MOORESVILLE, N.C. – 2008 Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman will pilot the Supercuts Dodge this weekend in the Zippo 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen International. It will mark Newman’s first start of the season in the Nationwide Series and his first-ever driving duty for Fitz Motorsports.

Newman has a strong record in the Nationwide Series at the 2.45-mile 11-turn road course, garnering a win in 2005 and never qualifying out of the top five.

“We are very excited to have Ryan driving our Supercuts Dodge this weekend,” said team-owner Armando Fitz. “He has developed into a great road racer. This is going to be a good situation for all of us; as a team we will be able to tap into his road course knowledge and hopefully he will learn some things that can translate to success for him on Sunday as well.”

Newman echoed Fitz’s statement regarding their alliance for Saturday’s event.

“Driving the Supercuts Dodge on Saturday serves many purposes. The main goal is to win the race, but it will also provide me with additional seat time at the track that will sharpen my skills for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race. I’m looking forward to the race and to working with the Fitz team,” Newman said.

Qualifying for the Zippo 200 will be at 10:10 a.m. EST, and the race will begin at 2:00 p.m. EST. This is the second consecutive road course event for the NASCAR Nationwide Series.