Stewart-Haas Racing News and Video » Coke Zero 400

Stewart-Haas Racing: Coke Zero 400 Race Report

SmokinNews — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 19:53:37 +0000

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway by finishing 11th in Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Stewart led one lap and rallied from a late-race accident to move from 20th to 11th in the final two laps around the 2.5-mile oval.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Bass Pro Shops/NRA Chevrolet Impala for SHR, led four times for a race-high 25 laps, but finished 23rd after being involved in a multi-car accident on the last lap while coming to the checkered flag.

David Ragan won the Coke Zero 400 to score his first career Sprint Cup victory.

His Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Matt Kenseth, finished in the runner-up spot as the race ended under caution. Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five. Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Paul Menard, Juan Pablo Montoya and A.J. Allmendinger comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were six caution periods for 21 laps, with eight drivers failing to finish the 170-lap race, which was extended 10 laps due to a green-white-checkered finish.

With round 17 of 36 complete, Newman leads the SHR duo in the championship point standings. He remains 10th with 498 points, 88 markers back of new series leader Harvick and three points ahead of 11th-place Denny Hamlin. Stewart maintained his 12th-place standing and now has 494 points, which puts him 92 markers back of the top spot with a 21-point cushion over 13th-place Greg Biffle.

The next event on the 2011 schedule is the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta on July 9. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 6:30 p.m.

Another Disappointing Finish for Newman at Daytona

SmokinNews — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 19:32:33 +0000

For Ryan Newman and the No. 39 Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) team, Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway delivered the kind of outcome they’ve come to expect in a restrictor-plate event – high hopes dashed by disappointment. In fact, the Coke Zero 400 was almost an exact replica of the team’s February outing at the 2.5-mile oval in the season-opening Daytona 500.

Once again, Newman had a strong racecar, evidenced by him leading four times for a race-high 25 laps in his No. 39 Bass Pro Shops/NRA Chevrolet Impala. But in the end, he was relegated to a 23rd-place finish thanks to being shuffled out of the lead on the race’s final restart and being collected in a last-lap accident.

“Just another typical Daytona for us,” said Newman, who led nine times for a race-high 37 laps in the Daytona 500. “It’s just disappointing to know how strong the Bass Pro Shops/NRA Chevy was tonight and how close we’ve been both times at Daytona this year to win. It’s just a product of this racing, but that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow. Sooner or later, luck is going to go our way at this place.”

Just as he did in this year’s Daytona 500, Newman paired with Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin for the new style of tandem-racing that has dominated the restrictor-plate races this season. And once again, the pair proved to be a force on the racetrack. And just like the outcome of February’s race, Newman was a mere minutes away from capturing victory at the famed Daytona track.

Newman was leading at lap 158 – just two laps from the end of the race’s regularly scheduled distance – when the caution flag waved for a multi-car accident in turn four. The caution set up the race’s first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. Newman restarted in the lead on lap 162, but shortly after the green flag waved, David Ragan wrestled the point away from him – just as the caution flag flew once more as several cars crashed in turn one.

Newman restarted in second for the race’s second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish with drafting partner Hamlin lined up directly behind him in fourth. Initially, the pair looked to have a good restart, but as another drafting tandem took to the high side of the track in an attempt to take the lead, Newman’s back bumper and Hamlin’s front bumper became disengaged.

With the pair no longer bumper-to-bumper, they were shuffled deep in the pack of cars by the time they made a complete lap, which put Newman in a precarious position for the final run to the checkered flag. Inevitably, Newman got caught up in the last-lap melee as he exited turn four, but he was able to limp across the start/finish line in his heavily damaged racecar to post a 23rd-place finish.

Newman’s SHR teammate, Tony Stewart, finished 11th in his the No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet.

David Ragan won the Coke Zero 400 to score his first career Sprint Cup victory.

There were six caution periods for 21 laps, with eight drivers failing to finish the 170-lap race, which was extended 10 laps due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Newman on Being Spectacular and Winning Daytona

SmokinNews — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:53:50 +0000

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Ryan Newman has never forgotten the advice his father offered him years ago as he was just starting his racing career. While he may not remember the exact conversation or when it took place, the words his dad said to him have never left his mind: “Son,” he said. “If you can’t win, be spectacular.”

And for Newman, there isn’t a racetrack on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit where that adage fits his record more perfectly than the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. In 19 Sprint Cup starts at the historic 2.5-mile track, Newman has one win (2008), two top-five and three top-10 finishes.

There’s no doubt Newman’s relationship with the superspeedway has definitely been one of love and hate over the years, one of victory and one of spectacular defeat since he emerged on the stock car scene and at Daytona for the first time in 2001.

The South Bend, Ind., native has flipped, barrel-rolled, landed upside down in the grass, has seen his car catch fire, and has slid across the start-finish line at Daytona more times than he cares to count. In fact, some would call Newman the poster child for rotten luck, hard crashes and “wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time” incidents at both restrictor-plate tracks – Daytona and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

But of course, Daytona hasn’t been all bad for Newman. He has tasted victory at Daytona and celebrated in the sport’s most famous victory lane on three different occasions.

Before joining the full-time ranks of the Sprint Cup Series, Newman earned his first win at Daytona in the ARCA series in 2001. It was his first-ever outing at the high-banked superspeedway, and Newman started 11^th, led the final 12 laps of the 80-lap race and won by more than two-tenths of a second.

Three years later, in 2004, Newman scored his only IROC series victory at Daytona.

And three years ago, in 2008, Newman celebrated the greatest moment of his racing career at the historic racetrack. On that February evening, Newman achieved a lifelong dream when he stole the lead on the backstretch on the final lap of the season-opening race. He never looked back, winning the 50^th running of the Daytona 500.

But Newman’s finishes at Daytona since that last momentous victory have been less than stellar. In fact, in the five points-paying races Newman has run at Daytona since joining Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in 2009, the team has never finished better than 20^th and has three finishes of 26^th or worse.

Despite the recent Daytona disappointments, Newman & Company roll into this weekend’s Coke Zero 400 with more confidence than ever. And why wouldn’t they? In February, Newman and his No. 39 SHR team were without a doubt the team to beat at Daytona.

In the non-points 2011 Budweiser Shootout, Newman led 12 of the last 13 laps. But, coming off turn four of the 2.5-mile superspeedway on the final lap, his challengers used slingshot moves to scoot around his No. 39 machine, relegating him to third.

Newman followed up that strong performance with an even more impressive Daytona 500. The No. 39 Chevrolet led a race-high 37 laps – a first for Newman and his No. 39 team – and looked to be a contender for the win before being collected in a multi-car melee just three laps before the scheduled end of the race.

Despite the disappointing end to their day at Daytona, the strong run boosted Newman’s the No. 39 team’s confidence and helped propel them to a strong start to the 2011 season and has helped buoy them into the top-10 in points. With 16 races in the books and 10 races to go until the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, Newman sits 10^th in points, 98 markers behind series leader Carl Edwards.

This weekend, the No. 39 SHR Chevrolet carries primary sponsorship from Bass Pro Shops and the National Rifle Association (NRA). The one-race primary sponsorship is an extension of Bass Pro Shops’ overall relationship with SHR and team co-owner Tony Stewart, with whom the company has served as an associate sponsor since the team’s inception in 2009. So, as if Newman needs it, the 2008 Daytona 500 champion and his team have even more incentive to finish what they started at Daytona in February and “reel in” that elusive victory.

After all, if ever a racetrack owed a driver and team, it’s this track, Daytona International Speedway, for Newman and the No. 39 Bass Pro Shops/NRA Chevrolet. This weekend, Newman & Company returns to Daytona with guns blazing and one goal in mind – to capture the checkered flag and get the win they feel they deserve, and be spectacular in the process.

RYAN NEWMAN, Driver of the No. 39 Bass Pro Shops/NRA Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What are your thoughts on the new-style of restrictor-plate racing – the tandem racing – that we have seen at both Daytona and Talladega this year?

“I enjoy it more, now, with the tandem draft, just from my standpoint as a driver because we have more influence on the performance of our team and how we can hook together with a teammate or a non-teammate to have an effect on our day. And that means the most from my standpoint – to have that influence. In saying that, coming back here after leading the most laps in the Daytona 500, I think we have a really good package and I’m looking forward to it. We had a good car at Talladega, as well. We got caught up here just a couple of laps from the end on the backstretch in a wreck not of our making that shortened up our day. Daytona is a great place to race. I’ve always said that I don’t enjoy the restrictor-plate races as much as I do the non-restrictor-plate races, but I understand it’s a part of our sport. It’s not restrictor-plate racing the way that it used to be, where everybody is four-wide, four-deep and you are stuck in New York City traffic. That’s what I didn’t like from my standpoint.”

You and the No. 39 team had great runs in the Budweiser Shootout and in the Daytona 500. Do you go into this race with more confidence? What are your thoughts on going back to Daytona for the Coke Zero 400 with those two strong runs behind you?

“We led the most laps in the Daytona 500, which was a great feat for us as a team. It was the first time for me at a restrictor-plate track and the first time for me at SHR. And we feel we were four laps away from winning that race which, if you equate it to math, time-wise it’s two-and-a-half minutes. To be two-and-a-half minutes away from something so big and get crashed is pretty disappointing. It happens, and it seems like it’s happened to us a lot, but we still left Daytona knowing we had something and we were in the mix to bring home the trophy, and that was a big deal for us.

“I look forward to coming back there, after getting a little more experience from Daytona and Talladega, I’m sure our teams are going to be more competitive than they ever have been at that type of racing. It’s going to be hot. It will be interesting to see how much grip there is in the racecar after this spring and if we still have to run wide open or if we have to lift at all. The racing itself, I wouldn’t say, is my favorite kind of racing. But I do prefer it over the old style of drafting, I guess you could say, that we have always done there. It’s nice to have an impact as a driver on the abilities of tandem racing, but I would rather be racing side-by-side, three-wide or four-wide or running wide open and having my car do the work than something else pushing me.”

How will the heat this weekend affect the cars and the tandem racing style, as well as the drivers in the Coke Zero 400?

“The heat will affect the cars and how long we can drive together. I don’t think the heat will have an effect on the grip of the racetrack and being able to do what we do in the corners and in the straightaways. Once the cars get on edge, grip-wise, we struggle a little bit more to stay hooked up. Once you start moving the car in front of you around because you are kind of jacking it sideways, at times, it gets a lot more interesting. But I don’t think we’re going to be at that grip level. The biggest thing is that if it is hotter, you’re going to have to save your car because, as you go into night, if it does cool down – which sometimes it never does, here – you want to be there at the end and you can start being a little more aggressive toward the end of the race. As far as the heat and the drivers, well, that’s the same for everybody. It’s hot. I’ve been hotter this year in a racecar than I ever have. We’ve done some different things in a racecar to make it better as far as cooling me down and keeping my body temperature down. I’m a heavy sweater and there have been a couple of races this year where, no matter what, I was not going to be able to stay hydrated. I was going to be dehydrated at the end of the race.”

RYAN NEWMAN’S DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY PERFORMANCE PROFILE

Year	Event	Start	Finish	Status/Laps	Laps Led	Earnings
2011	Daytona 500	21	22	Running, 206/208	37	$321,088
2010	×Daytona 500	17	34	Accident, 193/208	0	$295,049
	†×Coke Zero 400	14	26	Accident, 148/166	0	$124,004
2009	*Daytona 500	36	36	Running, 150/152	0	$295,252
	†Coke Zero 400	7	20	Running, 160/160	1	$126,029
2008	Daytona 500	7	1	Running, 200/200	8	$1,506,045
	×Coke Zero 400	32	36	Running, 149/162	0	$126,250
2007	×Daytona 500	16	38	Engine, 175/202	1	$283,233
	†Pepsi 400	14	14	Running, 160/160	0	$129,875
2006	×Daytona 500	18	3	Running, 203/203	23	$796,116
	Pepsi 400	23	11	Running, 160/160	0	$140,083
2005	×Daytona 500	9	20	Running, 203/203	1	$306,479
	Pepsi 400	27	14	Running, 160/160	0	$135,341
2004	Daytona 500	20	31	Running, 149/200	0	$255,056
	Pepsi 400	13	12	Running, 160/160	2	$126,742
2003	*Daytona 500	37	43	Accident, 56/109	0	$173,788
	Pepsi 400	24	22	Running, 160/160	0	$99,800
2002	Daytona 500	23	7	Running, 200/200	0	$246,587
	Pepsi 400	39	27	Accident, 156/160	0	$66,925

* Race cut short due to weather.

× Race length extended due to green-white-checker finish.

† Qualifying canceled due to weather, starting position set via car owner points.

Is Ryan Newman Smarter than a Grade School Student?

SmokinNews — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 01:29:30 +0000

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Ryan Newman took a stroll through the rich history of racing at the International Speedway Corporation’s Archives and then put his formal education to the test by participating in “Is Ryan Newman Smarter than a Grade School Student?” with approximately 250 Volusia Country elementary students as part of Coke Zero 400 Media Day.

Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet for Stewart Haas Racing and 2008 Daytona 500 champion, kicked off his Coke Zero 400 Media Day activities by visiting the ISC Archives – a treasure chest of racing artifacts and memorabilia.

“It’s neat to see the history,” Newman said. “Seeing some of the special things . . . the different trophies, the different flags, the significance of Daytona in the world of racing, it’s really special.”

Newman has his own dedicated place in that history at the ISC Archives, a unique display of memorabilia from the historic 50th running of the Daytona 500, which he won in 2008 for Penske Racing.

“I’ve always had an appreciation for the history of motorsports in general,” Newman said. “I’ve always been a fan of stock cars. Getting that opportunity to win the Daytona 500 was really special. It being the 50th running was even more special and having my dad spot for me.”

Following his visit to the Archives, Newman stopped by the ISC Contact Center and visited with employees. He even took some ticket orders over the phone to the surprise of a few lucky race fans.

In the afternoon, students from five different Volusia County elementary schools – Indian River, Pine Trail, Port Orange, Spruce Creek and Sugar Mill – were in attendance for the trivia game show “Is Ryan Newman Smarter than a Grade School Student?”

Newman, who graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. degree in Vehicle Structural Engineering, answered 10 first-round questions on a variety of topics such as Science, Math, Social Studies, English and Geography. For every question Newman answered correctly, DIS donated $100 to Volusia County Schools.

Newman also correctly answered the “bonus round” question and earned a special prize for every student in attendance – a ticket to the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday, July 2.

“The Coke Zero 400 is a family-friendly environment,” Newman said. “We want the kids to come out and enjoy the time with their parents. I think a lot of these kids will get that opportunity. It’s fun to have interaction with them even when it’s their off-season in the summer. It was a lot of fun.”

Youth pricing ticket information:
Special youth pricing made available for the first time for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at the “World Center of Racing,” include:

. $10 reserved seats for kids ages 12 and under

. Half-off reserved seats for ages 13-17

In addition, special youth pricing is also available for the Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Friday, July 1.

. Kids 12 and under are free in the general admission sections

. Sprint/Petty/Earnhardt/Roberts and Weatherly Towers tickets are only $10 for 12 and under.

. Half-off junior prices for ages 13-17

Throughout the Coke Zero 400 Weekend Powered By Coca-Cola, kids 12 and under are free in the Sprint FANZONE.

Youth pricing options are available through June 30

To purchase tickets for the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola, call 1-800-PITSHOP or visit http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com

Bad Luck Bites Newman Again at Daytona

SmokinNews — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 03:24:00 +0000

Another restrictor-plate race resulted in yet another disappointing outcome for Ryan Newman and the No. 39 Tornados team of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). A late-race crash in Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway resulted in a disappointing 26th-place finish.

Newman was running in the top-12 when he was caught up in a multi-car melee on lap 148 which began at the end of the backstretch. Nineteen cars were involved in the “Big One,” which erupted when two of the racecars in the close drafting pack got into one another, resulting in a massive pileup that caused the race to be red-flagged for nearly 20 minutes.

Although Newman sustained heavy front-end and left-side damage, he was able to drive away from the carnage and limp down pit road, bringing his No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet to the attention of his SHR crew. However, the team quickly concluded that the No. 39 Chevy could not continue due to the excessive damage, making the Coke Zero 400 the fourth straight restrictor-plate race in which Newman was sidelined early due to an accident.

“Right place, wrong time as usual for me at these racetracks,” said Newman as he walked from his crumpled racecar on pit road and back to his team’s hauler. “All I saw was blocked racetrack. I saw the No. 12 (Brad Keselowski) and the No. 83 (Reed Sorenson) sideways and I couldn’t tell you what else happened. I just know I got pile-drived. I saw the No. 48 (Jimmie Johnson) sideways and myself sideways and up on two wheels. It’s just the same story.”

Despite battling a tight-handling racecar for much of the 166-lap race and suffering some left-side splitter damage while avoiding a lap-117 incident, Newman’s No. 39 Chevy had improved and was coming to life as the race entered its waning moments. Just prior to the incident, Newman had been maneuvering his way through the tight pack of cars, searching for the best drafting partner and closing in on the top-five. But just 12 laps shy of the race’s originally scheduled 160-lap distance, Newman’s night came to an end in the aforementioned crash.

Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished 25th, as he was also involved in the lap-148 carnage. Under the red flag, Stewart’s crew was able to evaluate his car’s damage. Miraculously, the team repaired the car well enough for Stewart to make a handful of laps and leapfrog many of the other drivers who were involved in the same accident. Seven spots were picked up, allowing Stewart to bring home a top-25 finish.

With round 18 of 36 complete, Stewart is ninth in the Sprint Cup championship standings. He maintained his position and now has 2,251 points, 433 markers behind series leader Harvick and 120 points ahead of 13th-place Mark Martin. Newman fell one spot to 15th. He has 2,090 points and is 80 points back of 12th-place Carl Edwards, who holds the final spot in the 12-driver Chase for the Championship with eight races remaining before the Chase begins.

Kevin Harvick won the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola to score his 13th career Sprint Cup victory, his second of the season and his second point-paying win at Daytona.

Kasey Kahne finished .092 of a second behind Harvick in the runner-up spot, while Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Jeff Burton rounded out the top-five. Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Reed Sorensen, Mike Bliss and Scott Speed comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were nine caution periods for 37 laps, with 18 drivers failing to complete the 166-lap race, which was extended six laps via a green-white-checkered finish.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the July 10 LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 6:30 p.m.

Stewart-Haas Racing Coke Zero 400 Qualifying

SmokinNews — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 02:09:02 +0000

Rain showers canceled today’s qualifying session for the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. As a result, the 43-car field for Saturday night’s 160-lap event was set by current car owner points per the NASCAR rulebook.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing, will start ninth. Teammate Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet, will start 14th.

Stewart won last year’s Coke Zero 400 to notch his third win in the annual Fourth of July weekend race, while Newman claimed victory in the 50th Running of the Daytona 500 in February 2008.

Kevin Harvick will start first as he is the championship point leader. Joining him on the outside of row one is four-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Jeff Gordon comprise the remainder of the top-five. Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton, Stewart and Greg Biffle round out the top-10.

With 45 drivers slated to qualify for the 43-car field, only Michael McDowell and Todd Bodine failed to make the starting grid.

The Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola gets underway at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 3 with live coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 6:30 p.m.

Stewart Wins Coke Zero 400 at Daytona

SmokinNews — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:40:45 +0000

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet Impala SS, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway by winning Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Stewart, who led nine times for a race-high 86 laps in the 160-lap event, slipped past momentary race leader Kyle Busch several hundred yards from the finish line to score his second point-paying Sprint Cup victory of the season, his third career point-paying win at Daytona, and the 35th of his career in 374 Sprint Cup starts. Busch, who took the lead from Stewart coming to the white flag, slid up the track as Stewart made an outside move. The two cars touched, and Busch ended up spinning into the SAFER Barrier that lines the outside retaining wall. He was unhurt.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala SS for SHR, finished 20th. Newman recovered from an early race, multi-car accident and several unscheduled pit stops for repair work to get back on the lead lap seven laps from the finish. He picked up nine spots before the checkered flag dropped.

Stewart remains atop the championship point standings, as his victory expanded his lead to 180 points over second-place Jeff Gordon. Newman remained seventh in the standings, 484 points out of first.

Jimmie Johnson finished .110 of a second behind Stewart in the runner-up slot, while Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch rounded out the top-five. Marcos Ambrose, Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, Juan Pablo Montoya and Elliott Sadler comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were eight caution periods for 30 laps, with six drivers failing to finish the 400-mile race.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the July 11 LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. The race begins at 8 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 7:30 p.m.
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Newman Fights Back From Adversity in Daytona

SmokinNews — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:38:26 +0000

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Though he drove a wrecked car for more than half the race, Ryan Newman managed to pull off a 20th-place finish in Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway.

The result didn’t alter Newman’s position in the driver point standings. He remains seventh and actually increased his margin of being in Chase contention. He is now 134 points from the Chase cutoff (13th position). He came into the race 79 points ahead of 13th. It was a net gain of 55 points.

Newman’s teammate, Tony Stewart, won the race and remains first in driver points.

Newman, who started the 400-mile event from the seventh position, got collected in a 13-car accident on Lap 78 of 160. His No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala SS suffered heavy left-side damage, which resulted in nine unscheduled pit stops throughout the race as the crew made continuous repairs to the crippled car.

“We were severely handicapped after the accident,” said Newman. “But we made the most out of what we had to work with. It was another never give up U.S. Army effort.”

After getting back on the lead lap following a caution on Lap 154, Newman’s tenacity paid off as he gained nine positions in the closing four green-flag laps.

“That late charge by Ryan earned us 27 points — and that could make a difference from making or not making the Chase,” offered crew chief Tony Gibson. “We had a lot of damage after the accident and the Army car was a handful for Ryan to drive. It wasn’t a great day, but it could have been a lot worse.”

The next stop for Newman and the No. 39 team will be Saturday night (July 11) at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.
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Tony Stewart Winning Press Conference

SmokinNews — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:18:02 +0000

Tony Stewart, winning driver/owner of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway and crew chief Darian Grubb met with the media after the race. The win was Stewart’s second in a points race this season and third overall. Stewart extended his lead in the points standing over Jeff Gordon, who is now 180 points back of Stewart.

The Moderator: We are now joined in the infield media center by tonight’s winning driver, driver of the No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet, Tony Stewart. Tony, tell us about your run.

Tony Stewart: We had an awesome night. Obviously being able to start on the pole got us good track position and got us our man there with the question that we all thought was totally asinine yesterday. He’s not looking a ton smarter, so don’t get a big head over it.

You know, having the pole got us that No. 1 pit spot and got us an opportunity to we had great pit stops all night. We came in with the lead came out with the lead every time, so I was really proud of our guys for that. That’s something that I can promise you they’re going to take a lot of pride in, and I’m taking a lot of pride in as how good a stops they had.

I don’t think we ever really dropped out of the top three all night. There was a point there where we were riding third and got tight and we saw Matt Kenseth move around a little bit and find a groove that was a little bit better and we moved around and actually ended up passing both Kyle and Denny back for the lead on the outside.

I was really proud of how well our car drove. Darian and Jeff Meendering and all these guys did a great job of giving us a great Burger King Chevy that gave us a chance to run up front all day and dial our car in to the conditions more toward the front and not have to be stuck back there in bad air fighting the Hamlin car.

The Moderator: We’re also joined tonight by the winning crew chief, Darian Grubb. Darian, your thoughts from on top of the box tonight.

Darian Grubb: Just a great night all the way around. The pit crew did an incredible job. Everything we asked them to do for adjustments, they did not miss a beat the entire night. Tony was able to keep the car up front all night like he said. It was a dominant car, and I hate to see that finish that way. That’s typical speedway racing, but we were able to get the fastest car out there and win the race.

Q: Tony, when you got out of the car you seemed a little bit shaken by the way that all ended, and it was very, very similar to what happened at Talladega. How do we stop this from happening?

Tony Stewart: I don’t know. You know, I’m not shaken by it. It doesn’t matter who it is, you just don’t want a race to be decided like that. You know, it’s hard work that gets these cars to the racetrack, and you know, it’s just a bad situation.

It’s not bad because we’re put in a bad position. It just is what it is. But nobody I guess I just don’t feel as much gratification from winning this race as I probably should, I guess, just because I don’t like the way the outcome happened. I don’t like if we didn’t win the race, we didn’t earn it. But I don’t want any part of earning a race because the guy that was leading the race got wrecked.

I don’t know that we did anything wrong. I mean, I’ve seen replays of it, and he’s protecting his position, which he’s got to do. I mean, that’s what he has to do as a driver. He can’t just sit there and let us make a move like that and not try to defend it. But it puts him, it puts us, it put Kasey Kahne behind him in a bad position where it drove Kyle’s car all the way up to Kasey’s windshield.

It’s a product of the racing, like Darian said. But it still doesn’t I guess tomorrow I might be happier about it.

I worked really good with Kyle all day long and Kyle was the guy that I chose to have restart behind me all day, and we worked really well together.

You know, you don’t want to see a guy that’s you don’t want to see anybody, but you don’t want to see somebody that ran up front all day lose that many spots and lose an opportunity to win because of an accident like that coming to the checkered flag.

Q: Is this still a product of the yellow line, and is that still the issue out here?

Tony Stewart: No. We didn’t go down to the yellow line. The yellow line had nothing to do with it. We still had room to the outside to play with. That’s why I’m saying the yellow line didn’t even come into play. It wasn’t a factor. We had room to go below, and we had a lot of room to go above. The yellow line wasn’t at all an issue with it.

Q: How were the track conditions following the flood from a couple months ago?

Tony Stewart: It was dry. Much different from the flood. It was polar opposite, actually. Kind of the same as it normally is July 4th when we come here. It’s not been under water yet when we’ve come. Have you been here July 4 in a Cup race? Have they not said it’s been slick here in July? Pretty much the same thing.

Q: You talked about how you kept picking Kyle Busch to restart in front of. Did you expect at some point that he was going to try something, and did you just figure it was going to be he was going to wait until the last possible moment?

Tony Stewart: The good thing was that every time we got in line, and two thirds of the time Denny beat me on the outside, but the biggest factor we thought was keeping the Gibbs cars split up because they were really strong together and we figured we had a better shot splitting them up. If you can stay in the top two or three cars, even if you get beat on a restart, you don’t really overreact until the end, and we figured with teammates being such a factor at restrictor plate races we had no choice but to take that bottom line and split those two guys up even though we had Jimmie that lined up on the outside. Denny Hamlin’s car I think was the fastest car all night in my opinion, and we had to keep those guys separated, I thought, to give us a reasonable shot to have a shot at it at the end of the race.

Q: Tony, what happened on the next to last lap when Kyle got wrecked? Denny said that he just thought that you just slowed down dramatically in 3 and 4 that something might have happened that allowed Kyle

Tony Stewart: Nothing happened, but you’re right. We slowed down just trying not to get too big a gap, and I timed it wrong and that gave him a chance to get around us. It was just a mistake on my part. He had been setting that move up for a couple laps, and I tried not to give him too much of a gap to get a run like that, and I slowed myself down too much to protect my spot. It was a mistake on my part that gave him enough of a shot to get a big run on the outside like that.

Q: Tony, it seems like you’re being kind of hard on yourself. Do you have any doubt that anyone in that circumstance wouldn’t have handled that the way that was done?

Tony Stewart: No, not necessarily. I just don’t like it to end that way. You know, you work hard to get to this level and you don’t want to see races decided by guys wrecking coming to the finish line. I mean, that’s not what it’s about. I don’t know that I’m maybe I am being hard on myself, I don’t know. But I just don’t like the way that ended up.

It’s nobody’s fault, it’s just racing. I mean, it’s a product of the environment. It doesn’t mean the environment is bad, it just means that’s the way it is. Like I said, he did what he had to do, and he defended his spot and we held our it wasn’t even that we tried to hold our ground, we just got on his quarter panel, and that’s just how you suck up. As soon as he moved, I didn’t anticipate him moving, and went across the nose.

But no matter like I said, even if it’s 100 percent his fault, I still won’t feel good about it. I think racers hold the integrity of the sport in mind, and it was a good race, it was a good race all night long as far as guys moving around. There was a pack of cars that were definitely the strongest cars all day, and we were one of those cars, and we deserved to have a shot at it at the end. But it doesn’t mean that you still have to the outcome may go your way, but it doesn’t mean that you have to like how it happened.

Q: Have you mellowed out with ownership or aged? We keep waiting for a blowup or something crazy to come out of your mouth. I feel like Tony of past might have been like, you know, get over it, stop whining, this is how it is. Instead, you’re this way. I don’t know, are you all grown up?

Tony Stewart: God, let’s hope not. I don’t want to disappoint you guys that much. I want to try to help out with as many good articles as I can.

I don’t know, the last couple years it just seems like we seem to get it a little more and we pick our battles a little differently. I think honestly owning a racetrack and owning race teams has been a really big part of helping me understand the big picture. You know, I guess it was probably inevitable I would grow out of this phase a little bit.

You know, I don’t know. I still enjoy the same things, I just don’t get as riled up, and I don’t know why that is, either. I’m kind of glad. Now with that, hopefully you guys will let me put the past behind me hopefully. I mean, there’s nothing I can do about what I’ve done before, and I think I’ve paid long enough. Hopefully we can move on from it.

I’m enjoying my new role, I’m enjoying being an owner. I thoroughly love the guys I’m with. I mean, I’ve always loved the guys I’m with, but it’s fun having a new group of guys and a young group that, some of these guys, three times now they’ve got to experience victory lane for their first time this year.

You know, it’s kind of neat to be in that position. But I’ve still got the same passions and dreams and desires, maybe there’s just not the low sides that go with it anymore.

Q: Tony, when you’re coming out of 4 and there’s contact like that, are you aware of where the finish line is or even thinking about that, or are you just concerned with keeping your car pointed in the right direction?

Tony Stewart: I was kind of surprised at where we came out of that ordeal, not necessarily with the lead but the direction we were pointed. It really easily could have taken us out of a chance to win the race, too.

You know, it happened so quick and he went across the nose so fast, and the next thing we know we’re pointed at the line. I’m assuming Jimmie ran second to us. I have no idea where he was at, if he was even close to passing us. I didn’t see that far. Every replay I’ve watched so far, when we did the SPEED interviews I was watching happened to Kyle and Kasey running into him. I really didn’t see the very end of it like that.

But I guess you just know you can’t the one thing I learned from Ryan, when Ryan had his wreck at Talladega at the last lap, he said the one thing he knew is even when he made contact with Carl is that he had to hold it wide open because he knew he could slide to the finish line, and that’s something that gave him I think he finished third out of that, and that’s the one thing that I remembered was that he said he just never lifted and never checked up, and with that, that’s why he was able to salvage the finish that he had.

So it was kind of my mindset once it happened was just don’t get out of the gas.

Q: You’ve always been a guy that when something like this happens you try to talk to the guy either immediately or soon afterwards. You or Kyle, has either one of you tried to reach each other through text or phones?

Tony Stewart: I haven’t had my phone yet. I’ve been in victory lane and in here to meet you guys’ deadlines.

Q: Knowing Kyle because you were teammates, how do you feel like he’s feeling right now?

Tony Stewart: I don’t know. Has he not been to the media center yet? Or did he come to the media center? I mean, I’ll talk to him. I don’t know at what point this week. It probably won’t be tomorrow since tomorrow is kind of an off day and all of us cherish having a Sunday off like this.

But that is important to me. It is important to talk to him about it. His opinion matters to me. So yeah, it will happen. I mean, I’ll have that conversation, I just don’t know when it’ll be.

Q: Darian, you guys were seven for seven on pit stops tonight which Tony talked a little bit about. The 11 was complaining a little bit that maybe you guys were getting it based on your pit stall selection, but I know you guys will probably say you worked for it and earned it. Can you just talk a little bit about how did you put a team together that was able to do this in this short a time and come out of here seven for seven?

Darian Grubb: It’s honestly just hard work, bringing Joe Piette in as a pit coach, those guys have worked so hard. They’ve had some small issues here and there, but they’ve improved every single week on those. They just haven’t stopped working. Yes, the No. 1 pit stall did help us, but there were very few times that we didn’t have at least a car length by the time we crossed that line. I don’t think that was the determining factor. We had really good pit stops, really good smooth stops. They never missed an adjustment.

We did everything we needed to do to make the car fast and get Tony out there first. Him leaving the box, he did a great job getting in and a great job getting out.

It’s a whole package put together. The guys have been together for a while now. They were with the original 66 crew with Haas CNC. We’ve made a few changes to that and they’ve just gotten better ever since.

The Moderator: Thank you, guys, and congratulations.
[nichemate]0,1,6,’Tony Stewart’,,US,,,,,,,,1[/nichemate]

Tony Stewarts Pole Winning Interview

SmokinNews — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:25:02 +0000

TONY STEWART, driving the No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet for the first time this year will start on the pole Saturday night as qualifying was again rained out. Here’s the post-qualifying interview.:

WITH QUALIFYING CANCELED CAN YOU JUST TALK ABOUT HOW YOUR CAR WAS IN PRACTICE YESTERDAY AND YOUR THOUGHTS HEADING INTO THE RACE?

“I’m excited about it and I think handling is always a big issue here at Daytona so that is what makes racing here so much fun is because it’s a handing issue and it’s not just necessarily strategy of being in the right place at the right time as much as you have to have a good, balanced car to get to the front and stay at the front.

“So I am excited about it and we have got different colors with the Burger King paint scheme on the car this weekend and I am excited to get out there tomorrow.”

DALE EARNHARDT JUNIOR CAME IN HERE A BIT AGO AND HE SAID THE REASON THAT HE LIKES THE 400 VERSUS THE 500 IS THE PAGEANTRY AND EVERYTHING WITH SPEEDWEEKS JUST SEEMS TO GO ON FOREVER, AND THIS ONE IS WHERE YOU JUST COME IN AND RACE. DO YOU AGREE?

“It’s like a typical weekend. It’s no different than any other weekend really and it’s only the Daytona 500 where we have ten days in here so that does make Daytona in February different than here in July obviously but it’s still three days here and you still spend the same amount of time you do at any other race track but it’s nice. I mean the format of today of just qualifying on Saturday and being able to impound is nice and we got all of our work done last night and we all come in and we’re supposed to qualify today and race tomorrow so it kind of gives us all a day to kind of relax and get ready.

THIS IS YOUR THIRD POLE IN THE LAST FIVE RACES AND ALL OF THEM BY RAIN. DOES THIS ONE MEAN LESS THAN POCONO AND NEW HAMPSHIRE?

“I don’t know how to answer that honestly. It’s still a pole due to rain so we’re still going to start the race on the pole tomorrow.”

BUT MEANING IT’S EASIER TO GO UP AND BACK AS OPPOSED TO POCONO.

“I don’t know that it would matter that much here then if it’s that much easier. It really doesn’t matter anyway. I mean if you have got a good enough car then Pocono is an example that at a Cup race that if your car is good enough to get to the front then you can do it from dead last and it doesn’t matter if you start on the pole or not. I mean the advantage is it gives us a good pit selection and that is what helps. Other than that it’s really not an issue.”