DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 17, 2011) - Army driver Ryan Newman went for an early spin but recovered to finish 10th in Thursday's qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway.
The Duel 150-mile races set the starting lineup for Sunday's Daytona 500, where Newman will start 21st in his No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet.
Starting third in the first qualifying race, Newman hooked up with his teammate Tony Stewart. As he was being pushed by Stewart's No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, Newman lost grip on the backstretch of the 2.5-mile oval and spun out in the infield grass on Lap 2 of 60.
But thanks to a great driving job, Newman kept his No. 39 machine off the wall and from incurring any major damage.
"It was a case of bad circumstances and bad timing," said Newman, the 2008 Daytona 500 winner. "Luckily I was able to save it and come back with a decent finish. I thought the track lost some grip and the cars appeared to be more out of control than what we have seen."
After his spin, Newman came down pit road to take on four fresh tires. When he returned to action, he was running at the back of the pack. But Newman, who represents the Army Strong Soldiers on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit, fought back to get into the mix with the 24-car field.
Stewart finished 12th and will start 25th in the 500.
Kurt Busch won the first qualifying heat. Rounding out the top five in order were: Regan Smith, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne.
The winner of the second qualifying race was Jeff Burton.
Sunday's Daytona 500 will be televised on FOX, beginning with a prerace show at noon ET.
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