NASCAR heads to Michigan

BROOKLYN, Mich. – Little has gone right lately for Ryan Newman.

A year ago, he won a series-high eight races and appeared ready to seriously contend for the title in NASCAR’s top series. Now, after the first 22 races of 2004, he has one just victory and is 12th in the points race. The win came in June at Michigan International Speedway, ending a string of bad finishes and giving Newman and his Penske Racing South team hope that the worst was over.

It wasn’t.

Except for a third-place run last month at New Hampshire, Newman hasn’t finished better than 12th in the seven races since his Michigan victory.

Worse, his 26th-place finish last Sunday on the road course at Watkins Glen knocked the third-year Nextel Cup star out of the top 10 with only four races remaining until the new 10-race “Chase for the Cup” begins.

“The team and I are keeping our heads up, looking forward and concentrating on getting back inside the top 10 as soon as possible,” Newman said. “We set making the top 10 and winning the championship as our main goal before the season started, and that hasn’t changed. We still believe that we can, and will, achieve that goal.”

First, though, he has to remain eligible for the championship run. Only the top 10 drivers in the standings or any other competitor who finishes within 400 points of the leader after the first 26 events will be eligible for the showdown.