Dover, Del. – Now, Ryan Newman will return to his real job, trying to win the NASCAR Nextel Cup.
He has the pole today at Dover International Speedway, where he tied a record Saturday by winning his fourth consecutive Busch Series start. Before he set a track record by leading 193 of 200 laps in that race, Newman talked about his ultimate dream for the MBNA 400.
“I think every driver wants to lead 400 laps,” said Newman, who moved within 40 points of leader Tony Stewart with a victory last Sunday at New Hampshire International Speedway. “We’d love to lead the first one to get those bonus points, and lead 399 more after that.”
That might be a bit of a reach, but Newman’s pursuit of Jeff Gordon’s four-year-old mark of 381 might not be so unbelievable considering his record of three victories in the past four races on The Monster Mile.
As confident as he is, however, Newman knows the treacherous high-banked concrete oval has ruined the dreams of many.
“You have to be careful,” he said. “You never know what the balance is going to be like. Hopefully, we can keep this car in one piece.”
He managed to do enough of that to slip into the elite field of 10 drivers in the Chase for the championship, earning the final spot in the last race of eligibility two weeks ago in Richmond, Va.
Then he won for the first time all season in New Hampshire to move into a tie for third.
But Newman won’t be overly excited should he win today’s $5 million race. He has the pole today on the strength of a qualifying session Friday.
He took his Dodge around the track at 158.102 mph to easily claim his series-leading sixth pole. He’ll start first today for the 33rd time in just his fifth year in Cup racing.
Stewart also likes Dover, where he swept the races in 2000. He has been a picture of consistency just about everywhere in the second half of the season with 13 straight top-10 finishes.
But Stewart’s bid for a series-leading sixth victory might not be so easy. He starts 31st in a field of 43, but seems unconcerned despite the crash-filled history of the track that included a 14-car pileup in the Busch race.
“I’ve won from 24th on back twice, so I’m not worried about it,” the 2002 series champion said. “But we’re starting where we’re starting. You can still get in trouble.”
Kasey Kahne will start second, making it an all-Dodge front row.
Rookie Kyle Busch qualified third followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and two-time Dover winner and Chase contender Jimmie Johnson.
