Ryan Newman, No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger - Gatorade Duels Advance
NNCS Notes (Gatorade Duels):
a.. Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, will make his sixth appearance in the Gatorade Duels at Daytona International Speedway. The Duels help determine the lineup for Sunday’s Daytona 500. Newman will start 13th in the second Duel.
b.. Starting in the 13th position gives Newman his best start in the
Gatorade Duels since he began racing full-time in the Cup Series in 2002.
His average start in the race is 17.2.
c.. Two years ago, Newman had his best finish in the Duels with a fourth
place. Newman has an 11.2 average finish in the Duels.
d.. Newman has completed 100 percent of the laps he has run in the
Gatorade Duels - 274. Newman has earned three top 10s and one top five in
the past five Duel races.
e.. Mike Nelson, crew chief of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, and the Alltel
team will race chassis PRS-99 in the 2007 Gatorade Duels. This chassis was
last used at Talladega Superspeedway in May 2006. Newman qualified 18th and
finished 33rd.
Newman on the Gatorade Duels: “We’re not the best qualifiers at Daytona,
but once we get into the race, we can go straight to the front and stay
there. The Gatorade Duels give us the opportunity to start the 500 in a
good position based on how we race on Thursday. We knew we weren’t going to
have the pole for the 500, but we have the chance to get a top-10 starting
position if we stay out of trouble during the Duels and race our way to the
front of the field.”
Quick Stats:
Gatorade Duels: 5 Races
Led/Laps Led: N/A
Best Starting Position: 15 (2006) Best Finishing
Position: 4 (2005)
2006 Start: 15 2006
Finish: 9