Newman wins Phoenix

Ryan Newman has not visited victory lane on one of the short, flat tracks (Phoenix, New Hampshire, Richmond and Martinsville) in his last 37 attempts, but he had the right stuff Saturday night in the Subway Fresh Fit 600k. He got a great restart and beat Jeff Gordon back to the line.

Our View His last victory on this track type came in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire and top-fives have been hard to come by, but he rewarded his faithful fans this week.

Play Yahoo! fantasy racing

More Cup newsbreakers

Bill France Jr.: The Man Who Made Nascar

Newman wins first Martinsville practice

Ryan Newman posted the fastest speed in the first qualification session, with a speed of 96.934 mph.

Our View Last fall after failing to crack the top-10 in qualification in five straight races, Newman earned his third Martinsville pole. The Rocketman is on his way to another strong qualification.

Play Yahoo! fantasy racing

More Cup newsbreakers

Looking for something to read?

Stewart & Newman to change engines

According to @bobpockrass: Engine changes for Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart. Possible valve train issue. They will have to drop to the back for the start of the Kobalt Tools 500.

No other Hendrick cars will change engines (according to @JesseEssex). Didn't see same issues in "scope" if valve trains. #nascar

Bud Shootout Lineup

Not that it matters much on a restrictor-plate superspeedway, but here is the starting lineup for Saturday's Bud Shootout (determined by a blind draw):

1. Carl Edwards
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Brian Vickers
4. Ryan Newman
5. Greg Biffle
6. Mark Martin +
7. Jeff Burton
8. Matt Kenseth
9. Jamie McMurray
10. John Andretti
11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
12. Bobby Labonte
13. Tony Stewart
14. Ken Schrader
15. Michael Waltrip
16. Jimmie Johnson
17. Kyle Busch
18. Derrike Cope
19. Kasey Kahne
20 Juan Montoya
21. Joey Logano
22. Kurt Busch +
23. Jeff Gordon
24. Denny Hamlin +

+ will drop to the back with an unpracticed backup car.

Play Yahoo! fantasy racing

More Cup newsbreakers

Newman gets new spotter

Ryan Newman will have a new spotter in 2010, according to FoxSports.com. Jimmy Kitchens moves over from the No. 07 RCR team that recently closed and will replace Greg Newman.

Our View It's always hard to go from a familiar voice to a new one, but Kitchens has enough experience to make the transition smooth.

Play Yahoo! fantasy racing

More Cup newsbreakers

Yahoo! Qualification Story – Martinsville

Track position is critical on a short, flat track like Martinsville. Get our take on the top qualifiers in this week's Yahoo! qualification story (.pdf).

Stewart 7th, Newman 22nd at Knoxville Nationals

After winning the Price Chopper 400 by Kraft Foods Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman hoped on a plane for Iowa to compete in the Knoxville Nationals. Tony Stewart finished seventh and Ryan Newman was 22nd in a battle won by Scott Bloomquist.

Our View Maybe that was why Stewart was so cranky in the media center following the race; he wanted to make sue to get to Knoxville.

Stewart, Newman and all of the other drivers in the garage that support grassroots racing have to be applauded.

Complete Results

Newman fastest in Kansas Practice 1

Ryan Newman posted the fastest single lap in the first practice session for the Price Chopper 400 by Kraft Foods with a speed of 173.745 mph.

Our View If he wants to reclaim the title "Rocketman," Newman is going to have to start winning poles again. So far in 2009, his only top start came at Lowe's for the Coke 341—er… that is, the Coke 600.

More Cup newsbreakers

Dover pit stall selections

Jayski.com has posted the pit stall selections and as expected, Jimmie Johnson took the final stall leaving pit road.

Our View Juan Montoya and Ryan Newman are the only two other drivers with openings in front of them and this pit is extremely tight, so those are the only truly good stalls.

Greg Biffle, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne each have an opening at the back.

Pit stall selection can often be the final piece of the puzzle for fantasy owners.

More Cup newsbreakers
Autism Speaks 400 newsbreakers
Official tweets from the track

Yahoo! Qualification Story – Dover

Jimmie Johnson, Juan Montoya, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne provide you with a diverse list of marquee drivers and sleepers on the first three rows, which makes the game interesting this week. Check out the Dover edition of the Yahoo! qualification story .pdf story.

Johnson fastest in Dover practice 1

Jimmie Johnson posted the fastest single lap of practice at Dover International Speedway in practice for the AAA 400. His top lap of 158.026 was more than one mile per hour faster than second-place Ryan Newman with a 157.020.

Our View The top of the board was dominated by Chasers. In addition to Johnson and Newman, Juan Montoya (156.986), Greg Biffle (156.952) and Kurt Busch (156.474) rounded out the top five.

More Cup newsbreakers
Autism Speaks 400 newsbreakers
Official tweets from the track

Logano notably fast in Michigan practice 1

Joey Logano was notably fast in the first practice session at Michigan – posting the second fastest time of 187.169.

Our View That is good news for the rookie, who needs a strong qualification effort in order to run strong start to finish, but it is even better news for Ryan Newman. The No. 39 has a margin of nearly two miles per hour over the rest of the field.

More Cup newsbreakers
LifeLock 400 newsbreakers

Newman fastest in Michigan practice 1

Ryan Newman posted the fastest single lap in the first practice session for the Carfax 400 with a speed of 189.155 mph.

Our View Newman is in a little bit of a slump with an average finish of 18.0 in his last eight attempts. He needs a boost to get his rhythm back and a pole would fit that criteria.

More Cup newsbreakers
LifeLock 400 newsbreakers

NASCAR N'Wide: Bliss out of No. 1

Mike Bliss is out of the No. 1 James Finch ride, according to televised reports by Speed TV. Ryan Newman will run the car this week at Watkins Glen.

Our View Bliss has been one of the best Nationwide Regulars all season, but he's suffered a series of bad luck in the last few weeks. Team chemistry is a fragile thing.

More Nationwide newsbreakers

Pocono practice 1 canceled, Martin fastest

The remainder of the first practice session at Pocono has been canceled and it featured Mark Martin at the top of the charts with a speed of 169.354 mph. In fact, all four Hendrick Motorsports cars were the class of the field with Jimmie Johnson second (167.604), Dale Earnhardt Jr. third (167.470) and Jeff Gordon fourth (166.799).

Our View Affiliates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman were sixth and seventh on the chart. This is a pretty clear sign that Hendrick should dominate your fantasy roster.

More Cup newsbreakers

Newman fixes broken shock mount

The No. 39 team found and repaired a broken shock mount on Ryan Newman's car, according to a television report. That fixed a problem they have been struggling with all week.

Our View: This should send Newman to the back of the grid to start, but he is a better value now with his suspension intact.

More Cup Series Newsbreakers

Newman a busy man at Bristol

When the NASCAR Cup series rolls into Bristol Motor Speedway this August, Ryan Newman is going to be a very busy man.

During the wildly popular August race week at the World's Fastest Half-Mile, Newman will start his marathon 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, according to his Website.

Our View: Apparently his crash in the Modifieds last week at New Hampshire has not dulled his enthusiasm any. Those pocket rockets on the high banks should put on one heck of a show.

171 winners

With his rain-aided victory, Joey Logano became the 171st driver to win a NASCAR Cup race. He joins a long list of active drivers with one win that includes David Reutimann, Juan Montoya, Martin Truex Jr., Brian Vickers, Casey Mears and Brad Keselowski.

Our View: Most of these victories were earned on specialty tracks such as the restrictor-plate superspeedways and road courses, or through pit strategy like the one employed by Logano, which shows just how difficult it is to handicap a NASCAR race.

However several highly productive drivers such as Jeff Gordon (tire) and Ryan Newman (rain-aided) were given their first victory by strategy.

More Cup Series Newsbreakers

Newman, Kahne crash in NASCAR Modifieds

The foray into the NASCAR Modified series ended in accidents for both Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne. Finishing 34th, Newman crashed on lap 64 while running second; Kahne crashed on lap 72 and finished 31st. Donny Lia won.

Our View: Both drivers spent time in the top 10, so hopefully they enjoyed the experiment.

More Cup Series Newsbreakers

New Hampshire pit stall selections

Jayski.com has published the pit stall selections. As expected, Tony Stewart took the pit closest to the exit. Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson have the only other three pits with an opening in front of them.

Our View: New Hampshire can develop a tendency in which it is hard to pass, so these four drivers have improved their odds considerably with their selections.

More Cup Series Newsbreakers