona 500 win to go with his 14 victories in the Indianapolis 500. “We’ve worked hard, and we’ve come close, but I think it was a pure team effort.

“You saw the end there, and you saw the 18 [Kyle Busch] lined up with the 20 [Stewart] and the 2 [Kurt Busch] lined up with the 12 [Newman]. I think that’s what it took. Ryan drove a masterful race.”

After a restart on Lap 198, Stewart held the lead until Newman moved to the outside on the final circuit and picked up a push from Busch, who started 43rd on a past champion’s provisional and survived a pit-road speeding penalty to achieve the runner-up finish.

Newman and Busch surged past Stewart as the cars approached Turn 3 and won the race to the finish line.

read the rest at nascar.com

FONTANA, Calif. — Matt Kenseth won the Auto Club 500 for the second consecutive year Sunday at California Speedway.

Pole-winner Jeff Gordon finished second and teammate Jimmie Johnson was third.

Kenseth also won the Stater Bros. 300 Busch race on Saturday.

With seven laps to go, the race was red-flagged for more than 15 minutes after David Reutimann crashed in Turn 4.

Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick was second when the red flag dropped, but realized he had a flat left front tire before the restart with four laps to go.

Brian Vickers, who failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 last week, gave Toyota its best finish with a 10th-place showing in the No. 83 Camry.

My nephew is selling his 2000 Firebird Trans Am

Nice Car, 75000 miles, T-Tops, Leather and the Corvette V8

eBay Auction Link

Go and BUY IT!

Yahoo Sports Driver Information Page

from ryan12newman.com

Engine Type: R5-P7 V-8 Dodge Magnum 5.9-liter engine with MOPAR Cast Iron Block and aluminum heads
Compression: 12:1
Horsepower: 800+
RPM: 9,000
Displacement: 358 cu. in.
Carburetor: 830 cfm Holley 4-barrel
Transmission: 4-speed
Gear Ratio: 2.90 to 6.33:1
Wheelbase: 110”
Weight: 3,400 lbs.
Weight Dist.(L/R): 53%/47%
Track (F/R): 60.5”/60.5”
Fuel Capacity: 22 gallons
Brakes: Four-wheel disc
Suspension: Front - Independent double A-arms
Rear - Full floating live axle with trailing arms and panhard rod
Tires: Goodyear Eagle Racing Radials 28×12-15 F/R
Top Speed: 200 mph – 0 to 60 mph in four seconds

• General Data
  Team: Penske Racing South, Inc.
  Team Owner: Roger Penske
  Sponsors: ALLTEL, Mobil 1
  Associate Sponsors: Bosch, Gillette, Mazak, PPG, Snap-On, Sony
  Technical Partners: 3D Systems, Charmilles Technologies, DP/Technology/Esprit
  Type of Car: 2005 Dodge Charger
• Specs
  Engine: 358 cubic inches, Penske-Jasper Engines
  Horsepower: 775
  Vehicle Weight: 3,400 pounds
  Wheelbase: 110 inches
  Tread Width: 60.25 inches (varies according to the track)
  Number of gears: 4, plus reverse
  Fuel Capacity: 22 gallons (except Daytona and Talladega, 13 gallons)
• Components And Products
  Lubricants: Mobil 1
  Filter: Mobil 1
  Gaskets and Seals: Fel-Pro
  Intake Manifold: Mopar
  Carburetor: Holley
  Spark Plugs: Bosch
  Camshaft: Competition Cams
  Cylinder Heads: Dodge
  Transmission: Rankin
  Clutch: Tilton
  Shocks: Penske Racing Shocks
  Brakes: Brembo
  Wheels: Aero
  Tires: Goodyear Eagle
  Paint and Finishes: PPG Automotive Finishes

from penskeracing.com

For Ryan Newman, 2007 signals the Indiana native’s eighth year with Penske Racing. Alltel has been his primary sponsor throughout his tenure with the Mooresville, N.C., team, while Mobil 1 has stepped into that position in selected races. This year, however, Newman’s team contains a new look in personnel and sponsorship in the Cup and Busch Series.
Mike Nelson, the Cup team’s engineer since the team was conceived in 2000, is now its crew chief. Nelson, an Anderson, S.C., native, stepped into the lead role for the final two races last year. For Nelson, his rookie season as a crew chief contains an additional challenge with NASCAR’s implementation of the Car of Tomorrow in 16 of the 36 races. That means preparing a Charger and an Avenger, Dodge’s COT.
In the sponsor department, Alltel remains the team’s primary in NASCAR’s NEXTEL Cup Series, while Mobil 1 assumes that role in five events. Joining Newman for the first time is Kodak. The Purdue University graduate will carry Kodak’s colors in three Cup races and in seven NASCAR Busch Series events. Matt Gimbel will again oversee the Busch Series effort.
Even though Newman’s 2007 effort sports several new wrinkles, seeking victories and a championship are nothing new for the 29-year-old driver. Newman began driving a race car at age 4 ½, and nothing else has interested him. It has been that dedication to the sport that has brought him success.
In 1993, Newman won the All-American Midget Series Championship and rookie honors. Two years later he claimed USAC National Midget Series Rookie of the Year. In 1996, Newman was the top rookie in USAC’s Silver Crown Series and in 1999 he was named the Sprint Car Rookie of the Year. That same year he earned the USAC Silver Bullet Series National Championship, and became the first driver in series history to record a victory in all three divisions – Sprint, Midget and Silver Crown – in one season.
Newman joined forces with motorsports legend Roger Penske in 2000 and walked off with three ARCA victories in five races. He also made his Cup series debut at Phoenix International Raceway.
The following season Newman competed in a precedent-setting ABC schedule, which involved races in the ARCA, Busch and Cup series. Newman recorded ARCA and Busch victories, as well as his first Cup Series pole, all while managing to graduate from Purdue University with a degree in vehicle structure engineering. Newman’s degree made him and then crew chief Matt Borland the first driver-engineer/crew chief-engineer combination in NASCAR history.
In 2002, Newman earned the Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year title and established a new standard for the circuit’s first-year drivers. Newman finished sixth in the points; tied Mark Martin for the most top-10 finishes in a season with 22, a rookie record; became just the second rookie to win The Winston all-star race; led the series with six poles, another rookie record that broke the one established by Davey Allison in 1987; posted 14 top-10 finishes, second only to series champion Tony Stewart with 15; and tied Stewart in races led, holding the No. 1 position in 22 events. He also claimed his first career Cup victory in a rain-shortened race at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Newman backed up his outstanding rookie performance with the most prolific sophomore season by a Cup driver since Dale Earnhardt won the series championship in 1980. Newman and the Alltel team won eight races, 11 poles, and led the most miles with 1,509.13. His series-high 11 poles were the most since 1985. Newman also tied Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the most races led during the season at 24, and ended the year with a series-high 17 top-five finishes.
After finishing sixth in the point standings for the second straight year, Newman was named SPEED Channel Driver of the Year, the first time a driver had received the award without winning his series championship since Elliott accomplished the feat in 1985. Newman also was named NMPA Richard Petty Driver of the Year, Benny Kahn/Daytona Beach News-Journal Driver of the Year, and the Sporting News’ Dale Earnhardt Toughest Driver of the Year.
Even though Newman and his team were unable to find the same commanding performance in 2003 as they had in the previous season, the team visited victory lane at Michigan International Speedway in June.
With the 2004 season, the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup made its debut. The Alltel team qualified for the title chase through a nail-biter race at Richmond International Raceway, then went on to win its second race of the year at Dover International Speedway. Although the team put on impressive runs during the “Chase,” it ended the season seventh in the series’ final standings.
In 2005, the Alltel team found consistency, posting one victory, eight poles, eight top-five and 16 top-10 finishes, and only three DNFs. The Alltel team once again qualified for the “Chase” and won the first race of the title bout at New Hampshire.
The Alltel team once again received the annual Bud Pole Award, as well as the Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race Award. The Alltel pit crew also earned the inaugural Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge for spending the least amount of time on pit road throughout the season.
The 2005 season also saw Newman return to NASCAR’s Busch Series. In the nine races Newman entered, he was victorious in six of them, winning five consecutive, a single-season record in the Busch Series. Led by crew chief Roy McCauley, the team posted eight top-five finishes in its nine starts.
Newman and the Alltel team experienced its most disappointing season in 2006. Even though Newman increased his career pole total to 37, moving him into a tie for 15th on the all-time list, his 18th-place finish in the point standings was his first outside the top 10.

This shows what a great guy he is, you can’t fake being nice….