After Ryan Newman had a week to think about last Sunday’s incident between himself and Joey Logano, he said after he got out of his car following the final Sprint Cup Series practice session that he still thinks it was a case of Logano running out of talent and spinning him out.
“I think he lost it before he ever got into the corner,” Newman said. “I’m pretty sure there’s about 80 feet of asphalt there and he could have chose any lane he wanted to. He drove up into me and hit me in the left rear quarter panel.
“He can call it what he wants. It’s his story. I’ve got a college education. I just didn’t get out of elementary school.”
Logano said his thoughts of Newman racing him too hard haven’t changed either. But, the young driver is focused on this weekend’s race at Bristol.
“I’m focused on Bristol,” Logano said. “That’s the past. … Sometimes you want some of the respect back that you give to some people. And when it’s not, it gets frustrating.”
Logano’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch is sticking up for his teammate, saying Newman has a reputation of tough racing.
“You know that’s what you get with Ryan Newman,” said Kyle Busch, a Logano teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing. “I could say the same thing for Joey. I remember here two years ago, I was in the lead and ran him down and he raced me pretty hard to try to stay on the lead lap and I ended up losing the lead to somebody else and finally got by him.
“It’s just a product of what racing brings you sometimes. It is what it is. I think the thing that Joey should’ve been most upset about was Newman going in on his door and side-drafting him and spinning him out. That’s a problem. You gotta give guys room to race.”
Nothing new on SHR sponsorship
Driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet and Stewart Haas Racing team owner Tony Stewart said at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday that SHR had no announcements on the sponsorship situation for their team in 2011.
There have been no recent rumblings of a third team for next season. There are, however, some races on the schedule next season without a sponsor.
“When we have something to tell you, we’ll tell you (the media),” Stewart said. “I’ve always told you guys that, as soon as we have something to tell you about, we promise we won’t leave you out of the loop.”
One of his current sponsors, Old Spice, is rumored to be leaving the team after this season. Mobil 1, who has already confirmed they are leaving Penske Racing’s Sam Hornish Jr. due to a sponsorship conflict, is rumored to be going to the No. 14 team.
The No. 39 will continue to receive sponsorship from the U.S. Army and Tornado’s. The team is reportedly trying to get Wix Filters, who is sponsoring Ryan Newman this weekend at Bristol, to jump on for a partial schedule next year.
Reutimann sick, plans to still race at Bristol
Michael Waltrip Racing’s David Reutimann is one sick puppy this weekend at Bristol, but he still plans to suit up and drive the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota for the remainder of the weekend.
Reutimann missed the first 75 minutes of Sprint Cup Series practice, but did jump in the car to complete the remainder of practice and qualify the car.
Aric Almirola practiced the car Friday and is the relief driver for tomorrow’s IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol should he be needed.
“I’m just sick, stomach stuff, and it’s hard to shake that stuff,” Reutimann said after the first practice Friday. “I’m just trying to get some fluids back in (me). Aric helped us and got the car up and going there until I got enough fluids in me to feel like I could walk upright.
“I’ll be all right. I don’t have any races tonight, so maybe I’ll go to the infield care center and get a couple of IVs. I’m not getting back out of the car.”
Despite his sickness, Reutimann managed to qualify fifth for the race.
“It was a good lap,” Reutimann said after qualifying. “The guys did a really, really good job all day having to work with two different drivers. (Aric) Almirola helped us out a lot today and I have to thank him. Rodney Childers (crew chief) and all my guys, they hustled. We weren’t that good in our mock qualifying runs, but the car was a lot better. I owe a lot to those guys. Those guys hustled and made all those changes to get two drivers in and out. I didn’t make it easy for them today, but I appreciate all they do.”
His teammate at MWR, Martin Truex Jr. will start ninth.
Other Notes: Bruton Smith and Ray Evernham have scheduled a press conference for Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway. They will be announcing a new partnership to help preserve and protect the future of racing for younger generations. … The Goodyear tire test at Talladega Superspeedway will be open to race fans. On August 24, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., the grandstands will be open to fans, standard admission rules apply.
