Catchfence

PREVIEW – Ryan Newman (No. 5 Fastenal Chevrolet)

EVENT – CARFAX 250 (125 laps / 250 miles)

TRACK – Michigan International Speedway (2-Mile D-Shaped Oval)

DATE – Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009

TV/RADIO: ESPN2 (coverage begins at 3:00 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 3:00 p.m. EST)

MICHIGAN MASTER – Newman’s NASCAR Nationwide Series stats at MIS are impeccable. In only two starts (2001, 2005), he earned two wins. He has led 126 laps. Newman’s 2001 victory was also his first career victory in the NNS. His average finish is 1.0, with an average start of 20.0.

RECORD HOLDER - Newman is tied for first place in all-time wins at Michigan with two. He shares the distinction with Todd Bodine, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin, but he is the only driver to earn two wins in only two starts. Additionally, he is tied for first place in wins among active drivers with Earnhardt Jr. and Martin.

JRM STATS – In two starts with JRM this year, Newman led five laps and earned both a top-five and top-10 starting spot, but finishes of 32nd and 22nd, respectively.

NEWMAN’S 2009 NATIONWIDE SEASON – In four starts Newman has one top-five, and two top-10 finishes. His season average finish is 15.5, along with an average start of 3.2. Newman has led 26 laps on the year. Five of those laps came in the Fastenal Chevrolet for JRM at Chicagoland.

CHART TOPPER – Newman tops the charts in many of NASCAR’s statistical data at Michigan. He is second in average running position with an average of 5.9. He tops the list in average driver rating with a 123.2 and is the fastest on restarts (172.034 mph). In green flag speed, Newman is second only to JRM team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. at 174.342 mph.

MAN ON A MISSION – This marks Newman’s third start with JRM and Fastenal in the 2009 season. Newman’s fourth and final start for JRM comes next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. The South Bend, Ind. native will attempt to make history when he competes for the “Bristol Grand Slam” – racing in four NASCAR-sanctioned events at the half-mile track all in the same week. By doing so, Newman would become the first NASCAR driver to accomplish the feat.

NO. 5 AT MICHIGAN – Mark Martin drove the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevy to a fourth-place finish after a 10th-place starting spot at Michigan in 2008.

NATIONWIDE SUCCESS – Newman holds seven wins and 12 poles in the Nationwide Series in only 45 starts. Six of his victories came during a stellar 2005 season, in which he scored eight top-fives in nine starts and led nearly half of his completed laps (800 of 1,658 laps). He owns 15 career top-five and 24 top-10 finishes.

CHASSIS INFO – The Fastenal team will race chassis No. 402 this weekend. It last raced at Chicagoland and had a fourth-place qualifying effort. The Fastenal team went on to finish 22nd in that race.

“DALE JR’S GREAT GIVEAWAY” TO AWARD MORE THAN 60 PRIZES – JR Motorsports announced the beginning of its six-week online promotion, “Dale Jr.’s Great Giveaway”, in which fans can register at www.DaleJrsGreatGiveaway.com to win 60 prize packages. Beginning Aug. 14th, prizes will be distributed each week for six weeks. The prizes include gift certificates, product packages, autographed merchandise, personal driver meet-n-greets, and race-weekend giveaways. Each of the prizes was donated by 12 of JR Motorsports’ sponsorship partners. Registration began on Aug. 7th, and runs through Sept. 18th. For complete rules, regulations, and a list of all 60 prizes please visit www.DaleJrsGreatGiveaway.com.

EDUCATION FOR ELI: With the effort and support of the entire NASCAR community, a college fund has been set up for Eli Ross, the 2-year-old grandson of late motorsports journalist David Poole, who passed away on April 28. Anyone interested in contributing to the “Education for Eli” fund can do so by sending donations to the following address:

Eli Samuel Ross
Bank of Stanly
Attn: Misty Nordan
P.O. Box 539
Oakboro, NC 28129
(Please make checks payable to “Eli Ross Account” at Bank of Stanly.)

For more information, please call the Bank of Stanly at 704.485.3435.

DEGREE V12 CHALLENGE – NASCAR fans can now team up with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski in the Degree V12 Challenge. The Degree V12 Driving Challenge features five road races that give players a unique and exciting online race experience. Players compete against each other for a chance to win a variety of prizes including a trip to the Degree V12 300 in Atlanta on September 6, 2009 and a chance to meet Dale Jr. Visit www.DegreeRacing.com to register for the Degree V12 Challenge and begin racing to win. (No purchase necessary. Must be 18 to enter. Void where prohibited. Ends 12/27/09. Visit www.DegreeRacing.com for complete rules.)

IN SEARCH OF REAL FANS: The search continues for the Hellmann’s NASCAR Real Fan of the Year! Three contest winners have been chosen so far, but there are still four more spots on the car and fans can log on to www.RealFanOfTheYear.com to enter for their chance to win. Finalists will get to meet Dale Jr. and have their face on the hood of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Nationwide Chevrolet this October for the Dollar General 300 race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. (No purchase necessary. Must be 18 to enter. Void where prohibited. Ends 8/31/09. Go to www.RealFanOfTheYear.com for complete rules.)

NEWMAN (on what makes Michigan such a driver-friendly racetrack) – “I always look forward to going to Michigan. It is a great track for a driver. In fact, I normally tell people that anyone can drive Michigan. It is so wide that cars can race three and four wide there every lap. It is one of my favorite racetracks. Because the track is so wide, you can pass there every lap. The track has long sweeping corners, which helps to promote some really good racing. There are a couple of keys to success there – the first is speed. You have to have horsepower to get around this ultra-fast racetrack. I know we’ll have the speed covered with our Hendrick engine. The second is handling. The handling of the racecar is crucial especially in turns two and three. The car can’t get too tight off two or be too loose off three.”

NEWMAN (on his success at Michigan in the NNS) - “I was fortunate in the Nationwide cars earlier in my career, and have come away with two wins in two starts at Michigan. Like I said, it is a track that I love – in any kind of car. In both of those races, I had really fast racecars. I look forward to having the chance to continue my success at Michigan in the Nationwide Series with JR Motorsports in the No. 5 Fastenal Chevrolet this weekend. We definitely haven’t had the runs that we wanted with them in two earlier outings, but I know I have the car, the horsepower and the team to be successful this weekend at Michigan.”

- JR Motorsports Press Release