NEWMAN'S OWN; Ryan Newman dominates Pocono.

Byline: AL PEARCE

Ryan Newman is smart enough to accept that NASCAR doesn't issue "do-overs.'' Its officials don't give anybody second chances to reconsider late-race moves or stop everything while crew chiefs recalculate fuel mileage.

Instead, Newman realizes that he and crew chief Matt Borland and owner Roger Penske must play the hand they are dealt each weekend. Too bad, because they would be championship contenders if they could go back to get better cards and do over some races.

This year's Daytona 500, for example: Newman crashed out (with some help) and finished a dead-last 43rd. The team would like another shot at the Talladega, Martinsville, Fontana and Richmond stretch that produced 39th-, 38th-, 42nd- and 39th-place finishes. They would also like to rerun Bristol in April (22nd), Michigan in June (41st) and Daytona Beach in July (22nd).

"But that's what we got in those races and we have to live with it,'' said Newman. "We just have to make sure we don't have any more finishes like those. I got wrecked a couple of times and we've had some parts break, and that's why we have so many bad finishes. I wish we could, but we can't make them go away.''

The team's 12 other fin-ishes have been championship-caliber: a series-leading five poles and four wins, plus four other top-fives and two other top-10s. Newman has come from 43rd in points after the Daytona 500 to ninth. In nine starts since Richmond in May, he has three wins and four other top-fives.

Newman and ...