Ryan Newman

Birthday: Dec. 8, 1977
Hometown: South Bend, Ind.

YEAR-BY-YEAR NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES RECAP

2007 -- Finished 13th in series points. ... Earned five poles. ... Finished second three times (Dover, Pocono, Martinsville). ... Pole at Atlanta ended a drought of 20 races without a pole, the longest of his career. ... Won three consecutive poles at Charlotte, Dover and Pocono. ... Average start of 13.8 was fifth-best in the series.

2006 -- Finished 18th in series points. ... Won the pole at Dover in June and at New Hampshire in July.

2005 -- Finished sixth in series points. ... Fourth consecutive season leading series in poles (eight). ... Scored only win of season at New Hampshire, passing Tony Stewart on Lap 199 and holding the top spot by two cars length. ... Qualified for the second Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in 10th.

2004 -- Finished seventh in series points. ... Strong season slowed by nine DNFs. ... Led series with nine poles, including four consecutive from Charlotte through Phoenix. ... Held off Kasey Kahne at Michigan to score the first of two wins. ... Dominated in his second win at Dover in September leading 325 of 400 laps. ... Qualified for the inaugural Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in 10th. ... Title hopes dashed by four DNFs in last 10 races.

2003 -- Finished sixth in series points. ... Led the series in wins (eight), poles (11) and miles led (1,509.13) ... Had five DNFs in the first half of the season. ... Finished 38th or worse in six of the first 15 races. ... Scored first win at Texas, but followed with a four-race skid of three DNFs and 39th-place finish at Richmond in May, leaving him 27th in series points. ... With a victory at Chicago in July, kicked off a 13-race hot streak that included six wins ... His series-high 11 poles, including three consecutive at Atlanta, Phoenix and Rockingham, was the most since Cale Yarborough's 14 poles in 1980. ... Finished with a series-high 17 top-fives.

2002 -- Finished sixth in series points. ... Topped Jimmie Johnson for Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors in one of the most heated rookie battles in years. ... Set a rookie record with 22 top-10 finishes. ... Scored his first career win at New Hampshire in September in his 34th career start. ... Became just the second Raybestos Rookie to win the All-Star event -- following Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2000. ... Led the series with six poles, setting a rookie record for most poles in a season, topping Davey Allison's five poles in 1987. ... Had 14 top-five finishes, second only to series champion Tony Stewart. ... Tied Stewart in races led (22).

2001 -- Finished 49th in series points. ... Scored first pole in third career NASCAR Sprint Cup start, at Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, tying Mark Martin's record for earliest career pole. ... Competed in seven races with his best finish a second at Kansas. ... Also raced 15 times in NASCAR Nationwide Series, winning one race.

PREVIOUS RACING HISTORY

In 2000, made stock-car debut in ARCA race at Michigan, then won the next race he entered at Pocono. ... Also won ARCA races that year at Kentucky and Charlotte. ... In 1999, won USAC Coors Light Silver Bullet Series national championship with two wins and 12 top-10 finishes. ... Won seven times in midgets and once in sprint cars. ... Earned rookie of the year honors in Sprint Cars (1999), USAC Silver Crown (1996) and USAC National Midgets (1995). ... Was also the 1993 All-American Midget Series champion and rookie of the year.

NOTEWORTHY

Earned the nickname "Rocketman" after a series-high 11 poles in 2003. ... Is a member of the Quarter-Midget Hall of Fame. ... Started racing quarter midgets at age of 4-and-a-half. ... Graduated from Purdue University in August of 2001 with a B.S. degree in Vehicle Structural Engineering. ... Enjoys working on vintage cars and fishing.