| MICHIGAN
INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
Sunday,
June 18, 2006 on FOX
Ryan
Newman Commemorates NASCAR Day at the Michigan State Capitol in
Lansing
PHOTO
BY DAVID FRECHETTE / MIS PHOTO
From
left to right, MIS President Brett Shelton talks with Governor Granholm,
Ryan Newman and state Senator Mark Schauer.
LANSING,
Mich. –
Ryan Newman, driver of the #12 Mobil Dodge was honored at the Michigan
State Capitol in Lansing. Today was named "Ryan Newman Day"
within the State of Michigan. Gov. Granholm and State Senator Mark
Shauer announced a new project that will increase access to MIS.
Mr.
Newman talked about how Dodge has made the transition from the Intrepid
to the Charger on the race track. He reports, "The
intrepid wasn't the bad race car. It wasn't a political move. The
intrepid is still legal in NASCAR. The big difference between the
Intrepid and the Charger is the aerodynamics."
Ryan
was asked about his season thus far. He replied, "The
season has been a bit of a struggle. The outlook is very good. We
were trying to make the best of what we had. We go to each and every
race with anticipation. The ultimate goal is to win. I have to go
out and do my job. The points will take care of them self."
The
next topic of discussion was teammates. Ryan Newman has had some
problems with some former teammates in the past. He says, "My
relationship with Jeremy Mayfield was a good one. I really don't
know what to expect of a teammate." Sam Hornish Jr.
won the Indy 500 on Memorial Day weekend. Newman adds, "Sam
is a great race car driver." When Ryan Newman was
asked if he would ever race in IRL, he said, "My background
in open wheel doesn't translate to IRL."
Last
weekend at Dover, Ryan Newman had the pole for the Neighborhood
Excellence 400 race. Ryan describes Dover Speedway, "It's
a physically demanding race track. You're going faster. It's just
tough. The car is pretty on edge. It's also a lot of fun."
Ryan
Newman lives in South Bend, Indiana. One of his favorite race tracks
is Michigan International Speedway. He has a lot of memories there.
"I've always called it my home track. We went to Daytona
quite often. Michigan is a lot different. It's really wide. California
isn't even close and they're supposed to be the same. It just reminds
me of home. It's a great facility for the fans."
When
asked how he got started in auto racing, Newman replied, "My
parent definitely encouraged me. Get an education because it will
definitely help you. I went to Purdue as a university."
Ryan said he attended Purdue but he never went to a basketball game
or a football game. He didn't even know the names of the coaches
of the sports teams at the university.
Ryan
Newman's race car is owned by Roger Penske. Newman describes Penske,
"Roger called me last night. He's a very successful
businessman. He is pretty good about solving our problems. The situation
changed with Rusty. It was the biggest change at Penske racing."
Exclusive
one-on-one interview with Ryan Newman
AmericaJR.com's
Jason Rzucidlo was in Lansing for Ryan Newman Day. He had the chance
to speak with the race car driver himself. Here's the Q & A:
Q:
What had made you want to go into the field of auto racing?
A:
"I started racing when I was four and a half years old. It's
just what I did. My parents wanted me to be a race car driver. It
turned out that I liked it. It's just a good combination."
Q:
How's your season going so far?
A:
"It's been good and bad. We've had a struggle point a few times
this season. Never the less, we've got a great team. We can battle
back."
Q:
Are you excited about the 3M Performance 400 coming up at Michigan?
A:
"Yeah, without a doubt. Michigan is one of my favorite race
tracks. Look forward to racing there. A lot of great fans and it's
close to home being from South Bend, Indiana."
Q:
You won the Domino's Pizza 250 last year at MIS. Describe the feeling
of that.
A:
"It was a good race for us. Our Busch car was really fast and
those guys did a great job. Look forward to coming back in any race
car to Michigan. It's one of my favorite tracks."
June
6, 2006 was named Ryan Newman Day in Michigan
Michigan
Governor Jennifer Granholm said, "Not only has he been
a great success on the track, but he has been a champion in life
as well." She adds, "So many NASCAR drivers
invest in the community, and Ryan is no exception. He has his own
foundation, with his wife, helping with humane societies. He’s
a big champion of preserving wildlife and land. It’s tremendous
to be able to be a success on the track, and it’s even more
important to help off of the track as well."
State
Senator Mark Schauer honored NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver Ryan
Newman in special ceremony held in the rotunda of the Michigan Capitol
Building. Today was declared "Ryan Newman Day" in the
state of Michigan. Shauer said, "Michigan is the auto
capitol of the world." He adds, "Ryan's
accomplishments at MIS really bring home the excitement of racing,
which pumps money into local businesses."
Brett
Shelton, the President of MIS, was also part of this special ceremony.
He said, "We appreciate this recognition of Michigan
International Speedway, NASCAR, and Ryan Newman, especially as it
relates to our position in the backyard of the auto industry."
Shelton added, "MIS has grown substantially over the
past few years in part due to economic development initiatives championed
by Sen. Schauer and his colleagues."
On
a typical race weekend at MIS, there are fans from all 50 U.S. states
and fans from 13 other countries. Almost half of the race fans who
attend MIS are from a state other than Michigan. During race weekends,
almost 6,000 employees are hired with about 100 of them being permanent
jobs.
Ryan
Newman spent a lot of time racing in the state of Michigan when
he was growing up. He can remember racing at short tracks within
the state. He spent a lot of time racing at Flat Rock Speedway and
Spartan Speedway, located here in Lansing. He has made the jump
from short track racing to regular stock car racing in a short period
of time.
Granholm,
Schauer announce $18.5 million road project
The major
entrance roads to MIS will be expanded to ease traffic on race weekends.
The $18.5-million project will be funded by federal and state funds
including safety grants and funds specified for transportation and
economic development. This project includes upgrades to US-12 and
US-127 and should be completed by 2009.
A section
of US-12 will be widened from gate 8 to M-50. The improvements including
resurfacing and shoulder widening. In addition, the intersection
of US-12 and US-127 will be improved to make it safer for everyone.
The shoulders on US-127 will be widened to accommodate for an addition
lane that will be used for race weekends.
State Senator
Shauer reports, "Improvements to US-127 and US-12 have
been a top priority for my district for some time."
He adds, "Governor Granholm's action will enhance safety
and ensure that MIS continues to thrive and help create jobs."
The construction
project should begin in Fall 2006 and wrap up in early 2009. All
of the roads will be improved in time for the 2009 racing season
at MIS. The project will create 60 new construction jobs.
PHOTO
BY DAVID FRECHETTE / MIS PHOTO
Ryan Newman accept proclamation from Governor Granholm making
June 6 NASCAR Day in the state of Michigan.
Click
here to see more pictures from Ryan Newman Day at the Michigan
State Capitol. The following photos were taken by AmericaJR.com's
Jason Rzucidlo.
Return
to our 3M
Performance 400 Index.
SPONSOR:
Choose
NascarRaceTickets.com
for all your Nascar
Tickets. We have premium Nascar
Nextel Cup Series Tickets for all Nascar
races.
To
order tickets:
Call
the MIS Ticket Hotline
(800)
354-1010 or (517) 592-6672
Order
online 24/7 at www.MISpeedway.com
BACK
TO OUR AUTO
RACING SECTION |
