Hi-tech Penske stable aims to power up

Let's see if we've got this straight: Ryan Newman wins the rookie of the year award, wins one race and finishes sixth in the 2002 Winston Cup points standings. Rusty Wallace finishes seventh in the points, and though he didn't win a race, Wallace did finish second four times.

And Penske Racing decided to change manufacturers. Does that make any sense?

VIDEO CLIPS Roger Penske and Rusty discuss the move to Dodge. Play video As usual, Rusty is optimistic about the upcoming season. Play video 09|15|2002: Ryan Newman wins his first career Winston Cup race. Play video

Perhaps not, but the move from Ford to Dodge could pay off big to Newman and Wallace. One of the reasons for the switch was to get more engineering and technical support. If Penske Racing gets it, it could be even more dangerous.

Both teams remain relatively intact next season. Newman and crew chief Matt Borland are together again, and Wallace and Bill Wilburn are paired up again, too. That consistency should smooth some of the manufacturer transition.

Certainly, landing Penske was a coup for Dodge. One could argue that Penske is the strongest team in the Dodge camp. Yes, there's Chip Ganassi Racing with Sterling Marlin, but that team will have two rookies this season.

Sure, Newman was a rookie last year, too, but he was no ordinary rookie. He could have won a lot more than one race and put himself in championship-contending position with an early-fall run that included his victory, three second-place, one seventh-place and two eighth-place finishes -- all in a row.

	Ryan Newman Credit: Autostock

Newman and crew chief Matt Borland worked well together, utilizing their engineering backgrounds to be consistent threats. Newman was as fast as anyone, winning six Bud Poles to set a rookie record and lead the Winston Cup series. Oh, yeah, he also won The Winston, NASCAR's all-star race.

But that wasn't enough for Newman. He wants more victories -- and a championship.

"Our goal is to maximize the top-10s," Newman said. "We've got to make it better. We can't have the same season we had last year because that was only good for sixth. I know one thing's for sure, this team learned a lot of things last year, and we'll be able to carry them over. I think we might surprise ourselves a few times."

Would anyone be surprised if Newman wins the 2003 title? No one has won the rookie-of-the-year award and the championship back-to-back since Dale Earnhardt did it in 1978-79.

PENSKE RACING  •  Rusty Wallace  •  Ryan Newman

"Don't get me wrong, it was 20 years ago, but we're going to try," Newman said "That's the goal of our season, the Winston Cup championship. Our goal in 2003 is the same as it was in 2002. Every team here should have that goal."

Wallace certainly has that goal. He looks back on 2002 as a season of missed opportunities, as he and new-for-2002 crew chief Bill Wilburn had several chances to win races.

But Wallace is the eternal optimist, and he believes 2003 will be better, despite the big transition.

To hear Wallace, however, the major part of the change was in the engine room. Even that went smoothly.

	Newman and Wallace finished sixth and seventh respectively in points last year.

"As long as they got the pieces and parts they needed pretty fast, they were in good shape," Wallace said. "They got everything they needed quick. They were surprised to see how quick they got the pieces they needed. Dodge really helped us get the blocks, cylinder heads and all the stuff we needed to make this big transition. It's pretty smooth right now."

And the horsepower output has been surprising.

"I can't differentiate at all," Wallace said. "Right now the horsepower I came (to Daytona with) last year in testing is exactly the same to what I've got now. You would hope to gain some, but I was happy to see that right off the bat our guys were able to make as much with last year's Ford. I think that leaves room for improvement."

If that's the case, Wallace and Newman should be even stronger in 2003. Maybe switch to Dodge won't be a bad idea after all.