WIX Filters will debut its primary sponsorship of Newman and his No. 39 Chevrolet at the season kick-off Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 18. WIX will be Newman’s primary sponsor for three additional NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events this year – at Phoenix International Raceway on March 4, Darlington Raceway on May 12 and Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 19.

“Ryan Newman, Stewart-Haas Racing and their fans bring tremendous enthusiasm and excitement to the racing season,” said Mike Harvey, brand manager for WIX Filters. “We can’t wait to be onboard with them again in 2012. Our partnerships with Stewart-Haas Racing and Ryan have been some of our most successful in racing thanks to the support offered by the team and the way Ryan’s fans have embraced our brand.”

WIX has been the Official Filter for Stewart-Haas Racing since the team’s creation in 2009. In three starts with WIX Filters on the hood of the No. 39, Newman has three top-10 finishes – a sixth-place effort at Bristol Motor Speedway in August 2010, a third-place finish in last season’s Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway and a fifth-place effort at Michigan International Speedway in August 2011.

“I’m excited to have WIX Filters back as a partner in 2012,” said Newman. “They have a great support program, find cool ways to get fans involved and most importantly provide us with superior filters to protect our engines.”

MODERATOR:

“From Columbus, Indiana, the three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, entering his 14th year on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala, Tony Stewart.

“From South Bend, Indiana, a winner of 15 races and 49 poles in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, entering his 11th full year of Sprint Cup racing, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army / Quicken Loans Chevrolet Impala, Ryan Newman.

“From Roscoe, Illinois, the first woman to win a Major League open wheel race in a North American series with her win in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Indy Japan 300 at the twin ring oval in Japan, entering her first year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a ten race schedule, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy.Com Chevrolet Impala, Danica Patrick.

“Now their crew chiefs. From Spartanburg, South Carolina, the crew chief for Tony Stewart, the No. 14 Office Depot, / Mobil 1 team, Steve Addington.

“From Daytona Beach, Florida, the crew chief for Ryan Newman, and the No. 39 U.S. Army / Quicken Loans team, Tony Gibson.

“And from Berlin, Connecticut, the director of competition for Stewart-Haas Racing, and the crew chief for the No. 10 GoDaddy.Com team, Greg Zipadelli.

“The glue that keeps all of this together, from Haslett, Michigan, the vice president of competition for Stewart-Haas Racing, Matt Borland.

“Excellent. Thank you, everyone.

“Tony Stewart, driver/owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. We’ve said it once, we’ll say it a lot. You’re now the three-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion. First off, how’s the view from the top of the mountain, and more importantly from behind the wheel of that Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet?”

TONY STEWART: “I’m scared of heights, so I don’t try to get up too high. But, no, it’s felt good this winter. It’s definitely been a short off season, but had a lot of changes, obviously, having Steve Addington on board and having my great friend, Greg Zipadelli back on board. We’re very excited about it.

“It’s been a short off season, but we’re having fun watching the changes of Stewart-Haas Racing and how it’s going to help us be better this year.”

MODERATOR: “Ryan, you came off another strong chase performance, and a pretty historic day where you led Stewart-Haas Racing to a one-two qualifying effort, and a one-two finish at New Hampshire, and Quicken Loans coming on board and joining the U.S. Army, as well as a host of sponsors, as well as Aspen Dental which was secured over the weekend joining Outback Steakhouse, WIX Filters, Tornados and Haas Automation, how pumped are you for the 2012 season to begin?”

RYAN NEWMAN: “Really excited. It’s a great list of sponsors, and obviously to have the U.S. Army back, one of our founding partners with the team at Stewart-Haas, it’s a great feeling. To have Quicken Loans, and like you said the whole list of them – with Outback Steakhouse, new sponsors to the sport, and then Aspen Dental, new sponsors to our team – just really look forward to having an opportunity to get each and every one of them a shot at victory lane.”

THE MODERATOR: “Danica, the year that stock car racing takes center stage is finally upon us, and after balancing IndyCars and stock cars last year, it’s all stock cars all the time, including this Memorial Day weekend. For the first time you’ll be in Charlotte for the Coca Cola 600 instead of Indianapolis for the Indy 500. So what’s it going to be like for the GoDaddy girl?”

DANICA PATRICK: “I don’t know. You tell me. I’m very fortunate to be in this position with this team and these people. I’m very fortunate. I’ve been wanting to race stock cars full time for a little while here, and it’s happening.

“We’ve added another challenge with the Coke 600 or Coke 6,000 as I’ve been told. It’s quite long. So I just want to thank everyone for making it happen at Stewart-Haas, and thank GoDaddy for supporting me the whole way through. I even have my own GoDaddy microphone. That’s pretty clever. So life is good.”

THE MODERATOR: “We’ll reintroduce the folks behind these drivers, starting off with Steve Addington. Steve, welcome to Stewart-Haas Racing. How has the transition been as you sort of rejoin the family that you once knew at JGR?”

STEVE ADDINGTON: “It’s been awesome. To come in and work with a group of guys like Tony Gibson has made the transition of just asking me or telling me everything that I need to know and give me the information that I need to get started and where I need to look for stuff.. Matt Borland’s got a great group in the engineering department and those guys have been very, very welcoming in getting me started and seeing where we’re at and see what direction we need to get going.”

THE MODERATOR: “Tony Gibson, crew chief for Ryan Newman, you’ve been at Stewart-Haas Racing since the beginning. Can you talk a little about how Stewart-Haas Racing went from a relatively unknown that people really didn’t know what would happen to, to an organization that consistently wins races and contends for a championship and finally won a championship this past year?”

TONY GIBSON: “I think it’s just being surrounded with good, old fashioned racing people. You know, Stewart’s just an old redneck guy that loves to race and will drive everything. Everybody at our place, we just love racing. We grew together and things happened probably a little faster than most expected.

“But when you put a bunch of guys together that all they want to do is win and perform and run up front, things like that happen, partnered up with Chevrolet and they make things easy too. They give us all the things we need to improve our race teams and our company. We have great sponsors.

“So when you put all that in a Bowl, it’s got success written all over it. Really fortunate to be associated with Stewart-Haas Racing from the beginning and great drivers. Like I said before, Ryan’s one of those guys you want driving, because he’s going to give you 110% whether you’re two laps down or leading a race by half a lap. Doesn’t matter, you get the same effort out of him.

“So it’s a privilege to be hooked up with him, and Matt Borland. I’m looking forward to working with Steve and Greg and Danica, new people in our organization that are going to help us grow and be better. Already we’ve seen huge gains in our company since they’ve come on board. Looking forward to it.”

THE MODERATOR: “Excellent. And Greg Zipadelli, you’re reunited with Tony, but in a different way, as the competition director here at Stewart-Haas Racing. But still not far away from that pit box as Danica’s crew chief for this ten race schedule.”

GREG ZIPADELLI: “Yeah, it’s a great opportunity for myself. Next chapter in my life, maybe stepping back a little bit as a crew chief goes. I was excited to find out I was going to have the opportunity to do ten races and kind of help put this deal together.

“We had a really good test. I have enjoyed working with Danica. A good group of guys. I can’t say enough about the people at Stewart-Haas. The heart and the passion that every individual that I’ve met that works there is truly amazing. Very warm welcomes. Everybody has been very good to work with.

“They have done so much to help me make the transition. The people in the shop, Tony Gibson and his guys preparing cars for us, Matt Borland in engineering, a phenomenal place. We’re very, very excited about the future there.”

THE MODERATOR: “Matt Borland, the vice president of competition wore many hats in 2011, oversaw a lot of change, and also oversaw a lot of success. How did you manage it all?

MATT BORLAND: “I think it’s pretty easy. You look up here and we’ve got three new people up here along with all the people that have been here, each one brings a different talent and experience level to our program. We’ve got Steve who comes from Penske and Gibbs and a lot of new fresh ideas, things to look at, things to try.

“We’ve got Greg that’s come on board and he’s got new ideas from JGR that are all things we can try and try to make our stuff better than it’s been.

“Danica comes on board, another driver with open wheel background. So she’s got a lot of new ideas, new thoughts and new ways of thinking about things, and that just helps everybody come up with new ideas, new thoughts, new processes and hopefully out of that we’ll get a lot of wins and a lot of poles.”

THE MODERATOR: “Well said. We’ll open it up to questions.”

Q. I guess sometimes I miss things, but I don’t think I missed this, Danica. That’s news that you’re running the Coca Cola 600? Where does that leave the Indy 500? I assume you won’t try a double. Is that a difficult decision to race in that event this year?

DANICA PATRICK: “No, you didn’t miss it. I’m going to do the Coke 600. I’m not going to do the Indy 500. I hope to do it in the future, the Indy 500, that is. Maybe it will be a double. But at this point in time after a lot of conversations, it’s just going to be the Coke 600. It’s going to be a big challenge, but I’m looking forward to it, and especially a hometown like Charlotte for NASCAR.”

Q. How did you make the decision?

DANICA PATRICK: “The decision? Well, it was just something that didn’t work out as far as the business side of things. It just didn’t work out. I’m hopeful to do it in the future, but for this year, it just didn’t happen.”

Q. With the fuel injection system, how does it affect this race strategy? And, I think you still get your engines from Hendrick Motorsports. Is there still space left for your own modifications and changes to get ready for the race?

TONY GIBSON: “As far as the engines we get from Hendrick, they do a fantastic job, first of all, and they have done a great job of getting prepared for the EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) stuff this year. They’ve done a lot of testing. They’ve really kept us involved in it, and we’ve done a lot of stuff with Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas.

“We get the engines from them. When they come, we put the headers and transmissions and stuff on it. But their engine tuners come over in our shops twice a week, three times a week. So we don’t actually build them, but they keep us in the flow of things. We’re hands on with it. They’re very open about it. They want our ideas and especially from those guys. Borland on the engineering side making harnesses and stuff for us that go in and sink in with the Hendrick side of it. They’re very welcome to our ideas.

“So on that side of it, it’s been a great partnership, and pretty smooth so far.”

Q. Matt, can you talk about the whole development of Stewart-Haas Racing, and people talk about the projects you have going on back there. Can you talk about how you’ve seen the evolution of Stewart-Haas Racing?

MATT BORLAND: “Yeah, Gene Haas and Joe Custer started Haas back in 2002. They put a great program together and when Tony came on board, he added a whole other level of capabilities to the program. It’s allowed us to get a lot more people, get a lot more what is the word I’m looking for? We have a lot more people to do a lot more things to be more specialized at what we’re looking at and refining things.

“I think the biggest thing that’s come about with that is we’re able to dive down into the details of the program. With the cars the way they are now, there’s not huge gains to be made. There are small gains to be made in a lot of areas. So it takes a group of very strong people that can go and try to find all those little things.

“To Tony Gibson’s point, to have a bunch of racers that that’s all they want to do. They want to race. They want to beat everybody. They want to find those little things that gets them that much better than the next team out there.”

Q. Ryan, your whole team comes back intact. You have a lot of new sponsors associated with the 39 this year. Are you in the best position in terms of your career with Stewart-Haas than you’ve ever been before in the last couple of years there?

RYAN NEWMAN: “From a sponsorship standpoint, without a doubt. We’re really proud to partner up with these new sponsors. Like I said in my opening, sponsors that haven’t been a part of NASCAR at all, like Quicken Loans and Outback has a little bit of history.

“But just from our standpoint, when you have great sponsors, you’re allowed to get the great people and do the great things. Without a doubt, the sponsorship is a big part of that.

“So, yes, from that standpoint, no doubt. From a team standpoint, it’s great to have all our group back. We had a great run to get into the Chase. Our Chase was a bit of a struggle for us as a team. But those are the things that you get through them, work on them, build them, and make yourself stronger as a team and an organization for the next years.

“Tony can attest to this too, you can win a championship one year, doesn’t mean you’re going to win it the next year. You have to work really hard. Other teams, when you win, you build fire and desire within them. So you have to have that same fire and desire within yourself to go back and do what we did as an organization last year.

Q. Tony, the spotlight’s going to be bright on your team this year. Not only are you the defending champion, but with the addition of Danica Patrick and with Ryan, how best is the team able to deal with that? From the very beginning, there is a lot of attention given to your team.

TONY STEWART: “Yeah, we’re not worried about that. It’s a good thing with our partners on board. It helps us from the marketing side and the sponsorship sides to make sure we’re fulfilling what our partners need.

“When it comes time to being at the racetrack and doing what we do on the track, this group of people up here are really good at focusing on the task at hand. I think we’re all up for the challenge. It’s a good way to start the year. We came off of a great finish to the year last year, and we got a lot of new exciting partners on board this year, and a new teammate that’s going to be fun to work with. And a teammate that’s always fun to work with over on this side.

“We’re excited. We’re probably as excited to start the year as I can remember being in a long time.”

Q. This is a special championship. What did you do personally to celebrate it?

TONY STEWART: “Stayed at the shop until the Wednesday of Christmas. I didn’t really do anything, to be honest. Like I said, with the addition of Steve and Greg and Danica, we wanted to make sure that we were kind of there to make sure that everybody was getting started off in the right direction. I wasn’t really there for anything more than moral support.

“These guys are the guys that make it all happen, for sure. But honestly, I didn’t really do much of anything. I went and raced a couple of times through the winter here, but for the most part, it’s been business as usual.”

Q. Can you assess the different dynamics in the shop with the addition of Danica, and Zippy, and Steve Addington, and then the fact that Tony won the championship last year, the mood of the team and the dynamics in the shop?

MATT BORLAND: “I think in general, the dynamics are very positive, very excited. Like Tony was saying, everybody’s looking forward to Daytona, looking forward to a great new season. As well, there are so many influx of new ideas this year, that we’re able to look at so many different things and find hopefully some more gains that will elevate us even better than we were last year.

“It’s been very positive. All the people on the team are pumped up and excited. It’s a great deal right now.”

Q. Tony, you won your third championship last year, five of 10 Chase races, and in a driver / crew chief relationship that you ended up changing, how much pressure does that put on the guy to your left when he walks in the front door?

TONY STEWART: “You’re asking the wrong guy. You need to ask him. I feel just fine.”

STEVE ADDINGTON: “I do too.”

TONY STEWART: “I think he’s thinking he’s on vacation now. Just saying. It’s kind of like what Tony Gibson was saying earlier. We’re just low key, down to earth racers and hard core racer that’s want to race. That is the attitude that Steve has coming in here.

“And as far as from my side, I’m not putting any pressure on him. I’m looking forward to going out and racing again. We both know there is going to be a period of getting to learn each other, and just little things that we’ll have to get sorted out to where we get into that weekly routine.

“Daytona’s not going to be… that ten day period’s not going to get it done. It’s going to take more of that. It’s going to take getting through Phoenix and some of those races to really get in tune with each other. But he’s been easy to work with so far.

“We’ve been able to work with him directly at Gibbs. So we kind of know him a little bit. I think it’s going to be pretty laid back, and we’re going to have a lot of fun. I don’t think it’s a big stress situation for either one of us right now.”

MODERATOR: “Steve, do you want to chime in on that as well?”

STEVE ADDINGTON: “No, look at what the organization did. One guy’s not going to make the big difference. I’ve got to keep the communication with him going as far as the race car’s concerned, and having that supporting cast, the people that are around you through the organization makes you successful. That’s what I’m looking forward to.

“Everybody that I’ve run into or worked with in the organization, I’ve worked with them at some point or beside them at some point that they’ve welcomed me with open arms. Asking me everything that I need to go racing with them, and that’s it. You’ve got the supporting cast there that’s going to be successful.”

Q. Tony, could you explain to fans how life changes and how life doesn’t change after becoming a champion for the first, second, and third time?

TONY STEWART: “It hasn’t changed at all, honestly. I think the first time it changes a little bit because you’ve accomplished that goal. But after the first one, it really doesn’t change your life so much the second and third one. Like I said, it’s kind of been business as usual. We’ve enjoyed the whole off season with the team, and it’s been fun being at the shop to see how excited the guys are. Guys that three years ago had never won a race, and now they’re celebrating their first championship together.

“It’s been fun to be at the shop around those guys and see how excited they are to have Danica come on board and Zippy and Steve. It’s been fun to watch everybody have fun in the off season. You’ve got these two guys to the right that are always keeping you on your toes and making it fun, too.

“So we’ve just got a great group of people that have made it fun, and it really hasn’t changed my life any. Like I said, I probably took less time this off season to go enjoy myself than any other time. But I’ve had fun doing what I’ve been doing.”

Q. Tony Gibson, the last 30 years we’ve had two owner/drivers win the championship, Tony and Alan Kulwicki. You worked with both of those drivers. Can you talk about what similarities there are between them and what differences there are?

TONY GIBSON: “I think the differences may be the engineering side of it. Kulwicki was more like Newman on the engineering side of it. But he loved the race. He loved all about racing, and all about winning. In his heart it was win, and the grass roots of racing whether it was in Wisconsin doing the late model stuff or in a Cup car.

“Stewart has that same desire. He has in his heart all he wants to do is race. Every time he’ll text you he’s at a racetrack somewhere racing, and that’s all he wants to do. So the difference is probably maybe on the schooling. I don’t know where you went to school at.”

TONY STEWART: “High school.”

TONY GIBSON: “He went to high school.

“When it comes to strapping the belts down and putting a helmet on and taking the green, it’s all with your desire to win. Him and Alan, as far as I’m concerned, had the same desire to win and that’s why they’re both champions.

Q. Tony, will you divide up your time now any differently between the Cup side and the short track team now that you’ve got more people? You’ve got more people to supervise. Are you asking more people to supervise to give you more time for your other ventures?

TONY STEWART: “No, it’s pretty much business as usual. We’re adding more to the program, so you want to make sure that you’re keeping that time to make sure that everybody’s where they need to be and making sure that everybody is comfortable with what we’ve got. So as far as the time that I divide running the short track stuff versus what we’re doing here, it’s pretty much the same balance.”

Q. Tony, the economy has been down the last couple of years, but it seems to be doing a bit of a rebound. You guys have been doing well signing on new sponsors. Can you talk about your efforts signing new sponsors and the economy of your team?

TONY STEWART: “I’ll be honest, I’m really, really proud of our marketing team. Mike Verlander has done a great job introducing some new partners in the sport. I think it’s one thing from day one when we brought Tornados on board with Ryan’s car, and now Quicken Loans and Aspen Dental to bring new partners like this into the sport and introduce them to NASCAR is something that I take a lot of pride in.

“Like I said, it’s our marketing stuff that’s done it. I can’t take the credit for it, but I’m really proud of them. It’s been a tough economy, as we know. But to show these new companies that there is this value in NASCAR is something that we’re proud of. I think Tornados has had a great experience . I think it’s been the same way for Quicken so far.

“We finished up the year last year with them, and I think they enjoyed the first trip in the sport. Looking forward to having Aspen Dental on board.

“I’m really excited about it. It’s the best position sponsorship-wise that our company has been in, and we still have races to sell. But it’s the best position that we’ve been in since I partnered up with Gene three years ago. So we’re really excited about it.

“I think it’s a sign that hopefully things are starting to turn around and work their way back up now.”

Q. For Tony, Zippy, and Danica, what is a reasonable expectation or goals for this season? Danica, when you answer, if you could also address the Nationwide Series.

DANICA PATRICK: “I think that first starting out with the Nationwide stuff, very much it depends on the individual weekend itself. There are still some tracks that I haven’t raced at before, so probably a little bit different expectations for those. But for the most part, solid top-10. Getting into the top-five more consistently through the year would be a goal, and I’d like to get to victory lane.

“As far as the Cup stuff, I think that it would be good if they answered as well on this. But I’d like to know what I should expect. But I think that at Daytona, the cars are very fast as you guys can see, and as we saw already at the test. So I feel good about that race. I feel good about… I mean, I was lucky enough to get to run with Tony in the Nationwide race last summer, and that went pretty good. So I feel good about Daytona.

“I think there is a real chance if luck falls our way to perhaps win. I think that’s a real chance. I mean, a guy like Trevor Bayne last year showed that.

“So those are the expectations for the first race, but then beyond that. I don’t know. Top-20 or so, I guess, would maybe be a good goal. I feel like longer races are good. I like long races. I feel like I learn, I get more comfortable out there and we keep tweaking on the car and making it a little better on each pit stop, so I’m hoping that plays into my favor with the length of these races.”

GREG ZIPADELLI: For myself, it’s just good solid days. Give her as much track time as we can, and support, and just trying to teach her as much as we can about this sport and this series for the following year.”

TONY STEWART: “I’m excited about it. From my standpoint, I crashed everything I drove from the Nationwide cars, and it – on the Cup side – it got better obviously. But looking at it, these ten races for her this year, for me it’s just finishing the races and getting the track time.

“In the short amount of time that I’ve worked with her, she’s so good at processing information and what she learns on the racetrack. She can explain it to you right away and very accurate. I think her feedback is excellent.

“Just getting the time on the racetrack and, I guess are from my standpoint, I’m not worried about the finishes at the end of the day. It’s just finishing the race, getting the laps and getting that experience in the car. Five hundred mile races are long races, especially in the Cup series when you’re dealing with a 3,400 pound car. It’s a learning process.

“I think the success at the end of the year won’t be judged by where the finishing position is at the end of the day as much as what she’s taken away from race weekend. So that’s what my goal is for her.”

THE MODERATOR: “A couple other story lines that are definitely worth asking these folks in their one –on-one sessions. Danica Patrick in the Super Bowl. While the New England Patriots and New York Giants are making a return to the Super Bowl in two weeks, so does Danica. This will be the eighth straight year GoDaddy has run a Super Bowl ad campaign, and the sixth in which Danica has starred.

“So all told, Danica has appeared in ten GoDaddy Super Bowl ads dating back to 2007, giving her the title of most commercials of any celebrity in the history of the event.

“Not to be lost on television, Tony Stewart spent part of his off season doing a little acting himself. He made a guest appearance on ABC’s ‘Last Man Standing’ with Tim Allen. That episode is slated to air Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. Eastern.

“Tony is also running the season opening NASCAR Nationwide Series race. He’ll be in the No. 33 Oreo 100th anniversary Chevrolet Impala. He’ll be looking for his fifth straight win in that event, and his seventh in the last eight season opening NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Daytona.

“Again, from a sports business story, I know we’ve touched about it a little bit, in addition to all the sponsors that have returned to Ryan Newman in the No. 39, new to the sport, Quicken Loans, Aspen Dental, Outback Steakhouse coming back to NASCAR, all affiliated with Ryan and that No. 39 team.”

Instead, Patrick revealed during the opening stop of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Media Tour that she will be behind the wheel of the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 27.

“I’ve wanted to race stock cars for a little while here and it’s happening,” Patrick said. “We’ve added another challenge with the Coke 600, or Coke 6,000 as I’ve been told.”

The decision, Patrick said, was mainly a business decision. Patrick has raced in the past seven Indianapolis 500s, earning a best finish of third in 2009 while driving for Andretti Green Racing.

“I hope to do it in the future, the Indy 500 that is. Maybe it’ll be a double,” Patrick said, referring to the Coca-Cola 600 and Indianapolis 500 double that her Sprint Cup team owner Tony Stewart, John Andretti and Robby Gordon have done in the past.

Patrick is scheduled to run up to 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events this year for Stewart-Haas Racing in addition to the full NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule with JR Motorsports.

Pressure is On Tony Stewart and Steve Addington in 2012
Members of the media got their first look at the new driver/crew chief combination of Tony Stewart and Steve Addington Monday and the pair already look like they’ve been working together for years.

But still, the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Stewart admits they have a lot to learn about each other.

“We’re just a bunch of low-key, down to Earth racers, hardcore racers that just want to race. That is the attitude Steve has,” Stewart said. “I’m not putting any pressure on him (Addington). I’m looking forward to going out and racing with him.

“We both know there is going to be a period of learning each other and just little things. Daytona, that 10 day period is not going to get it done. It is going to take getting through Phoenix and Vegas and some of those races to really get in tune with each other,” Stewart added.

If Addington was concerned about any potential learning curve, he certainly didn’t show it.

“One guy isn’t going to make a big difference,” said Addington, who moved to Stewart-Haas Racing from Penske Racing. “I’ve gotta keep the communication with him going as far as the race car is concerned. Having that supporting cast, the people that are around you and throughout the organization, that is what makes you successful.”

Another new piece of the puzzle at Stewart-Haas Racing is Greg Zipadelli, Stewart’s former crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing. Zipadelli joins Stewart-Haas Racing as the organizations new competition director and will also serve as Patrick’s crew chief during her 10-race venture into Sprint Cup.

Stewart Eyes Seventh Daytona Nationwide Win
Tony Stewart will attempt to win his seventh NASCAR Nationwide Series race on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 25. This year Stewart will drive the No. 33 Oreo 100th Anniversary Chevrolet fielded by Richard Childress Racing. Stewart has won the last four NASCAR Nationwide season openers at Daytona and hopes to add a fifth-straight victory next month.

Aspen-Dental to Sponsor Newman
Stewart-Haas Racing announced Monday that it reached a multi-year agreement with Aspen Dental, one of the largest networks of dental-care providers in the United States, as a new sponsor for Ryan Newman’s No. 39 Chevrolet.

The Syracuse-based dental care provider will be the primary sponsor for Newman in 2012 for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Daytona in July and New Hampshire in September and will serve an associate sponsor at other events.

Stewart-Haas Racing announced in late 2011 that it would add Outback Steakhouse and Quicken Loans to its stable of sponsors for 2012.

Quote of the Day
Tony Gibson, crew chief for Ryan Newman in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, on working for the last two owner-driver champions (Tony Stewart and Alan Kulwicki) in Sprint Cup competition: “He (Kulwicki) loved to race. It was all about racing and all about winning. … Stewart has that same desire. In his heart all he wants to do is race.”

The Syracuse, N.Y.-based company, with more than 330 locations in 22 states, will be the primary sponsor of SHR’s No. 39 team with driver Ryan Newman at the July Sprint Cup race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and the September event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. When not serving as primary sponsor, Aspen Dental will be an associate sponsor with placement on the lower-rear quarter panel of the No. 39 Chevrolet Impala and on the upper chest of Newman’s uniform. The company also secured rights to utilize Stewart promotionally.

“We’re thrilled to enter into this partnership with one of the most successful organizations in NASCAR,” said Mary Boysman, vice president of brand marketing and advertising at Aspen Dental Management, Inc. “Like our new partners at Stewart-Haas Racing, our team at Aspen Dental is driven by a strong commitment to quality, training and teamwork. We can’t wait for the 2012 season to begin so that we can join Stewart-Haas Racing on NASCAR’s biggest stage.”

At Aspen Dental, dentists and staff have a simple purpose: to help patients get the care they need by offering a full range of quality dental and denture services, from preventive care to general dentistry to restoration.

“Access to quality dental care is a challenge for so many patients, but working with Stewart-Haas Racing will help us create awareness for a whole new audience,” added Boysman.

“The opportunity to welcome Aspen Dental as a sponsor certainly puts a smile on the face of everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Newman, winner of 15 Sprint Cup races, including the 50^th running of the Daytona 500 in 2008. “It’s one of the most successful and progressive companies in dentistry and we look forward to representing them this season.”

“We’re proud to partner with a true leader in the dental industry,” added Stewart, who earned his third Sprint Cup title in dramatic fashion in 2011 by winning five of the 10 races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. “With locations in 22 states across the country, this agreement gives us a huge, built-in following. We’re going to do everything we can to deliver them a victory.

About Aspen Dental:
One of the largest and fastest-growing networks of dental care providers in the U.S., Aspen Dental practices are committed to providing patients with affordable, high-quality care. With more than 330 locations in 22 states, Aspen Dental practices are nationally accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). In 2011, Aspen Dental practices recorded more than 2.2 million patient visits, including visits from more than 490,000 new patients. For more information about Aspen Dental practices and services, visit www.AspenDental.com. To learn more about careers at Aspen Dental, visit www.AspenDentalJobs.com.

Stewart and teammate Ryan Newman won Wednesday’s “This Ain’t the Newlywed Game,” a riff on the television original hosted by Bob Eubanks. Stewart and Newman edged the team of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch by most accurately recalling the estimated attendance of March’s Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The game had a myriad of humorous moments – some broad, others ribald – and in some cases more resembled a roast of the top 12 finishers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™.

Stewart, who suggested engineering graduate Newman would be a better driver “if he didn’t think all the time,” got in the final zinger to his teammate’s incorrect answer that he would be the driver the champion most likely would bump out of the way on the final lap to win the race.

“I figured you’d pick me,” said a disappointed Newman. Stewart answered, “There you go thinking again.” Stewart thought Newman’s answer would’ve been “Brian Vickers.”

Carl Edwards said Roush Fenway Racing partner Matt Kenseth would be a better driver “if he didn’t qualify in the back.” Kenseth responded, “Are you kidding me? I beat Ryan Newman for poles this year.” Actually, they both won three Coors Light Poles during the 2011 season.

Kenseth set up Eubanks by telling Edwards his most annoying habit was always being late. Eubanks said, “Even late crossing the finish line” in reference to Edwards’ second-place finish to Stewart in the championship deciding race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“This could be the end of my career,” said Eubanks. “I’m not sure I’ll ever do it again but it’s been fun.”

The Newlywed-style event, held on downtown Las Vegas’ historic Fremont Street Experience, drew several thousand fans. Some carried signs welcoming their favorite drivers.

The six teams were comprised of Stewart/Newman, Hamlin/Kyle Busch, Edwards/Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr./Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon/Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski/Kurt Busch.

There were other activities as well, as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week rolled into its second day working toward Friday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Banquet at Wynn Las Vegas, a signature event that will feature same day coverage (9 p.m. ET) by SPEED, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN Radio.

Travis Pastrana sat for a featured one-on-one interview during Wednesday’s second and final day of the Motorsports Marketing Forum at Caesars Palace. Pastrana noted his recovery process from a broken ankle, which delayed his NASCAR Nationwide Series career, saying, “I actually became a bigger fan and feel like I learned a lot by watching on television.”

Pastrana said the biggest challenge he faces in 2012 is working with crew chief and crew to make the optimum adjustments. “In Rally, if you want to make up time, you can take chances to jump up further,” he said. “In NASCAR, you really have to not only know what the car is doing, but how to relate that.”

Stewart hosts the popular 5th Annual “Stewie Awards” with co-host Matt Yocum at 9:30 p.m. ET Thursday on the SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. The Stewies honor the best, boldest and funniest moments from the NASCAR season.

Thursday is Champion’s Week longest day with the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon, NASCAR Victory Lap and NASCAR After the Lap on the schedule. Details can be found below.

Thursday, Dec. 1

· NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon: Beginning at 11 a.m. in the Bellagio Ballroom at the Bellagio, this annual industry/media gathering includes the presentation of awards to the Champion Crew Chief (Darian Grubb), Champion Sponsor (Office Depot and Mobil 1), Sunoco Rookie of the Year (Andy Lally) and Most Popular Driver (to be announced). Co-hosted by NASCAR and the National Motor Sports Press Association, fans can attend this exclusive event for the second-consecutive year. Fans can watch the event on NASCAR.COM via this link: http://www.nascar.com/Myers_Brothers_Luncheon.

· NASCAR Victory Lap: Set for 3 p.m., the fan-favorite NASCAR Victory Lap will feature the top 12 drivers parading – with engines growling – down the famed Las Vegas strip in their teams’ respective race cars. NASCAR Victory Lap will feature an authentic pit stop along the route and two burn-out sections for drivers. NASCAR Victory Lap will start in front of Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard and end at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Fans can watch the event on NASCAR.COM via this link: http://www.nascar.com/Victory_Lap.

· Coca-Cola Fan Zone: Fans can get a front-row seat for the conclusion of NASCAR Victory Lap at the Coca-Cola Fan Zone, a free event located at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. Beginning at noon, the Coca-Cola Fan Zone offers interactive displays from The Sprint Experience, Game Show Network, Ford, Coca-Cola, and is a prelude to NASCAR After the Lap.

· NASCAR After the Lap: Starting at 4:30 p.m., NASCAR After The Lap is one of the highlights of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week. Tickets for the third-annual event will be available for purchase at www.NASCARAfterTheLap.com for $20 each, with proceeds benefitting The NASCAR Foundation, a non-profit organization which raises funds that support children’s charities and important causes throughout the nation. Sponsored by Ford Motor Company and Coca-Cola, the event is renowned for its unfiltered, “tell-all” format featuring the 2011 top-12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. Fans can watch the event on NASCAR.COM via this link: http://www.nascar.com/After_The_Lap.

· The 5th Annual Stewie Awards: A champion’s week tradition, 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart and co-host Matt Yocum return to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for the 5th Annual Stewie Awards, broadcast live on the SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90 at 9:30 p.m. ET. The annual highlight of NASCAR Champion’s Week honors the best, boldest and funniest moments from the NASCAR season. Here’s the link for the list of awards: http://www.siriusxm.com/stewieawards.

Friday, Dec. 2

2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony: The big show starts at 6 p.m. (9 p.m. ET), crowning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion driver and owner and honoring the other drivers who finished in the top 10 in the final series standings. The star-studded entertainment lineup for the ceremony includes country music icon Reba as host, a performance by Grammy-award winning rocker Kid Rock, as well as performances by two recent additions: up-and-coming country artist Ella Mae Bowen and Broadway sensation Jersey Boys.

• Sixteen-year-old Ella Mae Bowen is an emerging country singer-songwriter who is featured on the new “Footloose” soundtrack with her enthralling remake of “Holding Out For a Hero”. Bowen is originally from Walhalla, South Carolina, and is currently signed with Big Machine Label Group, which is the record label home to country superstars like Reba, Taylor Swift and Martina McBride.

• “Jersey Boys” is the smash-hit musical winner of the 2006 Tony Award on Broadway and Best Musical accolades in both London and Australia. This critically-acclaimed musical tells the tale of four blue-collar boys working their way from the streets of Newark to the top of the charts taking audiences behind the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Jersey Boys, voted #1 show in Las Vegas by the Las Vegas Review Journal, is currently performing at The Palazzo and is coming to Paris Las Vegas in March 2012.

SPEED, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN Radio provide same-day coverage, starting at 9 p.m. ET.

While Newman ran a steady and solid race in his No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, all eyes were on his teammate and U.S. Army team owner Tony Stewart, who won the event and captured the Sprint Cup season championship in his No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet.

Stewart and race runner-up Carl Edwards tied in final points (2403), but with five wins in the 10 Chase playoff races, the tiebreaker went to Stewart. The championship was the third for Stewart, who also won season titles in 2002 and 2005.

Newman finished 10th in points, his sixth career top-10 season points finish.

As soon as Newman exited his black and gold Army race car, he headed to Victory Lane to congratulate Stewart and the No. 14 team.

“An incredible performance by Tony and the No.14 team,” said Newman. “They fought hard and deserved the title. It’s kind of bittersweet when it’s not you, but it’s awesome when it’s your teammate. The championship is a morale builder for the entire Stewart-Haas Racing organization.”

Regarding the 267-lap, 400-mile race, Newman quickly marched to the front after starting 14th. He ran as high as second and virtually ran the entire race in or near the top-10.

“We wanted to be up there contending for the win, but things didn’t quite click for us at the end,” stated Newman. “Our Army Chevrolet was strong, but we couldn’t get the track position to make a move as the race was winding down.

“Overall we had a good season, but the downside was that we didn’t perform as well as we anticipated in the Chase,” explained Newman. “We wanted better results for our Army Strong Soldiers, who inspire this team week in and week out. Driving an Army-sponsored car is a privilege and we’re going to do everything we can to make our Soldiers even more proud of their car in 2012.

Following Stewart and Edwards to the checkered flag were: Martin Truex Jr. (third), Matt Kenseth (fourth) and Jeff Gordon (fifth).

The 2012 season kicks off Sunday, Feb. 26 with the traditional Daytona 500, NASCAR’s most prestigious race.

 TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SEASON THUS FAR AND YOUR THOUGHTS COMING INTO THE WEEKEND: “I think there are only two guys that are excited being here, but we are looking to end the season on a good note. Last weekend was a good race for us to come from 30^th to fifth and it is important for our team to end on a good note, weather the No. 14 does or not. It is good for the organization to have two strong running teams at the end of a season and go into our biggest race next year. Weather I get to make it back in here or not we just need to have a good weekend and have some fun.”

YOU ALWAYS HAVE SOME REALLY INTERESTING THINGS THAT YOU DO IN THE OFF SEASON; DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING PLANNED THAT IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING DIFFERENT? “A little bit more hunting than I did last year, our typical snowmobile trip to Utah, some friends we have out there, we stay in a little cabin and run off of a propane generator and a wood stove and rough it for a week, snowmobiling and having fun out there. That is pretty much it, spending time at home, cutting down our Christmas tree as a family and enjoying the holidays.”

CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT IT HAS BEEN LIKE WATCHING TONY STEWART HANDING THE OWNER/DRIVER DUTIES AND BE SO SUCCESSFUL? “I don’t see that side of it, I just see Tony Stewart as a driver, and I don’t see Tony Stewart as the owner handling that part of things. That is one of the things I have always said, I think he does a good job of having the right people do their jobs so that whether he is the owner or not he has the title of the owner, but he had the right people doing that job as far as the ownership goes. He is listed as that, and he is running a company from a responsibility standpoint, he makes the ultimate calls and decisions, but if the other people do their job, then he does not have to be involved as much as some other owners. That helps him be just the driver that he is, I don’t mean just the driver that he is, just that responsibility side of it.”

IS THERE SUCH A THING AS TEAM ORDERS IN NASCAR AND ON SUNDAY IF YOU ARE FIRST AND TONY(STEWART) IS SECOND, AND CARL(EDWARDS) IS THIRD, TONY NEEDS TO WIN, DO YOU LET HIM WIN? “I think there has always been some form of team orders, but my little baby is one year old and I can order her around all I want and it does not mean she is going to listen to me. From my standpoint, it is business as usual, I will do everything I can to help him, I will do whatever I can to not hurt him, but I will not sacrifice for myself, for my team, for the US Army, everybody involved for the fans, I don’t think that is the right way of racing. I don’t think Tony ( Stewart) would see it that way or if the roles were reversed he would expect or I would expect him to do the same thing for me, that is not how we were brought up that is not how we race.”

 BRIAN (FRANCE) WAS JUST IN HERE AND HE SAID THE DRIVERS KNOW WHERE THE LINE IS ON TRACK AND THEY KNOW WHAT THEY CAN AND CANNOT SAY ABOUT THE SPORT, SO THEY WILL NOT BE FINED, DO YOU GUYS KNOW WHERE THE LINE IS ON THE TRACK AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU CAN AND CANNOT SAY ABOUT THE SPORT AT TIMES OF POLITICAL INCORRECTNESS? “There is two parts to that, one part is saying the right things at the right time, and the right place which we are all taught up to do when we were younger but the other part of it is how people are impressed or lack of impressed I guess from what you say at that time or at that place. We have seen it and we know certain people have been recipients of it, but I think it is a good thing that NASCAR manages that, I think it is a good thing that they do it the way they do. It is not anything that is fun to talk about or any part of it that we need to go into any deeper, but it is tough to speak your peace sometimes when you are peace is not what some people want to hear.”

SINCE YOU ARE AN ENGINEER, ELECTRONIC FUEL INJECTION AT DAYTONA, WE JUST HAD A TEST DOWN THERE AND ONE AT TALLADEGA, WHAT DO YOU THINK FROM A PHYSICS STANDPOINT, THEY SHOULD BE DOING WITH THIS THING? “I think the one most important thing that we need to do is keep the cars on the ground, keep them at a certain mile per hour range. Keeping in mind that once they get in a pack of 43 that they are going to be even faster yet, go back to Talladega, we say cars qualifying at 178 mph or 180 mph and they are racing at 200 mph. There is a big discrepancy there between the cars in the pack versus cars by themselves. Ultimately, the fuel injection, I have not tested it at a restrictor plate track yet, I did it at Martinsville, I did it at Charlotte, but from what I have experienced and what I have seen is we are spending a lot of our time on the fuel injection, trying to get them to drive like the carbureted cars, which we have an infinite amount of experience with. Once we can get a better understanding of electronic fuel injection and then apply that to restrictor plates and apply it to make the cars actually drive better. In my opinion we are not educated enough and do not have enough experience with the fuel inject to actually go to a place like that and say yea these are the things that we need to do. I don’t know that there is a significant difference in how a fuel injected engine reacts to restrictor plate versus a carbureted engine, I don’t have that experience to be able to speak on it. Daytona, the most important thing is that we go down there and give the fans the kind of racing that they want. Obviously, that has not been, at least the majority rules, that has not been the tandem style racing, which I typically enjoy more than New York style traffic, grid lock, stuck in the middle of the pack, so we will see what they come up with.”

TONY (STEWART) SAID YESTERDAY THAT “HE WOULD WRECK HIS MOTHER TO WIN THE TITLE” IF YOU ARE FIRST AND HE IS SECOND AND HE CAN GET TO YOUR BUMPER, WOULD YOU EXPECT HIM TO MOVE YOU? “If he needed to yea. I would do the same thing to him, I am racing for a win, and he is racing for a championship. If he has to pass me to win and yea that is part of it. I am not going to pull over for him and like I said, he would not pull over for me. We are not raised that way. Do what you have to do man, in the end he owns my racecar so whatever he wants to do is fair game.”

 THE WAY TONY HAS BEEN APPROACHING THE LAST COUPLE OF RACES, ARE YOU LOOKING AT TONY AND SEEING A MASTER AT WORK HERE WHEN IT COMES TO TRYING TO GET INSIDE CARL ( EDWARDS) HEAD? “I think he is having a lot of fun with it. I think he obviously, he has performed better than I think anybody expected in the “Chase” not just from a win standpoint but just pure leading laps and the cars. They have turned their team around. I think he there is a since of enjoyment there for him on the mental side as much as it is on the physical side of just putting up the numbers. He has a lot of fun doing that. I think the next couple of days are going to be interesting to see how all that stuff plays out. I think and I don’t mean to sound un-biased, but I think it is a pretty equal game right now. I think they are both stabling pretty hard at each other.”

BRIAN, ALSO SAID THAT YOU GUYS DEFINITELY KNOW THE LIMIT ON THE TRACK AND WHERE THE LINE IS AND WHEN YOU GO OVER THE LINE AND WHEN YOU DON’T, I HAVE HEARD A LOT OF DRIVERS SAY THEY DON’T REALLY KNOW WHERE THE LINE IS?

“I would have to say that Brian, I assume you are talking about Brian Vickers? NO BRIAN FRANCE, Brian France ok, well Vickers has had a few issues here the last couple of weeks, so I am just checking. I don’t think it is fair for him to say that we all know the line because I don’t think that line is a black and white line, I think it is obviously got some senses of confusion about it. I am not trying to ruffle anybodies feathers but I don’t think he can say that we all understand because we all don’t understand otherwise we would not have some of these situations or dilemmas and I don’t think people are going to put themselves in a position where they are going to lose their money because of their opinion. Nobody is that dumb in our sport.”

YOU HAVE SOME CHARITY EVENTS COMING UP FOR THE FOUNDATION, HOW IMPORTANT IS THE HOLIDAY SEASON FOR THE RYAN NEWMAN FOUNDATION AND THESE UPCOMING EVENTS? “ That is one of the tough things about our schedule is we only have so much time to do some of the things that we love. Our fishing tournament on December 10^th and our foundation dinner on December 9^th, the night before is something that we have purposely planned to be in the off season so that we can dedicate the time and our resources to be able to have some fun and do that. Raising money for the animals and doing the things that we do, Bass Pro Shops has been a great partner for us, giving away, I should not say giving away, the winner receives a Nitro Z9 boat for our fishing tournament, so some amazing things that we do and amazing partners that we have with the Ryan Newman Foundation, to do the things that we do raise the money that we raise as well as the awareness which is sometimes more important than the money.”

 YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT YOU CAN ORDER YOUR DAUGHTER AROUND AND SHE MIGHT NOW LISTEN. IF YOU PUT YOURSELF IN THE ROLE OF YOUR DAUGHTER AND NASCAR IN THE ROLE OF YOU, WITH BRIAN FRANCE SAYING THEY DO NOT WANT THE DRIVERS TO SAY NEGATIVE THINGS ABOUT THE DIRECTION OF THE SPORT, DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, HOW HAS THAT CHANGED HOW YOU ADDRESS THINGS? “If I could get NASCAR to change my diapers it would be an amazing thing. (Laughs) In all seriousness, like I said it is tough. Sometimes you get blindsided by those things and my point was, it is subjective, it is a matter of some ones opinion and what I say, what I understand in my mind, but the way you take it or want to take it, can be taken a different way and it all depends on your mood, it all depends on the listeners mood, and what their perspective is. If they have a negative impression of you or of the race or whatever that goes before that and you speak your mind, or you speak your peace, then that is not taken the right way and there is a penalty for that, it is known that there is a penalty for that. Like I said, it is not something that we want to discuss or talk about because it is not good for our sport, but it has to be managed and I think they do a fair job of managing that. Weather it is a certain driver or a certain car owner or certain situation, every cause has an effect and they have to play that judge.

HAVE THERE BEEN TIMES WHERE YOU HAVE HELD BACK ON SOMETHING BECAUSE OF YOUR EXPERIENCE AND WHEN YOU LOOK BACK YOU THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD THING, OR TIMES YOU THOUGHT MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING? “I want to go back to the comment about what Brian (France) said was that we all know that and we don’t all know that line. We know that area, but we do not know that line. Yes there are times and I am sure you can probably talk to every driver out there where they probably wanted to say something at one point and they decided not to. Weather it was a four letter word, weather it was a comment, weather it was a biased opinion of somebody, whatever, that has always happened, and has always happened in the history of all sports, but knowing that line is entirely different than knowing that area of where you crossed that line. I think we have all been in that area, and we all have an idea of where that line is but not everybody has the same understanding of exactly where that line is and that is my point.”

INAUDIBLE: “There are things that I have heard people say, that I have questioned, there are things that I have said that I don’t think should have ever been an issue but they were. Like I said, it is not black and white, it is not cut and dry, it is not that simple period.”

IS THERE ANY RHYME OR REASON AS TO WHY YOUR ROLES HAVE REVERSED, WHY YOUR TEAM HAD A GREAT 26 RACES AND THEN THE ROLE REVERSED AND THE No. 14 CAME OUT STRONG IN THE CHASE? “I am not sure, it has baffled me. You look at our stats, we had the top-fives the top-ten’s going we had everything going for us as far as being one of the guys that should have been there in the “Chase” at least with four or five races to go been in the hunt. We are not, and I think if you look back at it, from my standpoint, we had some struggles. We were the team that should have finished at least third at Chicago but ran out of fuel, and finished eighth. We go into New Hampshire, we back up our qualifying efforts but we did not back up our race efforts from the spring race, I forget if we finished ninth or tenth, whatever it was but our teammate goes out and wins the first two. That performance of the other team did not affect our team but we knew that we were capable of it and we were not following through. Then Dover and Kansas were a struggle for us, Kansas we had a lug nut fall off on a green-flag pit stop, lost two laps, the race went green for a really long time and took us until the last actual caution flag to get back on the lead lap, I think we finished like 18^th or 20^th or something, so we just have not had the performance, going into even into Chicago, we had a loose wheel on the car had to come in, sorry Texas, had a loose wheel on the car and had to come in, lost two laps, the very first pit stop and came back and finally battled back to finish 16^th I think. The 16^th number is not something that we are proud of, but going from 37^th to 16^th is what has been the strength of our team. It is so frustrating for me to have to spend so much time fighting back, when I know our team is capable of so much more.”

Heading into the finale at the South Florida track, Newman’s season record includes: one win, nine top-fives and 17 top-10s.

The last time he scored more top-fives was in 2004 (11) and the last time with more top-10s was in 2003 (22).

In his first two seasons driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, Newman posted five top-fives and 15 top-10s in 2009 and four top-fives and 14 top-10s in 2010.

“From many standpoints it’s been a strong season for our No. 39 team,” said Newman, who will be completing his 10th season as a Sprint Cup regular. “We’ve been more consistent and did some things we haven’t done in the past like putting the Army Chevrolet in Victory Lane. The downside of the season has been our Chase results. We truly expected to be a contender when the Chase began in Chicago.”

Newman has scored four top-10s during the first nine Chase races, including an impressive come-from-behind fifth-place result in Sunday’s event at Phoenix.

“If we can end the season with a performance like we had in Phoenix it would make things that much better for our U.S. Army team during the offseason,” noted Newman. “You always want to end the season with a feel-good performance and we also want to make our Army Strong Soldiers proud of their team.”

Newman would be the first to admit that he hasn’t fared that well at the Homestead high-banked 1.5-mile oval. In nine Cup starts at Homestead, he has three top-10s and an average finish of 19.11.

“The good news about Homestead is that one of my highest finishes (7th) came at last year’s race,” explained Newman. “We stepped up our mile-and-a-half program this year and aim to have another good showing on Sunday.”

Before the Chase began Newman said that it was going to take an average finish of 7.0 or better in the 10 Chase races to win the championship. His average is 17 while the averages of the two contenders Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart are 5.22 and 6.89 respectively.

“We just had too many issues and a streak of bad luck during the Chase,” said Newman. “But there’s a lot of buzz at our Stewart-Haas Racing shop about Tony (Stewart) and the No. 14 team. The spirit is high, knowing that Tony has a shot at winning the Sprint Cup championship. The (No. 14) team has done a remarkable job in the Chase and the battle between Tony and Carl (Edwards) is great for the sport. I know I’m excited about it and I am sure the fans feel the same way.”

Newman gained three positions in the driver point standings — from 12th to ninth — following his fifth-place finish in Phoenix. He is actually tied for eighth in points with Kurt Busch, but Busch wins the tiebreaker.

Schumacher’s U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster will carry the Vietnam Veteran faces at the NHRA season finale — the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif. (Thursday-Sunday) while Newman’s No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet will carry the same paint scheme in the Kobalt Tools 500k Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway (Friday-Sunday).

“What a cool way for us to say ‘thank you’ and honor the Vietnam Veterans,” said Newman, a 15-time NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner. “History tells us that many who served in Southeast Asia were not properly recognized upon their return. It will be a sincere privilege and inspiration for our race team to have the Army Strong Vietnam Soldiers ride along with me in the Phoenix race.”

For seven-time NHRA champion Schumacher, driving the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster is always a powerful reminder of what it means to be Army Strong.

“It’s truly inspiring to represent our Soldiers who served in Vietnam,” Schumacher said. “Many of the Vietnam Veterans are drag-racing fans who grew up at the height of the muscle-car and hot-rod era. We see many Vietnam veterans at our NHRA races, and that’s why this paint scheme will carry a special meaning for our U.S. Army team.”

The special paint scheme will serve as an extension of Veterans Day (Nov. 11) when, as a country, we honor and remember the heroism, courage and dedication displayed by our Veterans. While the nation remembers the service of its Veterans, the millions at home and at the track watching Newman and Schumacher will get a chance to see some of the faces who represent true heroes.

“Every time these guys drive with the Army colors, they represent the more than one million men and women who proudly serve our nation,” said John Myers, Director, Strategic Communications and Outreach, U.S. Army Accessions Command. “For these races, with these paint schemes, we pay tribute and say thank you to our Vietnam heroes as well as all past and present Soldiers and their families. Each picture, each face, is a reminder of the sacrifice and service of the millions who have made our Army strong and our nation free.”

Vietnam Army Veterans, along with their families, friends and loved ones, were given the opportunity to submit photos of the men and women who have embraced the call of duty and helped build and protect our country at www.goarmy.com/yourphotohere. All Vietnam Veterans shown in uniform were eligible for inclusion among the photos in the special paint scheme. Images were collected through Sept. 16.

After starting 24th in the No. 39 Quicken Loans Carrier Classic Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), Newman began working his way toward the front of the field while informing crew chief Tony Gibson that his car was a bit loose.

With no caution periods early in the race, Newman headed to pit road for a green-flag pit stop on lap 45, when the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic crew changed four tires, added fuel and made a chassis adjustment.

But two laps after Newman left pit road, he radioed to Gibson that he felt a vibration in his car and thought he might have a loose wheel. One lap later, the vibration became too much and Newman headed back to pit road for an unscheduled green-flag pit stop to change four tires and add a splash of fuel.

Newman returned to the track in 36th place, two laps behind the leaders, while Gibson and other crew members checked each of the four wheels to see if they could figure out what caused the vibration.

“We’re not sure what exactly happened,” Gibson said. “We think something may have gotten between the wheel and the hub so, when the tire changer tightened up the lugnuts, it caused the wheel to bend once it got on track. Still, it’s hard to say until we get back to the shop and look at the tapes and look at the data. It’s just a freak deal.”

From there, Newman and Gibson worked on the handling of the car and gained one of their two laps back by the 350-mile mark of the race.

Then things began to look up for the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic team. On lap 262, the caution came out and Newman and Gibson opted not to pit with the field but, instead, take the “wave-around,” which meant they would be allowed to pass the pace car just before the field went back to green and get back on the lead lap.

When the race restarted on lap 267, Newman was back on the lead lap but needed a caution so he could pit and remain on the same lap as the leaders. It took but three laps for that to happen as the caution came out on lap 270 for debris, which allowed Newman to pit one lap later for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment.

On lap 300, several of the top cars began to pit, but Newman stayed on track for several more laps as he had more fuel in his tank due to the later pit stop. This allowed Newman to move into the lead from laps 320 to 323. But, with 11 laps remaining, he was forced to pit for two tires and a splash of fuel. He fell to 19th but managed to gain three positions before the checkered flag fell.

“We had a freak thing happen on that first pit stop,” Newman said. “It’s kind of the way our luck has gone during the Chase. I’m proud of the guys for rallying back and we salvaged a 16th out of it and got back on the lead lap. Just wish we could have given Quicken Loans a better showing for their first race. I’m really looking forward to having them on our car for nine races next season and we’re going to do all we can to get them to victory lane.”

Newman’s SHR teammate, Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala, led seven times for a race-high 173 laps en route to winning the AAA Texas 500.

It was Stewart’s fourth win and 17th top-10 result of 2011, his second win and 11th top-10 in 20 career Sprint Cup starts at Texas, and his 43rd win in 462 career Sprint Cup races. Stewart is now just one victory shy of tying 1988 Sprint Cup champion Bill Elliott for 15th on the series’ all-time win list.

This was the fifth Sprint Cup victory for SHR in 2011, as Newman won in July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. SHR now has 12 Sprint Cup victories since its inception in 2009.

Stewart finished 1.092 seconds ahead of runner-up Carl Edwards, while Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle rounded out the top-five. Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer and A.J. Allmendinger comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were five caution periods for 21 laps, with seven drivers failing to finish the 334-lap race.

Stewart and Newman are both in this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup and came into Texas second and 12th, respectively, in the Chase standings. Stewart was eight points behind Chase leader Edwards while Newman was 89 points out of the top spot. Stewart leaves Texas still second in points, but is now just three markers behind series leader Edwards. Newman remained 12th in the standings and is now 103 points out of first.

With only two races remaining before a champion is crowned following the season finale Nov. 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the top-12 drivers competing for the title rank as follows:
1. Carl Edwards (2,316 points)
2. Tony Stewart (2,313 points, -3)
3. Kevin Harvick (2,283 points, -33)
4. Matt Kenseth (2,278 points, -38)
5. Brad Keselowski (2,267 points, -49)
6. Jimmie Johnson (2,261 points, -55)
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2,237 points, -79)
8. Jeff Gordon (2,235 points, -81)
9. Kurt Busch (2,229 points, -87)
10. Denny Hamlin (2,217 points, -99)
11. Kyle Busch (2,216 points, -100)
12. Ryan Newman (2,213 points, -103)

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the penultimate race of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup – is the Nov. 13 Kobalt Tools 500k at Phoenix International Raceway. The race begins at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with a pre-race show at 2 p.m.