MOORPARK, California -- Rocketman Ryan Newman captured his seventh pole of the season for the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday, but didn’t have the finish he was looking for to stay a contender for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship.
Newman, currently sitting fifth in Chase points (107 points behind leader), fought an ill-handling car throughout the day and mustered a 23rd place finish.
His Penske Racing South teammates didn’t have the best day either.
Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender Travis Kvapil came home three positions behind Newman in 26th, while Rusty Wallace was caught up in a wreck in the opening laps of the race that sprung damage on his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, resulting in a 37th place finish.
Wallace has encountered problems the last three weeks. The hit at Atlanta pretty much knocked him out of contention in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
Only three races remain in the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series also took to the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway for the EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200.
The Ringers team of Billy Ballew Motorsports had Kyle Busch in the No. 15 truck for the race. Busch was able to bring home yet another win this season for Ballew and crew.
The Orleans Racing team and drivers Brendan Gaughan and Scott Lynch came home in 15th and 25th respectively.
Tracy Hines, protected in UnderX by Ringers, brought his ThorSport No. 13 Chevrolet home right behind Lynch in 26th.
All three divisions of NASCAR, Cup, Busch and Trucks, head to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend for the Dickies 500, the Busch Series O’Reilly Challenge and the Silverado 350.
Ringers Gloves, Official Gloves of NHRA and title sponsor for the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle, is a full-line manufacturer of high-end, task specific gloves, SFI 3.3/1, 3.3/10 racing gloves, UnderX protective undergarments and rdigs pit boots.
Keep up with your favorite Ringers racers in ‘05 by logging onto www.ringersgloves.com for photos and highlights!
