Ryan Newman News and Information

updated-2/15/08

Full Name:
Ryan Joseph Newman
Date of Birth:
December 8, 1977
Hometown:
South Bend, Indiana
Spouse:
Krissie Boyle
Siblings:
Jamie
Pets:
Dogs - Digger, Harley, Mopar and Socks
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 200 lbs.
Years in Racing: 27 years
Nickname: Rocket Man
Ryan’s Education:

• Purdue University, B.S. Vehicle Structure Engineering, August 2001
• Recipient of Rich Vogler Memorial Scholarship
• National Honor Society
• Honors graduate of South Bend LaSalle High School in 1996

Krissie Education:

• Shippensburg University, B.S. Criminal Justice

Ryan Newman has been racing since he was four years old. He started his career with quarter midgets, midgets, sprint cars and silver crown cars.
Ryan’s large number of Bud Poles in such a short time period has earned him the nickname of Rocket Man.

Newman will be starting the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a new crew chief, Roy McCauley. This will be Ryan Newman’s ninth year with Penske Racing. Ryan Newman drives the # 12 Alltel Dodge Charger for Penske Racing. Kodak is another sponsor for elected races.

In 2008 Ryan Newman started the season off right by winning the 50th running of the Daytona 500. This was Ryan Newman’s first win at Daytona and Penske’s first win at the Daytona 500!

2007 was a better season for Newman than 2006. Newman ended up with 5 poles, 0 wins, 8 top 5’s and 18 top 10’s. Even with this effort Ryan Newman fell short of being in the Chase. He finished the seson 13th in points. Newman was plagued with engine problems and accidents. He had a 4 accidents and 5 engine problems along with 1 listed as other. A total of 10 problems during races in 2007, more than any other season for Newman.

In 2006, Newman earned two Bud Pole Awards and no wins in undoubtedly his worse season in four years. With a few races to go, Matt Borland was released in a effort to right a wrong ship. Mike Nelson, the team’s engineer since 2000, stepped in to take the role of crew chief to finish out the year. Ryan finished 18th in points.

Ending with the 2005 MBNA Race Points 400, Ryan had a streak of 20 straight races started in the top ten. He earned the annual Bud Pole Award for the fourth consecutive year with eight poles. Newman won one NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at New Hampshire International Speedway in September. Ryan finished the season with eight top-5 and sixteen top-10 finishes. He placed sixth in the team’s second appearance in the “NASCAR NEXTEL Chase for the Championship”.

In 2004, Ryan Newman earned the annual Bud Pole Award for his third straight year. He was the first driver in nearly 20 years to do so. Newman also won two NASCAR Cup Series races. The first one at Michigan International Speedway followed by Dover International Speedway. He earned nine pole positions, the most of any competitor. Also, he led all competitors with twenty-five top-10 starts. Newman finished the season with eleven top-5 finishes and fourteen top-10 finishes. In the end, Newman placed seventh in the inaugural NNCS point standings.

In 2003, Ryan Newman was pronounced SPEED Channel American Driver of the Year, NMPA Richard Petty Driver of the Year and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal Driver of the Year. Newman won eight NASCAR Cup races, leading the series in victories. They were located at Texas Motor Speedway, two at Dover International Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Michigan International Speedway, Richmond International Raceway and Kansas Speedway. Ryan earned 11 pole positions, the most of any competitor and the most in a single season since 1985. He finished the season with seventeen top-5 finishes, the most of any driver, and twenty-two top-10 finishes. Newman ended the season in sixth in the driver point standings.

Ryan Newman became Raybestos Rookie of the Year in 2002. He won his first career NASCAR Cup race in September at New Hampshire International Speedway. Also, he won the prestigious The Winston at Lowe’s Motor Speedway after emerging victorious in the Open, which immediately preceded the all-star event. Newman earned six pole positions, the most of any competitor, breaking Davey Allison’s 1987 rookie record. Ended impressive rookie season in sixth in the point standings, collecting fourteen top-5 finishes and twenty-two top-10 finishes.

In 2001, Ryan Newman competed in a precedent-setting ABC schedule, which involved races in the ARCA, Busch and Cup series. Newman recorded ARCA and Busch victories, as well as his first Cup Series pole, all while managing to graduate from Purdue University with a degree in Vehicle Structure Engineering. Newman’s degree made him and then crew chief ,Matt Borland, the first driver-engineer/crew chief-engineer combination in NASCAR history. Ryan Newman ran a limited schedule as the driver of Roger Penske-owned, Alltel Ford. He posted career-first Bud Pole in his third NASCAR Winston Cup start, race 12 at Charlotte. Newman competed in 8 NASCAR Winston Cup races and finished 49th in points. Newman posted his career-first NASCAR Busch Series pole in race number four at Atlanta. Also posted his career-first NASCAR Busch Series win in race twenty-three at Michigan. Ryan posted six poles and one victory competing in just fifteen races. In the end, he finished twenty-eighth in NASCAR Busch Series points.

Newman joined forces with Motorsports legend Roger Penske in 2000 and walked off with two poles and three ARCA victories in five races. He also made his Cup series debut at Phoenix International Raceway and his stock car debut in the ARCA race at Michigan. He won the next race he entered, Pepsi ARCA 200 at Pocono and won two more ARCA races. The first at Kentucky Speedway and then at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Ryan posted two wins, sixteen top-5 finishes and eighteen top-10 finishes. Along with that, he posted seven poles/fast times and thirty-two combined starts in USAC Silver Bullet, Midget and Sprint Car series competitions.

In 1999, Ryan Newman became USAC Coors Light Silver Bullet Series national champion. He posted two wins, eight top-5 and twelve top-10 finishes. Also, he had seven wins and ten top-5 finishes in the USAC Midget Series, one win and six top-5 finishes in the USAC Sprint Car Series. He was the first driver to win an event in all three major USAC divisions in 1999.

Ryan Newman finished sixth in the USAC Silver Crown Series Points in 1997. He also won two USAC Midget features. In 1996, Ryan Newman was pronounced the USAC Silver Crown Series Rookie-of-the-Year. Prior to that, in 1995, he was the USAC Midget Series Rookie-of-the-Year. In 1993, he was the AAMS Midget Series Champion and Rookie-of-the-Year. Ryan Newman also became the Michigan State Midget Champion. Prior to 1993, Ryan Newman had two Quarter-Midget national championships. He was also a Quarter-Midget Hall of Fame member with more than 100 feature wins.

Charity

Ryan and his wife Krissie operate the Ryan Newman Foundation. The foundation primarily focuses on assuring that adequate care is provided for unwanted dogs and cats in shelters and pounds. Ryan helped fund the construction of the Catawba County, North Carolina Humane Society shelter, in the county where he lives.