Bristol: Where Ryan Newman became Rocket Man

Ryan Newman, winner of the Daytona 500, holds the qualifying record at Bristol Motor Speedway and has won two poles at the track, but he has never won a Cup race there.
He has won one race in the Busch Series, now called the Nationwide Series, at Bristol. That came in 2005 when he was teamed with Roy McCauley as crew chief.
McCauley and Newman are together again, this time on the No. 12 Dodge for Penske Racing. In 12 career Cup races at Bristol, Newman has six top 10s and one top five. His best finish came in 2004 when he was second.
“Bristol has always been a game of survival," Newman said. "Everything happens so fast there. It’s really amazing. I learned that in 2003 when I won the pole there. I knew I had a good car, but I never anticipated that I could put down a lap that fast. You just don’t realize how quickly everything happens at Bristol."
The car his team is bringing to Bristol is the same car it tested at Phoenix International Raceway a couple weeks ago. It has never raced.
Newman said he was impressed with the track in last year's race, even though there was a reduction in the bumping and grinding that traditionally happens at Bristol.
"The track is better racing-wise than it ever has been," Newman said. "I think that a lot of the fans are disappointed in the lack of bumping and the lack of pushing that happens now compared to the way it was, but the racing from where I sit is by far better and I look forward to going there. We had a decent run in both the Nationwide and Cup cars there last year and I’m excited about going back there.”