Newman's Darlington finish a step on road back

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- When the 500 fast, physical miles at Darlington Raceway finally ended with Ryan Newman's third consecutive top-10 finish, there were no exultations or whoops of celebration over the radio. There were only a few muted congratulations, and one hoarse, tired voice.

"I need some Gatorade, please," the driver asked his crew.

Ryan Newman

2007 results

Site	Start	Finish
Daytona	16	38
Fontana	19	12
Las Vegas	39	8
Atlanta	1	23
Bristol	22	39*
Martinsville	24	14*
Texas	20	32
Phoenix	19	38*
Talladega	28	9
Richmond	30	6*
Darlington	29	4*

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With good reason. The grudge work of rebuilding Penske Racing's once-great No. 12 team continued Sunday, when Newman came close to ending a victory drought nearly two years in length. He led 39 laps, stood second behind eventual race-winner Jeff Gordon on a restart with 13 remaining, and held on for a fourth-place finish. Newman's best result since this past October capped a three-week run that's seen him jump from 26th to 14th in Nextel Cup standings.

"Our guys are doing a great job," he said. "The Hendrick guys are obviously at the top, but we're showing what we're capable of. We've just got to keep following through. It's not championship Chase right now, it's working our way to it. So let's just keep working on it, keep building on it."

Newman limped home on old tires, following Gordon's lead and staying out of the pits when David Stremme's engine expired and dumped oil on the track with 17 laps remaining. He restarted second, but with seven laps left was overtaken by Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin, who had each stopped for fresh rubber and restarted further back. But fourth was continued progress for a team that had finished ninth April 29 at Talladega and sixth at Richmond last week.

How close is Newman to winning? "It's going in the right direction," he said. "It's just a matter of time, in my opinion."

Winning is something the Penske organization, and Newman's team in particular, once did with regularity. The No. 12 outfit won a series-high eight races in 2003, the high-water mark of a stretch that saw Newman finish seventh or better in final championship points in four consecutive seasons. Now, after separating with longtime crew chief Matt Borland and missing the Chase for the Nextel Cup last season, it's time to regroup. (Continued)