Newman wins pole at New Hampshire
LOUDON, N.H. (AP) - Ryan Newman was the last car out and the fastest on the track, turning a lap of 135.002 mph to win the pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Newman won the pole for the second time at New Hampshire this season. He started first in July and went on to win his only race of the season. Newman is seventh in the points standings and has three total poles this year.
Newman almost didn't take a qualifying run Friday. Rain delayed qualifying with five cars left. Newman made it worth the wait.
Red Bull Racing drivers Kasey Kahne was second and Brian Vickers was third. Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch round out the top five.
Had rain wiped out qualifying, the field would have been set on practice times. Busch struggled early Friday and would have started in the 30s had that happened.
Stewart, Newman aim for repeat at New Hampshire
LOUDON, N.H. (AP) - Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman made their first stop in New Hampshire a race to remember.
1-2 start. 1-2 finish.
Do it again this weekend and there's little doubt the Stewart-Haas Racing teammates will solidify themselves as two of the drivers to beat in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Each Chase weekend, the number of true contenders seems to shrink by a driver or two.
Stewart and Newman are both back at one of their strongest tracks and both are coming off outstanding finishes in the Chase opener to position themselves in the thick of the hunt.
Red Bull Racing expects 152 layoffs
LOUDON, N.H. (AP) - Red Bull Racing expects to layoff 152 employees when it shutters operations in December.
Red Bull Racing filed a notice this week as part of North Carolina's Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act that the layoffs were expected by Dec. 17, 2011. Red Bull is a two-car team that entered NASCAR in 2007. The Austrian-based energy drink company both owns and sponsors the team, which presently fields cars for Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers.
Kahne is moving to Hendrick Motorsports next season, and Vickers is in the final year of his contract.
Red Bull says the closure is permanent.
Red Bull also owns a pair of two-car Formula One teams.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
