Newman’s previous visit to the 1.058-mile oval led to a two-for-two weekend, winning both Modified and Sprint Cup pole positions and the races. Unfortunately, the Modified win was taken away and awarded to Todd Szegedy and the No. 2 team. Additionally, Ryan’s car owner Kevin (Bono) Manion was sidelined for the remainder of the season.

“New Hampshire has been on my mind since we won and lost the last race,” said Newman. “The trophy wasn’t just taken away from Bono and the guys; it was taken away from everyone who puts sponsorship money into the team. There was no way I wasn’t coming back here in a Modified. I would say winning Bristol in August solidified things – we don’t need to cheat to win.”

Newman, who started from the pole in July, returns this weekend in the Marcy Putnam owned No. 77 Modified sponsored by Aggressive Hydraulics and Menards. Gary Putnam will be on top of the box to get Newman in contention.

“I’m expecting to have a good race, and along with that, I would like to get the win and actually keep it this time,” Newman chuckled. “I think the girls back at the office jinxed me because they had all the victory lane photos printed for me to sign when I got back to ship out to the sponsors. All kidding aside, New Hampshire is a great track to race at and so much fun in a modified car. They run so fast that the race is over before you know it. Gary (Putnam) is calling the shots for us. He got us a win at Bristol, so he’ll do a good job on Saturday. We just need to keep our nose clean and stay up front.”

Live coverage of Saturday’s race will be on SPEED beginning at 1:00 pm.

TALK ABOUT THE FIRST HALF OF THE SEASON AND YOUR THOUGHTS MOVING INTO THE SECOND HALF.
“We’ve had a good run at the first half. Just like any other team I would say we didn’t capitalize on some of the things that we’re fully capable of. Those are the things we need to fix for the second half obviously. I’m just really proud to be where we are. We had a good start to the season and a good opening three or four races which was the first time we had that at Stewart-Haas and just to come into Loudon here, one of my better race tracks stats wise and a place we’ve always run well at is something we are all looking forward to. We need to get the U.S. Army its first win at Stewart-Haas racing, no better place. A lot of first have happened for me here at Loudon and this would be good timing.”

I KNOW YOU ARE ALWAYS GOING OUT FOR A WIN BUT DO YOU FEEL ANY EXTRA PRESSURE TO GET ONE WIN JUST IN CASE THE WILDCARD SITUATION BECOMES NECESSARY FOR YOU?
“I’ve said the last few weeks because we’ve been ninth, 10^th in points we are in the best, worst place we could be because we’re in right now but we’re very vulnerable. Because of the single-race winners this year that will change the dynamic of the points. Last year we were that one-race win team that would have made it with this year’s type of points system. So yeah, there’s a lot of emphasis we’re putting on it. Not necessarily because of the points but yeah we want to win. That’s just an added bonus the way the points system works this year.”

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE WHELEN MODIFIED SERIES RACE THAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK AND WHY ARE YOU SO SUCCESSFUL?
“I enjoy the race. I enjoy the 100-lapper part of it. I really enjoy the race cars and the way those guys race here. I got to experience the Whelen Modified at New Smyrna and Bristol, a couple of race tracks but they’re a lot of fun here the way they draft and they way you have to work in the corners. The groove actually is quite a bit different for the modified than it is the Cup cars. Working with Bono and those guys, Gary Putnam they do a really good job putting a great car together. We’ve got aggressive hydraulics on the car, Menards and ECR built a great engine for it. It’s just an opportunity for us to come up and do one of the things we love, is race without the stress. We’ve won and we’ve not won here so we’ll just go out and try it again.

DO YOU SEE ANY FRUSTRATION FROM YOUR BOSS AS A DRIVER WHEN YOU GO BACK AND HAVE TEAM MEETINGS, HE’S SUPPOSED TO COME ON IN THE SUMMERTIME AND THAT HASN’T QUITE HAPPENED YET, DO YOU SEE A SENSE OF FRUSTRATION IN TONY OR IS HE OKAY TO DEAL WITH WHEN HE’S NOT RACING?
“He’s always been okay to deal with. I think yes he is frustrated for that matter I’m ahead of him in points and I’m frustrated. I understand it and I understand our competitive nature not amongst each other but amongst our situation in the points. That’s what drives us, that’s what makes us better. That’s what makes us better teammates and a better organization, to not be okay with where we are at now. Ultimately we want to be first and second

in either order so yeah, I’m sure he’s frustrated. This is crunch time and this has usually been his time but it hasn’t been this year as you stated. That’s going to happen from time to time. Everything does cycle but you don’t want to see that part of the cycle when it’s your teammate.”

Ryan earned the modified sweep for 2010 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, winning both poles and both races this season behind the wheel of team owner Kevin “Bono” Manion’s No. 7 Aggressive Hydraulics/ Menards Chevrolet.

With just three laps to go Newman lost the lead to 2008 pole sitter Doug Coby but quickly took it back to get his third checkered flag this season in NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour. Newman admits his right rear tire wouldn’t have made it another lap, and was glad to see the checkered flag.

“We had a great racecar,” said Newman. “I can’t say enough about the team. These are Cup guys but don’t get me wrong, they’re modified guys at heart. Most of them are from up north. I’m just proud to be part of this team.”

Jimmy Blewett took second place driving his No. 14 Ling Trucking/ Atlantic Sprinkler Chevrolet. This is Blewett’s third top-five finish at “The Magic Mile.”

Fan favorite Mike Stefanik driver of the No. 16 Diversifield Metals/ R.B. Enterprises Pontiac came in third making this his 33rd top-five finish and his 47th top-10 finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

A veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor, Newman laid down a fast lap of 29.457 seconds (129.300 mph) in Thursday’s qualifying for his third career Whelen Modified Tour pole. All three have come at New Hampshire.

Newman won the pole and the race in the Whelen Modified Tour’s first visit to the “Magic Mile” in June, and followed that with a victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in August. His third and final moonlight appearance in the Tour in 2010 will be in Saturday’s F.W. Webb 100, which will air on SPEED at 1 p.m.

Todd Szegedy was second fastest in qualifying at 29.799 (127.816) followed by Ryan Preece at 29.817 (127.739). Szegedy will look for his second career win at New Hampshire while Preece will strive for his first after podium efforts in three of his last four races at the 1.058-mile facility.

Points leader Bobby Santos, Ed Flemke Jr., Mike Stefanik, Chuck Hossfeld, Eric Goodale, Erick Rudolph and defending race winner Ron Silk round out the top 10 qualifiers.

Saturday’s F.W. Webb 100 is scheduled to take the green flag at 12:45 p.m., and the SPEED broadcast will begin on a 15-minute tape delay.

Driving the No. 7 Aggressive Hydraulics/Menards Chevrolet owned by New England native Kevin “Bono” Manion, Newman turned a lap time of 29.663 seconds at a top speed of 128.402 mph.

This will be Newman’s fourth consecutive Whelen Modified Tour start at NHMS. Newman won the pole in his first-ever Modified event at the speedway in 2008, however lady luck has not served him well since; he finished 34th at last June’s event, but bounced back with an eighth-place finish during the Sylvania 300 weekend in September.

“This is the best race of the weekend. You get to see the cars bump and draft,” said Ryan Newman. “It’s such a fun race to drive.”

Bobby Santos of Franklin, Mass. qualified in the second position with a time of 29.778 seconds, at a top speed of 127.907 mph, behind the wheel of the No. 4 “Mystic Missile” Dodge.

The Whelen Modified Tour New England 100 will be on Saturday, June 26, at 1:00 p.m.

Tickets are still available for the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 weekend. Please call our Ticket Hotline at (603) 783-4931 or visit the speedway online at www.nhms.com.

The win was proof that the young driver, who had climbed through the open-wheel ranks and was known for turning a quick lap in qualifying, had what it took to win in NASCAR’s elite series. The victory was emotional for Newman and his family, as all had worked and sacrificed for years so that Newman could follow his dream into NASCAR.

It was the first of 14 Sprint Cup wins for the 2001 Purdue University graduate, and the first of two at New Hampshire.

The second victory came three years later in September 2005. Newman, who had narrowly squeaked into the inaugural Chase for the Championship, used pit strategy to gain the lead late in the race after starting 13th. In the closing laps, he dueled with now team owner and teammate Tony Stewart for the lead. Newman passed Stewart with two laps remaining and held on to take the win, renewing Newman’s hopes for a run at the championship.

In addition to those very big wins, Newman has recorded four poles, five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 16 races at New Hampshire. In fact, Newman has finished outside of the top-15 just four times.

Entering this weekend’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301, Newman is 15th in points, 82 points back of the 12th-place cutoff for the Chase for the Championship. With 10 races remaining before the Chase begins, New Hampshire could be just the place for Newman and his No. 39 Haas Automation team to stir up a little magic of their own, just like they did earlier this season at Phoenix International Raceway.

At Phoenix – another flat, 1-mile oval – Newman ran in the top-10 for most of the race. A bold pit call by crew chief Tony Gibson on the final caution of the night put Newman in position to capture the win. On the final restart, Newman took the lead from four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon and held onto the top spot for the final two laps to score the No. 39 team’s first victory.

It was a magical moment for Newman and his team, and one they would like to repeat.

This weekend, at the track where he scored his first point-paying Sprint Cup victory, Newman will pilot Chassis No. 39-536 – the same chassis that he drove to victory at Phoenix.

Is there kismet or karma in Sprint Cup racing? Absolutely. And Newman & Company have it, plus the preparation and the expertise to make more magic happen this weekend in New Hampshire.

RYAN NEWMAN, Driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing:
What are your thoughts on racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway?
“New Hampshire is really unique. They’ve made some great improvements to the racetrack. They’ve added some banking and they’ve added some racetrack for us to use, so in my opinion, the racing is the best it has ever been there. It used to be a one-groove racetrack, but that has changed thanks to the improvements they’ve made. More than anything, this is a track-position race because it’s a flat track. It’s a fun place to race and, obviously, it’s been very special to me because it was where I got my first point-paying win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. And I think I battled pretty hard with Tony (Stewart) to win the race back in 2005, too.

“The Haas Automation team has really excelled on the short tracks over the past two years. This season, we got top-10s at Martinsville and Richmond, and we won earlier in the year at Phoenix. We’re actually coming to New Hampshire this weekend with the same car we won with in Phoenix, which is pretty cool. Last year at this race, we had the right strategy. It just wasn’t our day. We stayed out and waited on the rain and ended up running out of fuel right when that rain came. So maybe the track owes me one. I’ve had a lot of success at Loudon in both qualifying and the race, and I’m really confident this is going to be a good weekend for the No. 39 team.”

What do you remember about your first win, which came at New Hampshire in 2002?
“We had won the All-Star Race at Charlotte in May that year. I was a rookie, so that was a big deal, but we were still looking for our first point-paying win. We finally got it at New Hampshire in September, and it was a rain-shortened race. That’s one part of racing. They never put it (rain-shortened) on the trophy. They do put it in the record books, but the trophy is what we take home. You won the race. It doesn’t say how many laps it was. It doesn’t say who finished second. It just says that you were the best on that day. There are different ways to win a race, but there are a few things that help you get that first win. You’ve got to be in the right place at the right time. You’ve got to use strategy. You’ve got to have a fast racecar. You’ve got to do all those things right, or close to right.”

This weekend, you’re running in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Race. You’ve done that for the past few years at New Hampshire. What is your goal with that race?
“Just to have fun, that is goal. That’s what I’m here for the whole weekend, but the Modifieds – those racecars – are such a blast to drive. It seems like they go faster in the corners than they do on the straightaways, and that is what a driver likes to feel. It’s a great series, has a lot of great drivers in it. I’m just looking forward to it. I had always wanted to race a Modified and, a couple of years ago when Bono (Kevin Manion) and Gary (Putnam) gave me the chance in their car, I jumped at the opportunity. We’ve run okay. We’ve won the pole here before and I’ve actually felt like we had a pretty good shot at winning one year, but we got caught up in an on-track incident. But I’ve had a lot of fun in the 7NY Aggressive Hydraulics car. It is a different kind of race than we have here in the Cup car because we can bump draft so much. Here in the Cup cars, you really can’t draft. It’s just about passing and it’s more of a track-position race. With the Modifieds, it seems like you can do a little bit more racing and a little bit more passing.”

TONY GIBSON, Crew Chief of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing:
What are the keys to racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway?
“Track position is everything. Tires aren’t as important there as they are at some of the other tracks just because of the tire they take, and the pavement. Handling-wise, rolling through the center is really critical. Tight in the center makes you loose off the corners. So rolling through the center and track position are really the two key things. If you can roll through the center any good, and find yourself at the right place at the end of the race with your track position, you’ll be just fine.”

The No. 39 team is taking the same car it won with at Phoenix to New Hampshire this weekend. Are their similarities between Phoenix and New Hampshire, or with other short tracks where you have run so well in the past? Does taking a proven racecar – one that has won – give the team extra confidence heading into the weekend?
“Really, turns three and four at Phoenix are similar to Loudon. It’s not quite as tight at Phoenix as it is at Loudon, but the banking and the way you approach the corner is the same. So, that’s the reason we decided to take that car with a similar setup. It kind of suits that style of racetrack. It’s a good little racecar. We ran it last year at Richmond and ran really well with it. We just figured we have a good track record with that car, and we need a couple of good runs here to move up in the points, so we’re just going to take our best bullets to the racetrack and see how it shakes out.

“I do think that taking a car that has run well in the past, or has won a race like this car did at Phoenix, gives you some more confidence. I think it helps the driver, too. I think it helps him mentally, knowing that it’s a good racecar for him and that it has a good track record. He feels comfortable with it. And that’s half the battle – knowing that you have a car you believe in that has been good to you.”

It’s officially the Race to the Chase as there are 10 events to go until the Chase for the Championship. Right now, the No. 39 team sits 82 points out of 12th-place. Is it gut-check time for this team, and what is the focus like?
“It’s here. It’s game on. We’ve got to make it happen. Basically, there are three of us who really seem to be fighting it out for one spot, and someone’s going to get knocked out. We’re going to do everything we can to get ourselves back in there. We haven’t had too good of luck the last couple of weeks, but we do have some good tracks coming up, so we’ll just have to see what happens. We just have to do everything we can to take advantage of where we run well and capitalize on it and get ourselves back in that top-12.

“It’s like we’ve said for the past two years – we never give up, we never quit. Ryan’s the kind of fighter this whole team has been since we came together last year. And if you ever put us in a position at the end of the race to try to make something happen, we’ll be right there. We would like to already have our spot locked into the Chase, but we don’t. It’s really close, points-wise. You could go backward just as easily as you can go forward, and I think we are going to see that happen every week right up until the Chase starts. We just need to be solid each and every weekend, have top-10 finishes and put some pressure on the guys in front of us.”

This will be Newman’s fourth consecutive Whelen Modified Tour start at NHMS. Newman won the pole in his first-ever Modified event at the speedway in 2008, however lady luck has not served him well since; he finished 34th at last June’s event, but bounced back with an eighth-place finish during the Sylvania 300 weekend in September.

“I have really had a blast racing the Modified. I got my first chance in the car at New Hampshire in 2008, and we were able to get the pole,” said Newman. “We had a great run going in the race. We led laps and then had a problem early with a flat tire, but we moved back up toward the front of the field. Unfortunately, we got caught up in an on-track accident and didn’t get the finish we had hoped to get — we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’ve run a few more times since then. We won at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway, and I haven’t had the best of luck at New Hampshire or at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway when I ran there last year, but I have had a lot of fun.”

Newman and the stars of NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour will be in action at the New England 100 on Saturday, June 26. Tickets are available at www.nhms.com or by calling (603) 783-4931.

During August race week, the 31-year-old NASCAR Sprint Cup star again will be making his mark at BMS, while also etching his name in the NASCAR record books as he makes history by competing in NASCAR’s top three divisions, as well as the Whelen Modified Series, at the same track in the same week.

Newman will start his marathon during the wildly popular August race week at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile with the UNOH Perfect Storm 150 Whelen Modified race and the O’Reilly 200 Camping World Truck Series event Wednesday, Aug. 19. On Friday, Aug. 21 he will compete in the Food City 250 Nationwide Series event and run the final leg, the Sharpie 500 Sprint Cup Series race, Saturday, Aug. 22.

When totaled, Newman stands to make an astounding 1,100 laps, traveling more than 586 miles around the .533-mile oval over three nights and could be in the seat for more than seven hours. It will definitely be a challenge, one Newman is looking forward to meeting.

“It is going to be a challenge to compete in all four races, but I am really looking forward to it. It’s a lot of miles, a lot of laps,” said Newman. “I have done the Nationwide and Cup races on the back-to-back nights in August before, and that can be difficult. Throw in the Truck and the Modified race on Wednesday, and it’s like I am running a second Cup race there. So, I know it is not going to be easy.

“I know it’s going to be hot and sticky at Bristol. And always, Bristol is a very physically demanding track. I will have to be sure to stay hydrated and loose, and Bristol is as much a mental racetrack as a physical one. It’s going to be fun and a challenge and I’m looking forward to it. I just hope that I can put on a good show for all of my sponsors and all of the fans out there who will be supporting me.”

The fact that he will be making history by competing in all four events isn’t lost on Newman.

“It’s an honor to be the first NASCAR driver to run in all four Series in one weekend,” he said. “Being the first to do this wasn’t really my goal when I decided that I wanted to compete in all the races at Bristol, but it is pretty cool to have that recognition. For me, it’s just about racing and having a good time and hopefully having some really good finishes along the way.”

Newman began thinking about going for the Bristol grand slam back in early March.

“I’m not sure how this whole deal really came together,” he said. “When I was in Bristol earlier this year, we were talking about how I was running the Modified, Truck and Sprint Cup race in August; and someone said it would be really cool if I could find a car and compete in the Nationwide race, too. I thought about it, and was like ‘Yeah, that would be pretty cool.’ So, a lot of people started working on trying to get a Nationwide ride for me.

“Luckily, Scott Wimmer, Fastenal and JR Motorsports, were willing to trade races so that I could drive the No. 5 car at Bristol, and I really appreciate that. They have given me an incredible opportunity and I can’t thank them enough. Hopefully, I can get a win for them in the Nationwide race on Saturday at Bristol as a way to thank them.”

Newman’s success at BMS during the August race week, could also mean some big money for a lucky fan. Should Newman win all four races, one lucky fan will pocket the same amount he would win in purse money – approximately $400,000. To enter, fans should visit the BMS website at www.bristolmotorspeedway.com.
[nichemate]0,1,6,’Ryan Newma’,,US,,,,,,,,1[/nichemate]

For Newman the competitive racecar driver, a trip to New Hampshire could be just what he needs to rejuvenate himself and reinvigorate his No. 39 Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) team. Newman and the team have shown their prowess at three other short tracks this season, and the 1.058-mile New Hampshire flat track is yet another place where the team looks forward to exhibiting its strong short-track program once more.

Earlier this season, it was the short-track races that breathed life into Newman and his No. 39 Haas Automation/U.S. Army team. A trip to the half-mile Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Martinsville (Va.) Speedway ovals yielded the team’s first two top-10 finishes of the 2009 season with seventh- and sixth-place finishes, respectively. Then, the race at the three-quarter-mile Richmond (Va.) International Raceway resulted in a fourth-place effort and was one of a string of four consecutive top-five finishes for Newman.

With the team currently sitting sixth in points, Newman hopes that the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 will be the starting point for yet another string of top-10 finishes as NASCAR embarks on the 10-week “Race to the Chase” at New Hampshire this weekend.

New Hampshire has been a special track for Newman in his career. In 14 starts at Loudon, Newman has four poles, five top-five, nine top-10 finishes and two very big wins.

In September 2002, the rookie Sprint Cup driver scored his first point-paying victory at the flat track. The South Bend, Ind., native started from the pole position and dominated the rain-shortened race, leading 143 of 207 laps.

The win was proof that the young driver who had climbed through the open-wheel ranks and was known for turning a quick lap in qualifying had what it took to win in NASCAR’s elite series. The victory was emotional for both Newman and his family, who had worked and sacrificed for years so that Newman could follow his dream into NASCAR. It was the first of 13 Sprint Cup wins for Newman, and his first of two at New Hampshire.

His second victory at the track came in September 2005. That victory renewed Newman’s hopes for a championship run. Newman, who had barely squeaked into the first Chase for the Championship, used pit strategy to gain the lead late in the race after starting 13th. In the final laps, he dueled with now team owner and teammate Tony Stewart for the lead. With two laps remaining, Newman passed Stewart and held on to take the win.

Now, Newman is in search of another special weekend at New Hampshire. After scoring six consecutive top-10 finishes, the No. 39 team has finished 23rd and 17th in the past two races (Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn and Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., respectively).

As he returns to a track where he has celebrated triumphs in his career, Newman hopes his No. 39 team’s earlier short-track success will carry over to this weekend’s race at the 1.058-mile oval. Newman hopes to revive his team’s solid runs and begin yet another string of top-10 finishes, but more than that, he would like for New Hampshire to be the locale for another Newman milestone – his first win for SHR.

[nichemate]0,1,2,’Ryan Newman’,,US,,,,,,,,1[/nichemate]

RYAN NEWMAN, Driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation /U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala SS for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What do you remember about your first win, which came at New Hampshire in 2002?

“We had won the All-Star Race at Charlotte in May that year. I was a rookie, so that was a big deal, but we were still looking for our first point-paying win. We finally got it in New Hampshire in September, and it was a rain-shortened race. That’s one part of racing. They never put it (rain-shortened) on the trophy. They do put it in the record books, but the trophy is what we take home. You won the race. It doesn’t say how many laps it was. It doesn’t say who finished second. It just says that you were the best on that day. There are different ways to win a race, but there are a few things that help you get that first win. You’ve got to be in the right place at the right time. You’ve got to use strategy. You’ve got to have a fast racecar. You’ve got to do all those things right, or close to right.”

What are your thoughts on racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway?

“New Hampshire is really unique. I feel like they have made some great improvements to the racetrack in the past. They have added some banking and they have added some racetrack for us to use, so in my opinion, the racing is the best that it has ever been there. It used to be a one-groove racetrack, but that has changed thanks to the improvements they have made. I think, more than anything, this is a track-position race because it’s a flat track. And the double-file restarts will make the race even more interesting. It’s a fun place to race and, obviously, it has been very special to me because it was where I got my first point-paying win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. And I think I battled pretty hard with Tony (Stewart) to win the race back in 2005, too.

“The Haas Automation team has really excelled on the short tracks this season, and New Hampshire is another one where I think we should have success. We got top-10s at Bristol, Martinsville and Richmond, and I feel like we would have had a better finish at Phoenix had we not had the radio complications that we did. These last two races (Michigan and Infineon) haven’t been the finishes we wanted, but I think we will be able to get back on track and get another solid top-10 finish at New Hampshire this weekend. I’ve had a lot of success at New Hampshire in both qualifying and the race, and I’m hoping to continue that trend with my Stewart-Haas team. I’m really confident this is going to be a good weekend for the No. 39 team.

“For me, personally, I like the area just as much as I do the racetrack. It’s just a fun place to hang out. We’ve always enjoyed Lake Winnipesaukee and there is some great fishing in the area, too. So, I have a good time whenever I go to New Hampshire.”

A lot of people believe that you and the No. 39 team are knocking on victory’s door. They are saying that you are one of the next teams to get a win. Does the pressure grow as races go by and a driver hasn’t won, yet?

“I think you are fooling yourself if you say there isn’t any pressure to win and that it doesn’t grow, at times. Yes, in my opinion the pressure grows, but to me it isn’t bad. It isn’t destructive pressure for you or the team. It’s just internal pressure to keep trying to achieve that goal. It’s not like you can try any harder to get the job done. You’re doing that each and every lap, each and every week. From a team standpoint, you try and fix what maybe needs to be fixed, whether it’s a pit stop that’s hurting them, whether it’s the car and they’re not leading laps, or whether it is strategy and not putting themselves in the position to win. It’s not a trial and error process. It’s a methodical answer that you’re trying to achieve based upon what you’re lacking.

“I agree that our team is knocking on the door of winning. And like I have told the team several times, if we keep doing what we’re doing and putting ourselves in the position to win, then we will get what we want. The past two races (Michigan and Sonoma) haven’t been our best races. We’ve had some problems, but we have been able to recover from any issues that we had during the race and get a decent finish in the end, when we could have come out much worse than what we did. That’s what’s important when we are looking at the big picture and having a chance to make the Chase for the Championship. That’s something I’m proud of with this team. Yes, we want to win, and I believe we will. ”

You have a very busy weekend on tap. You are racing a Winged-Midget at Lee Speedway in Lee, N.H., on Friday night, and then you are competing in the NASCAR Whelen Modified race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday. Talk a little about your extra-curricular racing this weekend in New Hampshire.

“To me, this weekend is something I have really been looking forward to. People always say that racers will race anything, anytime. And I guess that’s true. I have never driven a Winged-Midget, and it’s been a while since I have been in a Midget, so I’m looking forward to the race at Lee (N.H.) Speedway. The car is very similar to what I drove back in my USAC days, and the owner, Tim Bertrand, called me the other day and told me the car was a rocket ship. So, I guess that means the pressure is on. It will be fun to get back to my roots and some short-track, Friday-night racing, and I’m sure it will be a challenge because I’m competing with some really good drivers.

“As far as the Modified race, I got my first chance in the car last year at New Hampshire, and we were able to get the pole. We had a great run going in the race. We led laps and then had a problem early with a flat tire, but we moved back up toward the front of the field. Unfortunately, we got caught up in an on-track accident and didn’t get the finish we had hoped to get. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hopefully, we can change that this time around. I had always wanted to race a Modified, and when Bono (Kevin Manion) and Gary (Putnam) gave me the chance in their car, I jumped at the opportunity. We were able to bring Aggressive Hydraulics on board for a few races this season, and we won in our first outing with them at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway during Speedweeks. It was a really exciting race and a very close finish at the end. I was honored to come out of there with the win, considering the great Modified drivers we were battling in the final laps. Any racer will tell you that, when they get the chance to race, they are going to, so I’m looking forward to getting back into the Modified at New Hampshire this weekend. I have good equipment, and I have some more experience in the car, so I am excited about Saturday’s race.”
[nichemate]0,1,4,’Ryan Newman’,,US,,,,,,,,1[/nichemate]

“Unfortunately, the 77 car (Sam Hornish Jr.) just got in the back of me and just flat spun me around,” Newman said. “It didn’t do any damage to the car, but it left us with a lot of ground to make up there at the end. We gave it our best, but I just got too loose there in the closing laps, which cost us a few positions.

“Our Haas Automation Chevy wasn’t the best car out there today, but I think it was better than our finish shows.”

Newman, who qualified seventh for the first road course race of the season, battled a loose-handling racecar for much of the day. He was able to run as high as second-place early in the race despite telling his team that the series of left-right-left twisting turns known as the esses were “killing” his momentum. On the team’s first pit stop which occurred under the green flag at lap 32, the pit crew made a track bar and air pressure adjustment to aid Newman’s handling problems.

He returned to the track in 37th-place and although the adjustments helped somewhat, Newman continued to complain of the loose-handling condition. Because of the issue, the team elected to pit under caution at lap 52 for fresh tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment.

Newman continued to climb the leader board and following his final stop on lap 74, appeared to be on his way to a top-10 finish before the lap 81 contact with Hornish dashed those hopes.

By the time Newman re-fired his No. 39 Chevrolet Impala SS and returned to the track, he had fallen to 36th-place in the running order with 32 laps remaining in the race.

A caution flag at lap 83 gave Newman and his team the opportunity to pit for four fresh tires following the on-track incident. Following the caution flag, a more determined Newman returned to the track to regain his lost spots. He battled and rooted his way into the top-15, avoiding numerous spins and slower cars ahead of him. By lap 103, Newman was sitting in 12th-place, however, his ever-present loose-handling condition prevented him from holding on to the position and he fell to 17th.

“Ryan drove his butt off today,” said Tony Gibson, crew chief for the No. 39 Chevrolet. “We came back from 36th-place there after the spin and had that last caution not come out, I think we would have had a top-15 finish. In the big picture, things turned out a lot better than what they could have.”

Newman’s Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate, Tony Stewart, finished second and continues to lead the SHR lineup in the championship point race, as his runner-up finish extended his championship points lead to 84 markers over second-place Jeff Gordon. Newman dropped one spot to sixth in the standings, 318 points back of Stewart.

Kasey Kahne won the Toyota/Save Mart 350k to score his 10th career victory, his first of 2009 and his first-ever road course win.

Stewart was .748 of a second behind Kahne, while Marcos Ambrose, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-five. Juan Pablo Montoya, A.J. Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Gordon and Elliott Sadler comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were seven caution periods for 20 laps, with five drivers failing to finish the 113-lap race, which was extended three laps due to a green/white/checkered finish.

Next up for Newman is the Whelen Modified Tour New England 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway next Saturday. Newman will be looking to make his second consecutive Modified Tour start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in a car owned by Sprint Cup Series crew chief Kevin Manion. Newman won the pole for the New Hampshire 100 last September at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and is expected to run both Modified Tour events this season at New Hampshire in addition to the division’s event at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 19.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the June 28 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The race begins at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 1:30 p.m.