TEAM REPORTS (VARIOUS LOCATIONS) - PENSKE RACING REPORT

JOLIET, Ill. (July 15, 2007) - Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman drew closer to an opportunity to partake in this year's Chase for the Championship with top-10 finishes in Sunday's USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Newman's eighth-place finish in his Mobil 1 Dodge Charger allowed him to regain the 13th position in the standings, just 30 points behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 12th, this year's cut-off position.

With seven races remaining before the Chase begins, Busch took over 14th with his sixth-place finish in his Miller Lite Dodge Charger. He trails Earnhardt Jr. by 77 points and Newman by 47.

"With a third at Daytona last week and a sixth here today, our team really has a lot of momentum going and it'll be a great time for our week off next weekend," Busch said. "It's a great big-picture day for us as we continue to nip away at that deficit up to 12th. That's the big goal, making the Chase, and if we continue to string together great solid runs like we've had the last couple of weeks, we're definitely headed toward achieving that goal."

Even though Busch didn't end the day in victory lane, the Miller Lite team's performance at the 1.5-mile track was still a triumphant performance. After having to change the car's engine on Friday before practice began, the team qualified 35th. Then, before Sunday's race started, Busch had to drop to the 43rd spot in the field because of the engine change.

Once the green flag waved, Busch methodically maneuvered his way through the field, cracking the top 25 by lap 30. Within 15 laps on the 1.5-mile track, he was in the top 20. By lap 60, Busch had reached the top 15 and he remained there the rest of the race. He led once for two laps, taking the No. 1 position on lap 114 during a round of green-flag pit stops.

The extra time spent on the slower old tires saw Busch running 14th when the stops cycled around on lap 117, but he was back up to 13th on lap 154 when Jamie McMurray slammed the wall to trigger the second of seven caution periods. A 13.362-second stop helped put Busch in ninth for the lap 160 restart, and he remained in the top 10 for the rest of the race.

"It was a tremendous day all around for our Miller Lite Dodge team," a happy Busch said. "[Crew chief] Pat Tryson made all the right calls on the box and the guys were pretty flawless in the pits all day long. I really wanted that first top-five here at Chicago, but I guess we shouldn't get that greedy having to start from the rear and all."

Newman started third in the event and ran in the top 10 for most of the race despite battling a loose condition in his car at the beginning of a run and then dealing with a tight handling car as the run progressed. On lap 140, Newman brushed the wall, causing minor damage to his car's right-front fender and escalating its tight condition. Newman had fallen to 10th by the time the caution flag waved on lap 154 when McMurray crashed.

During the second of seven caution periods, Newman's car received four fresh tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment, but because of the fender damage, Newman had to pit again on lap 158 for repairs. Newman restarted in 14th and hovered just outside the top 10 after moving up to 11th in seven laps. The car, however, was back on the loose side.

Newman battled his way back into the top 10 for good on lap 216 and got as high as sixth before having to settle for an eighth-place finish.

"We would have been all right if I hadn't brushed the wall," Newman said. "We never could get track position for our Alltel Mobil 1 Dodge after that. We just weren't any good on the restarts. We had a good car and good stops all day. We just weren't in the right spot at the end."

The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series is off this weekend, but resumes July 29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a 17-race stretch that concludes the season. The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard marks the return of ESPN to NASCAR's premier series.

IRL INDYCAR SERIES

LEBANON, Tenn. (July 15, 2007) -- Sam Hornish Jr.'s fourth-place finish and teammate Helio Castroneves' sixth in Sunday's rain-delayed Firestone Indy 200 at Nashville Superspeedway kept both drivers in the hunt for this year's IndyCar Series championship.

Hornish battled back to remain fifth in the drivers' standings after 11 of 17 races this season. He's now fifth, 105 points behind leader Dario Franchitti, but just eight points out of third place.

"We missed the setup at the beginning of the race, but as the day went on we were able to make some tweaks that allowed the Team Penske car to improve significantly," Hornish said after the race on the 1.33-mile concrete track. "We got to the point where we could make some passes and move up in the field. It's tough because we were running our fastest laps towards the end of the race."

Castroneves is now sixth in the standings, 44 points behind Hornish. Castroneves ' sixth-place finish ended a run of bad luck for the No. 3 team, which had finished in the top 10 only once in the previous five races.

"Some people might not be very happy with a sixth-place finish, but after the string of tough races that we've had recently, we're pretty pleased to score some solid points," Castroneves said after the race that was postponed from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon due to rain. "It was challenging out there today because the track was really slick. Thankfully, we didn't make any mistakes, and the Team Penske crew was great once again in the pits. If it wasn't for those guys, we probably would have finished a couple of spots lower. I can't say enough about this team and how they've all stayed behind me through this tough stretch. Hopefully, it's all behind us now and we'll be able to finish out the season strong."

The season resumes Sunday with the Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The race begins at 1: 30 p.m. ETD and will be televised live on ABC.

NASCAR BUSCH SERIES

JOLIET, Ill. (July 14, 2007) - Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger, had his day end abruptly in Saturday's USG Durock 300 NASCAR Busch Series race when his car crashed in turns one and two at Chicagoland Speedway.

Newman, who started 11th, was still running in that position when his Dodge's rear end snapped around on him and slammed into the SAFER barrier on the left-rear quarter panel on lap 4 of the 200-lap event.

"I just lost it," Newman said after climbing from his car in the 1.5-mile track's garage. "The Kodak Dodge was a bit loose and it just came around on me. There was no saving it, unfortunately, for all those guys at the shop. This is a brand-new car and there is nothing to show for it."

The early race accident left Newman finishing last in the 43-car field.

Newman's next Busch Series appearance in the Kodak Dodge is Aug. 11 at Watkins Glen International.