Newman’s No. 12 Inducted Into Daytona 500 Experience After Historic And Competitive 50th Running Of The Daytona 500
Daytona Internationa Speedway, Press Release
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After one of the most competitive and exciting Daytona 500s in event history, Ryan Newman had his winning 50th running of the Daytona 500 car – the No. 12 alltel Dodge – inducted into Daytona 500 Experience on Monday morning.
Newman, owner Roger Penske and crew chief Roy McCauley inducted their winning race machine into Daytona 500 Experience as part of the Banquet Brown ’N Serve Champions Breakfast – a day after 42 lead changes and 16 different leaders made for one of the most exciting Daytona 500s in event history.
The trio participated in a fan forum inside the attraction and received their winning Daytona 500 leather jackets from Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig. In addition, Gatorade presented the 2008 Daytona 500 champ with a framed photo from Gatorade Victory Lane.
Newman also autographed artist David Arrigo’s DIRECTV Speedweeks mural hood painting and the entire No. 12 team including Newman had already signed winning No. 12 car the night before.
“It’s sinking in,” Newman said. “It takes time. It’s huge. It’s the 50th running of the Daytona 500 and it’s just an honor to be up here with (owner) Roger Penske and (crew chief) Roy McCauley and all these guys over here in the blue shirts. I kinda want them to go back to work pretty soon.
“It’s just an honor to be here. It was a great race last night. I have to thank Kurt Busch for the great push, great teammate, great team effort, great organization run by Roger Penske that enabled us to get the alltel Dodge into Victory Lane.”
The 50th running of the Daytona 500 will go down as one of the most memorable in history with 42 lead changes among 16 drivers. The 16 different leaders were the second-highest total in the history of “The Great American Race (record is 2006, 18 leaders).
The 42 lead changes at the start/finish line were the most since 2001 (49) and there 81 green flag passes for the lead on the legendary 2.5-mile tri-oval is the second-most at DIS since 2005 when the gathering of Loop Data began.
During his question and answer session with the media on Monday, Newman, who pocketed a winner’s check of $1,506,045, reflected on his early memories of visiting Daytona International Speedway with his family.
Newman, a graduate of Purdue with a degree in engineering, usually sat in the Segrave Grandstands and admitted that he used counterfit credentials.
“There were times where we might have bought some construction paper a time or two,” Newman said. “There were a couple of times where I had some friends in the garage that might have given me a crew shirt. But, I don’t recall those times. You do what you’ve got to do to get in man. You have to create your own opportunities sometimes.
“We always had tickets. But that isn’t always where you want to be – you want to be in the garage area – and when you’re a driver, you want to be amongst other drivers.”
Newman left Daytona International Speedway on Monday afternoon to kick off a week-long whirlwind media tour in New York City and California with scheduled appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and Live with Regis and Kelly.
“I’ve watch some Letterman and I know he’s a Hoosier and I know he’s very quick-witted and all of those things so I’ll try to give him a run for his money,” Newman said.
For ticket information for the 51st annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 15, race fans can call 1-800-PITSHOP or visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com
Banquet Brown ’N Serve Champions Breakfast Notes And Quotes
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 alltel Dodge and 2008 Daytona 500 champion
ON IF IT HAS SUNK IN THAT HE’S A DAYTONA 500 CHAMPION
“It’s sinking in. It takes time. It’s huge. It’s the 50th running of the Daytona 500 and it’s just an honor to be up here with (owner) Roger Penske and (crew chief) Roy McCauley and all these guys over here in the blue shirts – I kinda want them to go back to work pretty soon. In general, it’s just an honor to be here. It was a great race last night. I have to thank Kurt Busch for the great push, great teammate, great team effort, great organization run by Roger Penske that enabled us to get the alltel Dodge into Victory Lane.”
ON HIS DAD SPOTTING FOR HIM DURING THE RACE
“I said in Victory Lane that I heard tears dropping over the radio, and that’s no exaggeration because he’s emotional. He’s had a couple of health issues at times and he’s put himself on the edge. To have him here and to be a part of this is a dream come true for me. It was kind of a reassurance for me to know – and he’s been watching me for 26 years driving a car – he knows when I have one in the bag and when I don’t and he knows when it’s close. I just felt, as I got into Turn 3, that it was going to be a good one back to the start/finish line and he was right.”
ON ATTENDING THE RACE AS A FAN AND FORGING CREDENTIALS TO GET INTO THE GARAGE
“There were times where we might have bought some construction paper a time or two. There were a couple of times where I had some friends in the garage that might have given me a crew shirt. But, I don’t recall those times. You do what you’ve got to do to get in man. You have to create your own opportunities sometimes.
“We always had tickets. But that isn’t always where you want to be – you want to be in the garage area – and when you’re a driver, you want to be amongst other drivers. I remember times when we slipped through the gate with no credentials whatsoever because that was the level of security that they had. I sat on the pit wall and got A.J. Foyt’s autograph when he was still driving here in the 500 and the Gatorade Duels. We first came down here when my grandfather passed away. It gave us the opportunity to come down. We came down with my aunt and uncle, spent time in their motel room sleeping on the floor, and we had bad habits. We stayed up all night racing, came back and had Krispy Kremes for dinner and had Krispy Kremes for breakfast and that’s part of the reason I look the way I do. We had good times though. He’d come and pick me up from his work and pulled me out of school. The stipulation was that I had to have my schoolwork done. We had a log book of records to see which state we could clear the fastest. It was just all good times. We’d drive down here at night and we’d pull into the Cracker Barrel parking lot and sleep. That was one of the first things we talked about this weekend. He actually said that this weekend on the radio, ‘Do you remember pulling into the Cracker Barrel and sleeping?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I remember getting up in the middle of the night and having to take a leak and it was raining too hard so I just stayed in the car. So, I remember a lot of things.
“So much effort has gone into me sitting here. But, we always had tickets because they were in the family and the idea was to get in the garage. Sometimes we’d use construction paper. I remember stopping at a Winn Dixie over here and we’d look for construction paper. We did what we had to do. If you were good enough you could sneak in, figure out what the credentials actually looked like, and then you’d go back and make your own.”
ON TALKING WITH ANY OF THE DRIVERS AFTER WINNING THE DAYTONA 500
“King Richard Petty came to our bus after everything was over with. He just came over and smiled and hugged, and Lynda (Richard’s wife) as well, and talked to Krissie (Ryan’s wife). It was just an honor to have someone like the King come over and take time out of his schedule when he has other things to do and congratulate you. Even people like Ken Schrader that came up to me in Victory Lane and just gave me a hug and walked off. He didn’t say a word. So many other drivers. Kurt, I had a note on the door from Carl Edwards and his crew, ‘Congratulations, you’re the man,’ Matt Kenseth is a pretty close friend and I’ve been texting him back and forth last night and this morning. Martin Truex is a friend. Just a lot of people. But when the King came over, that was pretty special.”
ON HOW SPECIAL IT IS TO WIN THE DAYTONA 500
“I’ve thought about it a bit -- again, it hasn’t all sunk in – when we had the driver’s meeting with all of the great drivers up there, to see all the history of the sport sitting on one stage – obviously it’s not all the history, it’s only part of the history – but to be someone who appreciates the history (of the Daytona 500), whether it’s ’76 when Petty and (David) Pearson had their deal or ’98 when (Dale) Earnhardt shook everyone’s hand on pit road, those are the two things that stick out in my mind. Just to be part of the 50th running is an honor – to win it, it’s got to sink in.”
ON KURT BUSCH
“Kurt was the ultimate teammate. He had plenty of opportunity to dive to the inside and go on his own and he stuck with me. It goes back to Talladega last year and the great experience we had there when I at least finished in the Top five. We stuck to our guns, we stuck with the plan and drafted and worked together. We talked after Saturday’s practice about how hard it is to draft and how hard it is to bump draft and how you have to have your bumpers just exactly aligned and that’s just on the straightaways. There were a couple of times that I pushed Tony through the corners and I was like, ‘Tony, hang on buddy, we’re going for a ride’. We stuck it out and it takes great drivers to be able to do those types of things. I was just in the right place at the right time at the end.”
ON BEING ON THE DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW, REGIS AND KELLY AND WHAT HIS PLANS WERE THAT HE HAD TO CANCEL THIS WEEK
“Fishing, splitting wood, hanging out with the dogs, fishing, splitting some more wood. Honestly, I was looking forward to going home. I was all packed and ready to go home because that’s just what we do. We actually had a lot of our stuff – because we’re not taking our bus to California – on other’s people busses and we had to call everything back. I guess that’s a good problem to have.
“As far as Letterman and Regis and those, I don’t watch a lot of TV. I’ve watch some Letterman and I know he’s a Hoosier and I know he’s very quick-witted and all of those things, so I’ll try to give him a run for his money.
“I’m going to try to keep up with Mr. Letterman. I have to wake-up first of all – I’m still dragging a little bit.
Roger Penske, owner of Penske Racing and the cars driven by Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman and runner-up Kurt Busch
ON TRYING TO WIN THE DAYTONA 500 SINCE 1972
“It took a long time. I don’t know why it took so long. The competition continues to get tougher and tougher and we’ve seen that over the years and we haven’t been able to execute, quite honestly. We’ve been second and third in the past, but I think the team effort and certainly with Ryan and the job he did yesterday. All day long he was competitive and was competitive in the (Gatorade Duels). I think people maybe didn’t realize that. Kurt had a problem in the (Gatorade Duels), but when it was time to go he passed 16th to 6th I think on that restart and got into position which was what we needed.”
ON THE DYNAMICS OF RYAN NEWMAN AND KURT BUSCH’S PERSONALITIES, THEIR DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO RACING, YET OBTAINING THE SAME RESULTS
“How much time do you have? You’ve got a highly technical individual on my right (Ryan) who is committed to racing and really came up with an engineering degree. Kurt, he and his dad and his brother raced at short tracks out in Nevada and Ryan did the same with Greg Newman. To me, it’s about teamwork. We don’t expect everybody to have to go out with each other Friday and Saturday night, but when it comes to racing... I think we’ve tried this year to put together a communication process. After every practice, all three drivers, crew chiefs and engineers get together. I think that’s been a big step forward because Ryan knows what Kurt knows is out on the track, too. I think the two of them respect each other and I think one pushes the other. They did it yesterday in another way, but I mean on the track, from the standpoint of performance. Ryan might answer that question better than I do. We’re trying to set the stage, but obviously they’re the ones that have to play.”
ON HOW THE TEAM CELEBRATED THE WIN
“We had a great night last night and certainly, to be able to go on the bus and watch television and see what really happened – it happened so fast on the racetrack – just to sit back and take a deep breath and see the results. For me, it was a tremendous win for the whole team. Ryan’s been so close and they’ve done a great job qualifying and people said he couldn’t execute it, but I think yesterday was the day he came through and drove a great race – not just the last couple of laps. I think the car was competitive all day.”
Roy McCauley, crew chief of the No. 12 alltel Dodge
ON HIS HISTORY WITH RYAN
“From any crew chief’s standpoint, your dream situation is having a guy that doesn’t hesitate to push the button. The first thing that I always think about Ryan is that he’s going to get everything that he can from the car. From my real standpoint of us working together, I can’t put my finger on it except for that it’s really easy for us to talk. I would say that the keyword would be respect – both ways. Respect does a lot for any work relationship and it’s turned into a friendship, too. We’re very business-like about how we race, and that’s probably a fault of mine because I’m too business-like at times, but he can certainly help me with that. I think it’s just the mutual respect that we have and being able to focus is also another key factor between the two of us. We seem to be able to focus on what the most important thing to address is and rather than worry about 5% performance gain, we’re getting 20 and 30% performance gain when it matters.”
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It's an absolutely wonderful time to be Ryan Newman
THATSRACIN.COM OPINION
TOM SORENSEN
The Charlotte Observer
Monday, Feb. 18, 2008
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - One of the biggest stories to come out of Daytona International Speedway this week, as big as Ryan Newman winning and as big as Rick Hendrick’s drivers failing to, is Kurt Busch.
Busch has never been a fan favorite. For a long time, he alternated between rude and boring, neither of which endeared him to the ticket- and T-shirt buying public.
He changed, I think. Image, however, lags behind reality. It can be years before image catches up, and there’s no guarantee it ever will.
Yet everybody who watched the end of the Daytona 500 saw teamwork. It was like an alley-oop in basketball.
There’s no basket without an assist. There’s no victory for Newman in the 50th running of NASCAR’s biggest race unless his Penske Dodge teammate propels him to the finish line.
Newman says at Daytona USA Monday morning that he saw Busch charge behind him, driving about 5 mph faster. Busch went straight for Newman’s bumper and pushed. The timing was impeccable. The shove enabled Newman to blow by Tony Stewart and win.
Newman says Busch was the “perfect teammate at the perfect time.”
Another image was shed – Newman’s.
He is by training an engineer, with a degree in vehicle structural engineering from Purdue. He has always struck me as a guy who carries a slide rule in the pocket of his driver’s suit, a guy who, when you ask how it’s going, consults a chart and says, “Sixty-three percent good.”
Monday was all good. Newman and his blue-shirted Alltel crew ate free eggs, biscuits and fruit and drank orange juice and, in some cases, mass quantities of coffee. It was a late night.
Growing up, Newman had a few of those this time of year. He and his father, Greg – who this season became his spotter – would drive their hot-rod Cadillac from South Bend, Ind., to Daytona Beach as the Great American Race approached.
Newman had a 3.84 grade point average in high school, and as long as his schoolwork was done, his dad would pull him out of school.
They’d drive to the Cracker Barrel parking lot within walking distance from the track and sleep in the car. Or they’d sleep on the floor of his aunt and uncle’s motel room, eating Krispy Kreme donuts for dinner and breakfast.
“That’s partly why I look the way I do,” says Newman, who follows a different workout regimen than Carl Edwards.
There were family tickets, so they could get into the track. But they wanted to see the good stuff. Sometimes they’d sneak into the garage through an unguarded gate, or borrow the shirts of crew members they knew.
Newman also applied the qualities that would make him an engineer. He’d look closely at credentials, buy construction paper at Winn-Dixie and fashion one for him and his dad. To look even more official, he’d find lanyards in which to stick them.
As the winner of the sport’s biggest race, Newman no longer has to pretend to be somebody he’s not. We know who he is.
We know who his teammate is, too.
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I figured all the Newmanites would like this article!
Win doesn't hurt Newman's contract talks
Bob Pockrass
SceneDaily.com
February 19, 2008
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Did a win in the Daytona 500 solidify Ryan Newman's future at Penske Racing?
Well, it certainly didn't hurt his position in contract negotiations, but Newman said he and owner Roger Penske didn't make any quick decisions after the big win.
"We haven't talked about it [since the win]," Newman said Monday. "My contract is up at the end of '08 here, but we have the paperwork in progress, so we just have to sit down and talk about it.
"It's all good. It's been a long time coming to get to where we are. Getting the 13th win in six seasons, is not bad, but we have big goals and ideas that we want to do."
Newman ended an 81-car winless drought with the victory amid rumors that he might be better off somewhere else since he only has three wins since his eight-win season in 2003.
"We have an option for next year, so I don't think it's any factor we need to worry about right now," Penske said.
Penske indicated that he believes the cars weren't as good in recent years.
"I compare it to our Indy-car season where we were struggling and people had thought we had kind of lost our way," Penske said. "I don't think we had a car that was competitive. In many cases, we were riding around in the back of the field."
Penske did offer Newman one thing Monday morning -- an opportunity for Newman to run in the Indianapolis 500.
"If he wants a car, we'll provide him one," Penske said.
Bob Pockrass is an associate editor at SceneDaily.com.
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Post-Daytona 500 Victory Q&A With Roger Penske, Ryan Newman & Roy McCauley
Clear!Blue Communications For Dodge Motorsports, Press Release
ROGER PENSKE (Team Owner, No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger)
ON THE RACE:
“I can say I've been here almost probably 30 years trying to get in Victory Circle. To achieve this with this competition, with Ryan, the student really of the sport, and Roy and the whole team, just been unbelievable. You know, we've worked hard; we've come close. I think it was a pure team effort. When you saw the end there, you saw the 18 lined up with the 20, and you two the 2 lined up with the 12. I think that's what it took. To me, you know, Ryan drove a masterful race, as he's done many times and come up short. But today was special for us. You know, as I said, Rick Hendrick is a guy I always look up to. He called me today, because I called him to say what a great job they'd done all week, what he had done with Junior. I said, Look, if I get in that winner's circle, I want one of those H hats. He brought one down to me. Maybe that's the good luck call I had when I talked to him earlier. Ryan, you did a helluva job for us, and thanks for the team and for all the people that support us. All our 40,000 employees are going to be high-fiving you for sure.
ROY McCAULEY (Crew Chief, No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger)
ON THE RACE:
“I'll tell you what, it was a race of durability when it comes to the tires and things like that. Ryan drove a masterful race as far as when he had the car, he could run in the first five. When he didn't have the car, he'd find a slot somewhere between 6th and 10th and mind his time until we could get it right. I think that's the mark of being a smart driver and using your car when you can. I'll echo Roger's comments about total team effort. I think it's a big day for Penske Racing altogether because I worked with Pat Tryson and Chris Carrier the whole day on the radio as to what would benefit the team as a whole. As far as pit strategy goes, obviously once we could stop at lap 160 and make it on fuel, it was just going to be a matter of if another caution come out, where you going to put tires on. I'm not going to kid you, we had some second thoughts here and there. But I felt the track position was better overall trying to stay out of the accidents which normally come at the end of a plate race. They usually come in droves the last 20 laps. Thankfully history repeated itself on that one. You know, like I said, Ryan drove a great race. The car was a handful at the end. Thanks to our teammates and the team as a whole, we were able to pull one off.”
RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger)
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO WIN THE 50TH RUNNING OF THE DAYTONA 500?
”Don't have the words. It's awesome. It's probably one of the most awesome things that's ever happened to me. To understand all the history of NASCAR, of racing in general, you know, the drivers meeting, to be looking face to face with all the guys, the greats that were on stage up there, and now to be part of one of those guys and part of that team, it's just awesome. I've always said that Indianapolis was great to be able to walk in the garage area and know that you're touching the same footprints as other guys that were such great drivers for the last hundred years there. Just to be part of the 50th running of the Daytona 500, you know, 15 years ago I was sitting in the grandstands in the Seagrave Tower. It's awesome to make the changes. Got to thank Roger Penske, Don Miller, everybody at Penske Racing, Roy McCauley obviously. But obviously Kurt Busch. Without a doubt, he could have easily gone three-wide and split us through the center and made one heck of a mess there going into three, but he chose to be a teammate. That's the most honorable thing that he could do. I would have done the same thing to him. Just thank him a bunch. Thank our Penske/Jasper engine group for the great horsepower. I felt at times we had a really good car. I felt at times we were struggling. To be coming out on top, as Roy said, with maybe not the best tires or the best situation, but to have the track position was a great effort.”
Ryan, can you walk us through the last lap? What were you thinking was going to happen? How did it go?
“You honestly don't know. I mean, I would say for sure the leader was a sitting duck on every restart. I didn't think the 31 had the greatest car all day. We were fortunate that when they split apart that I got the chance to push Tony. That made a difference 'cause that lane moved, it gave Kurt the opportunity to run the high line, which he wanted to. Kind of the moons just aligned. When I pushed Tony through one and two, part of one and two, I was hoping he was going to hang on to it because I was pushing as hard as I could. We broke free. Kurt came up behind me off of two and just gave me the push from heaven. It was awesome. Listening to my dad on the radio spotting for me, all the other things, all the other emotions, all the hard work, people that gave me a shot racing quarter midgets, midgets, Sprint cars, Silver Crown cars, I have to thank everybody, including the fans.”
Every sport has coaches or players who don't win the derby or the series or this or that. How important was it for you to finally win at Daytona? If you didn't win, what would that mean to your career?
ROGER PENSKE (Team Owner, No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger) “I would have come back next year and tried again (smiling). It was special for me. Obviously we've tried for many years. We've had great drivers. We've been very close many years. But, again, we never executed at the end, and I think this was a team effort. As Ryan said, he drove a masterful race. But, you know, I thank Kurt, too. As Ryan said, he could have got in the middle of it. He pushed us, you know, to victory. To me that's important. It could be the other way next year or at the next race. Awful important that we can say we have a big team, as you know, very important.”
Roger, can you compare this to winning an Indy 500? Also, I understand Mr. Nardelli offered a $1 million to any Dodge team that could pull off the win. What are you going to do with the money?
“We're going to spend it to make the cars go faster, I'm sure that'll be the first thing we'll so. It was great. Bob Nardelli and I go back when I was at the Home Depot board. To see him as the CEO of Chrysler, he's really put some time and effort and give us people to make this a much better program. But comparing it to the Indy 500, as Ryan knows, we've been open-wheel guys. Coming down here has been tough. This has got to go to the top of the charts here. To see this win, what I'm going to try to do this year, have them back to back, have one in May, too. That's my real challenge right now.”
Roy, obviously you had one of the toughest years of your life last year with your wife being sick, having to step away from the team. Can you talk from an emotional standpoint to go from the lows of last year to the highs of this year, what this all means to you?
ROY McCAULEY (Crew Chief, No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger) “Well, you know, I'll echo Ryan's words: I don't think I have the words for what the last year has been. Exactly a year ago today actually, not to elaborate, but my wife was diagnosed with cancer. You know, I thank Roger Penske for giving me the opportunity to take care of what comes first, which is family. Without Roger, I would not have been able to do that. That just says a lot about the team as a whole again. But to come from those extraordinary lows and go through a lot of successful medical procedures in her case to get her on the road to recovery. You know, when we sat down and talked at the end of last fall, they asked if I would be willing to take over the 12 car. We had to have a serious talk and say, Okay, we're going to beat this, and we are beating this, and we're not going to let cancer dictate the rest of our lives. So we decided that we needed to go for it, take over the job and run the 12 and try and put Ryan in Victory Lane and Penske Racing in Victory Lane as often as we could. I give my wife a lot of credit. She's kind of my rock with wings, if you want to call it that. It means a lot to me to come back and stand in Victory Lane with Ryan, because the last time I was his crew chief we stood in Victory Lane again. It's just an emotional rollercoaster, and it's nice to be on the top of it right now.”
ON SAM HORNISH, JR.:
ROGER PENSKE (Team Owner, No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger)
“I would say that I was really surprised, but I was confident when we made the decision to bring him in to be our third car. I know Ryan and Kurt have worked with him a lot over the last week, the tests here, then in Vegas, then in California. But he drove a masterful race. He was working with the teammates. I think he's gonna be a real great team player here. To finish 15th in his first race, stay out of trouble, I was amazed. I know the team was excited. Certainly you got to take a chance. We started with Ryan in what we called an ABC program, ARCA, Busch, and Cup. We're sitting here at the Daytona 500 victory table. Hopefully we can do the same thing with Sam someday.”
Ryan, when you're coming off two the last lap, you see Tony go low, you must have been dumbfounded. What were you thinking right then the next two or three seconds?
RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger)
“I know Tony was mirror driving. I was doing the same thing. Tony saw his teammate coming. Obviously you want that push. You want that push from your teammate versus anybody else. I was going to do what I had to, to shuck and jibe him there to make a rundown the back straightaway. You're right. He opened the door. The seas parted. Like I said, Kurt was the push from heaven that made it all happen. I have to thank Kurt first and foremost. But, you know, Tony was very much a sportsman. He could have made that Home Depot Dodge extremely wide, and he chose to race.”
Could you comment on Roy's situation and what it means to be reunited with him, just what the last year has been like trying to support him through his tough time.
“I would say that Roy's situation was as tough as I think anybody could probably go through. I was really tight with Roy even when he was crew chief for Kurt in the start of '06. I did my best to try to keep him around to be the crew chief on the Busch team in '06. He had a great opportunity to move up when Rusty left and Kurt came. Everything came back together for us where Roy and I -- we have very similar backgrounds. Both of our dads used to own auto repair shops. He was born and raised in Maryland. I was born and raised in Indiana. Our lives kind of shadowed each other just with maybe a seven-year delay or whatever it is, four-year delay. It's really awesome. We think a lot alike. We act a lot alike. He's a great guy. What his wife went through, you know, my wife is very close with Amy, his wife. They did a lot of things together when we did our foundation efforts with the animals. She actually owned the marketing company. We stayed in very close contact with Amy and Roy through that ordeal. Happy to say that Amy is on the mend.”
When you woke up this morning, what did you think your chances were of winning this race?
“Really good. I honestly did.”
Why?
“It happens to you no matter what you do, what sport you're in. I had people come up to me and say, Today's your day. I can feel it. I know it. And you want to say, yeah, I feel it, too. You kind of want to go with the flow. So many things could have happened and taken us out of it. But I felt that we had a car that was capable of winning with the ALLTEL Dodge. You know, I felt that way throughout all practices. We cut our practice short yesterday just to be conservative. You know, like I said, all the moons aligned. It happened. It happened right.”
ON KURT BUSCH:
ROGER PENSKE (Team Owner, No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger)
“Well, I think we started this season with all three drivers, all three crew chiefs, the engineering folks together and said, Look, we got to make this one effort. You know, certainly when Kurt stepped back, we moved the points to Sam, obviously there was a lot of discussion about that. But what people don't realize, we gave our points to the Waltrip team two years ago. The good news was that Sam drove his way into the race and Jarret got in the race, so that made me feel good. But I think Kurt and Ryan are maybe different. They do different things Monday through Friday. But I can tell you now at the racetrack, the three drivers get together after every practice, and it's made a huge difference, I think, in communication and obviously on the racetrack. If you can't win yourself, you want your teammate to win. I've always said, we win as a team and we lose as a team.”
was the move to North Carolina, consolidating the team, aimed more specifically at trying to get more success in NASCAR?
Well, I think when you have -- we had Penske Racing North and Penske Racing South. That always bothered me. I wanted to have one Penske Racing. Getting together with Don, we decided we had this opportunity to get this big shop and we could put all the disciplines under one roof. We've has a lot of crosspollinization. We moved crew members from the different disciplines. I think it's made a huge difference. We got one location, one set of people that manage it. We get the benefit, you know, of the experience that we have. To me, I think it was the right move because our sponsors like it. The fans like it. We've opened up our shop with our fan walk to the fans that come in. I get a number of people down here today that said, Boy, we love going to your shop. That makes us feel good. I think Ryan will say that your relationship with Kurt has made a big difference for him. He really wants that, too. He came down to the winner's circle crying when he saw that Ryan won, because he knew how much it meant. And the fact that he could make a big difference in that victory I think is special to him and certainly you.
RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger)
“Yeah, I was looking forward to him coming down 'cause, I mean, you can't do it without a team, and you can't do it without teammates sometimes. Like I said, everything aligned itself so Kurt could help push me. I'm just grateful for that.”
IT’S FUNNY YOU SAID TONY AND THE HOME DEPOT DODGE.
“Did I say that?”
YES.
“How about that. I was dodging him, that's all (smiling).”
ON DODGE FINISHING IN SIX OUT OF THE TOP EIGHT TODAY?
“We got a different situation with this car at this racetrack. I think that's part of it. I think our Penske/Jasper engine did a great job. That made up for two of the six. That's a lot in itself. Just when you're trying to run wide open, the horsepower underneath the hood makes a big difference when the cars are similar. Outside of that, it's probably a part just racing.”
DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION NOW?
ROGER PENSKE (Team Owner, No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger)
“Well, obviously, when you think of Rick's team and RCR, Gibbs, these are world-class teams that have won this race many times. We wouldn't be here if we didn't think we could win, I can tell you that. Every year we've been here, we've been close. I think this year we were confident. A lot of things had come together. To me, we got a long way to go before we can sit at the table with those guys, but we're coming close.”
HOW IMPORATANT WAS THIS TO SETTLE THAT SCORE FOR YOU PERSONALLY AS ONE OF THE LEADING FIGURES IN INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORTS?
“Well, I can tell you that you needed to win this race to get in that class, and we did that. Certainly our wins at Indy have been important to us. But there is no question when you run 35 or 36 races a year with the tight competition, the way this sport has been developed by the France family, it's tough. I don't think it's any easier this year than it was last year. If you can get in and you can race with these guys, I love it. I come to the races. I've been to a lot of races obviously. We've won a lot. To me, to come and have the opportunity to win, which we have here, then to be able to execute, is certainly special. As I said earlier, this goes to the top of the charts for victories for Penske Racing.”
IS THERE A MOMENT WHERE YOU HAVE TO PUSH THE THOUGHTS OF WINNING THE 500 OUT OF YOUR HEAD TO FINISH THE JOB? DO YOU HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT THAT?
RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger)
“My dad was spotting for me. I could hear the tears dripping going down the back straightaway over the radio. He was emotional, as he always is. Rightfully so. He's put so much effort into making me a race car driver and the person that I am. My mother, as well. But to listen to him, I knew I had a really good push from Kurt. I knew when Kurt pushed me that he was locked in. Granted, if we had the opportunity at the start/finish line, I would have raced him like I raced anybody else. But he did a great job. It was just awesome. I mean, I got that tingly feeling. You only get that in certain things, you know what I mean (smiling)? I didn't get it there; just down my back (smiling). Everybody's toes curl two ways (winking).”
WHEN DID YOU FIRST REALIZE THE TALENT THAT RYAN HAD? WHO FIRST GAVE YOU THE INDICATION THAT HE COULD ONE DAY BE A GOOD RACER FOR YOU?
ROGER PENSKE (Team Owner, No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger)
“Well, we really had a friend that used to follow the open-wheel series. You know how people give you a brochure on a young driver? I had gotten this brochure. I went to Don and I said, Look, I think this guy has some real opportunity. I remember staying a couple times and watching him run his car at Nazareth. You know, Ryan had the technology background. His family and dad were behind it. We took a chance. But at the end of the day we've been consistent. He's won a lot of races. We never got all the way to where we needed to be. But I think this didn't happen overnight. The same thing as we brought Sam in here. You just can't go out and pick the top driver. As I told Sam, I said, You know, I can't hire Chad Knaus for you as a crew chief, so don't count on it. We've got to build. That's certainly what we did. Certainly Roy's relationship with Ryan has been outstanding. All the people on the team, Don Miller obviously who was my partner for many, many years, made a huge difference in Ryan's career over the last several years. I want to thank him again for all that he's done.”
WHEN DID YOU SEE YOUR DAD FIRST AFTER YOU GOT OUT OF THE CAR, AND WHAT DID HE SAY TO YOU OR DO WHEN YOU SAW HIM?
RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger)
“When I was in Victory Lane, I just finished up the interview, he just told me he loved me, he was proud of me, and I gave it right back to him. He was extremely emotional. We gave each other a big hug. He went on to talk to everybody else (smiling). Talked to my mom on the phone. She was an absolute mess. Don Miller and some other people. One of my old Silver Crown car owners actually. It's amazing. I'm sure my mailbox is four times full now.”
DO YOU REMEMBER THE LAST TIME YOU GOT A SPEEDING TICKET AND HOW FAST YOU WERE GOING?
“Let me think about this. Yes, I do. I was driving my 1957 T Bird. I pulled out of my driveway; the speed limit is 45. It's downhill. He clocked me at 60. We're talking like three-quarters of a mile here. He pulled me over in my '57 T Bird with my wife. I rolled down the window. He came down and said, Still runs pretty good, huh? I said, Yeah. What do you say to that? Goes back to his car, came back, and he give gave me a ticket. “
DID HE KNOW WHO YOU WERE?
“I wish I knew who he was right now. It was one of those deals where it doesn't matter.”
ON EXPECTATIONS COMING INTO SPEEDWEEKS VERSUS THE REALITY OF SIX DODGES IN THE TOP EIGHT AND YOUR EXPECTATIONS GOING TO CALIFORNIA AND VEGAS WITH THE CAR?
ROGER PENSKE (Team Owner, No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger)
“Well, again, we felt we had a good test here. We knew we had a lot more power that we could bring to the race. That's what we did in the reliability. This is a horsepower track. I think that Ryan came back and Kurt and even Sam and felt we had pretty good cars. We learned a lot. But, again, it was execution today. And most important, reliability, which we didn't have last year. Ryan missed a couple of wins because of reliability. But I think as we go forward, this will give our team a lot of momentum. But I can tell you this, we're going to line up with everybody else next week in California. I don't think because you won the Daytona 500 they give you an extra lap ahead of the field.”
TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES, HOW YOU KEPT YOUR MIND FOCUSED SO YOU DIDN’T GET FRUSTRATED DURING THOSE POINTS TO COME BACK TO WIN.
RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger)
“My car actually wasn't ideal out front. I was on the loose side for most of the runs. The last run we tightened it up, got it right. Roy did a great job. Guessing my voice feedback as far as how far to adjust the car. When I was out front I was just way loose, and that's why I dropped back there. When I was running third, I fell back to fifth, actually lost the lead draft. Giving it up. Man, I can't afford to crash it now. I got too good a car. Let's work on it. I sacrificed third place for running sixth at the time. It came back around once we got the cautions. Roy did a great job with the guys in the pits adjusting the car, getting me out. And I was worried when those guys came down, the 20 and the 18, when they cut off. I was worried they were going to have better tires, and they did. But we had the track position and it paid off. They had to really run their cars hard to get back up front.”
WHY DID YOU GO TO COLLEGE, AND DID THAT HELP YOU AT ALL TODAY IN ANY WAY?
“Well, I think my decisions might have been a little bit better. I always said that college taught me two things: It was time management and problem solving. Those are the two things that everybody deals with in everyday life. I think everybody learns that at college, if you get your diploma, no matter what you get your diploma in.
I can't sit here and say I won the Daytona 500 because I'm a vehicle structural engineer, but I'd say it definitely helped.
BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT HENDRICK, GIBBS AND JUNIOR DID IT TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF AND LET YOU FOCUS ON THE RACE?
“No, the pressure doesn't change anything. I've been on both sides of that. I don't think it affects the way I drive or the team's performance. I would definitely say, yeah, you're right. There was a lot of talk about Toyota. There was a lot of talk about Hendrick, the strengths that they had. I thought that we were extremely competitive in the Gatorade Duel on Thursday. Had a winning race car, just didn't get a chance to show it on that last restart. I thought that we were capable of beating half the field after Thursday. I didn't know what the guys were going to have. I thought 8 team was extremely strong today. He was stout. I think the 20 gave up a little bit. He played patience, a little cat and rabbit there. He definitely obviously showed up when he needed to. Either way, I don't look back after it and say, Hey, man, we just beat those guys. It was a team effort on our part to beat everybody. And most importantly, we didn't beat ourselves.”
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING DURING MOST OF THE NIGHT WHEN YOU WERE MIRED BACK IN 12TH OR 20TH? DID YOU IMAGINE YOU COULD DO WHAT YOU DID ALL NIGHT LONG?
“In a way, yeah. I mean, I knew that we struggled for grip at the start of the race. We fell back. I think we fell back to like 18th or 19th at one point there. I watched the scoring pylon count the laps down. I knew where I needed to be at a certain time. Fortunately, the way strategy worked out, the way Roy called the shots, the car that we had with ALLTEL Dodge, we were capable of being in the right place at the right time. Yeah, there was doubt in my mind at the start of the race. Again, going back to what I felt on Thursday, I knew the car was capable of beating at least half of them. Just keep working with it, and we did.”
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU COME TO DAYTONA AS A FAN? WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME?
“I remember my dad pulling me out of middle school. If you do the math...I'm not exactly sure of the year, maybe '90, '91, something like that. The whole deal with coming down here, my grandfather passed away. Instead of them coming down, we came down, my dad and I, with my aunt and uncle. We met them down here. We sat up in the Seagraves Tower, too. They let us stay at their motel we went to the New Smyrna every night ate peanuts and watched modifieds run. It was just awesome to be able to look at the Seagraves section after the checkered flags fell and realize where you've been and where you are. There's just so much honor that goes along with it. It will take a long time for it to set in.”
FIVE YEARS AGO YOU LEFT HERE LIKE A HIGHLIGHT REEL FROM YOUR CRASH. TOMORROW YOU MAY BE MORE FAMOUS THAN WAYNE KNIGHT. HOW DOES THAT FEEL? ARE THERE MORE TELEVISION COMMERCIALS IN YOUR FUTURE?
“Yeah, they got their mileage out of that crash. Obviously it was pretty spectacular. I feel blessed to be able to walk away from it. I just can't wait to see how everything gets printed and played and taped and live shots and things like that. But just to be a part of it, just to feel it, just to see it, and to be sitting up here with Roger Penske knowing we won the 50th annual Daytona 500 is just awesome.“
IS YOUR MOM HERE? DID YOU PACK A SUIT TO LEAVE FOR NEW YORK?
“My mom stayed home. She just spent some time with some friends out in Phoenix. One of our neighbor's husband passed away. She did the right thing, spent some time with her. Been traveling a lot. Had the opportunity to stay home and visit with my sister and her two grandbabies. So she was bawling in Victory Lane when I talked to her. I had to talk to her later because I couldn't understand a word she was saying. What was the second question? Oh, the suit. Oh, I was actually prepared for both. I had my clothes sitting out ready to go on the airplane, on my bed, in my bus. I was ready to go home if we had to go home. I figured if I didn't have my stuff ready we wouldn't do it. I'm kind of backwards and opposite when it comes to that stuff, so I don't have a suit with me. But I'm sure that the plane can stop someplace in New York on the way.”
YOU WON $1.5 MILLION. I THINK YOU CAN AFFORD A SUIT.
“It's not about affording it, it's just like wearing it. I don't necessarily like wearing 'em.”
DID YOU ALWAYS DREAM YOUR BIGGEST MOMENT WOULD COME AT INDIANAPOLIS?
“Well, I'd hope to. I mean, we had great runs at Indianapolis back in '03 and '04. It was just a place we went to. We were always hooked up. The car was fast. We've had poor finishes the last couple years there. We hopefully can get back on the freight train to speed there and have a better run at it. I know a lot of great things happen after you win the Daytona 500. A lot of history is based around stat-wise winning the Daytona 500, then going on to win the championship. That would just be a dream come true.”
CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT THE PUSH FELT LIKE ON THE BACKSTRETCH? HAS THERE BEEN ANYTHING THAT STOOD OUT ABOUT THIS WEEK AND THE HISTORY SURROUNDING IT? WAS TEHRE ANYBODY YOU ENJOYED SEEING?
“The push itself, Kurt and I talked yesterday after practice. We discussed, along with Sam, how hard it was to actually push here compared to Talladega. Talladega, it was cake to push each other around for the entire lap. Here, even down the straight-aways, it could be pretty iffy. There were times tonight where I got pushes. I was like, Man, ease off a little bit. I'm on the floor here. You know, Kurt did a great job holding me straight, which makes a difference. You can wiggle around and shake the guy in front of you loose. He did a great job with it. What was the second part again?”
ON THE HISTORY:
“The history, yeah. Like I said, sitting in the drivers meeting, the drivers that were up there, A.J. Foyt, Junior Johnson, even Pete Hamilton, guys I'd never seen before, I just heard of. I got their die cast at home. The little die cast of the wing cars, I've got them all. To see those guys in person, to see Mario Andretti sitting elbow to elbow with A.J. Foyt, picturing those guys, the way they used to run, the dirt miles, things like that, it's all part of it. I felt that when Ken Schrader came up and gave me a hug in Victory Lane. Never said a word, just gave me a hug and walked off. I know how much he appreciates the history of the sport. That said a lot for him there, as well.”
BUDDY BAKER HAS SAID YOU ARE AS CLOSE TO A THIRD SON AS HE’S EVER HAD. HAD BUDDY HELPED YOU COPE WITH YOUR DRY SPELL UP UNTIL NOW?
“Absolutely. Buddy was my teacher when I first started at Penske Racing in the ARCA series. Even the Busch and Cup Series. We used to go to every test together. He would ride along. We'd get in the rental car, drive around the racetrack the right way. We'd turn around and drive around the racetrack the wrong way, gives you different vantage points. He likes to let you see what you can do coming off the corners and the way you enter the corners. He was a great friend. He was a neighbor. We lived on the lake together. Now we're living up in Statesville. Either way, he's an awesome guy. It's really an honorable, as well. My dad and Buddy hit it off really well, even when they were spotting together. They spent a couple nights this week this week, this past weekend, eating dinner together and hanging out. That's just awesome. I mean, to know that I was sitting in the Seagrave Tower and I watched Buddy Baker running in the Crisco car, and to see now my dad going out to dinner with him and see him being honored in the 50th running of the Daytona 500, it's just a dream come true, as well.”
HOW MUCH MORE SATISFYING IS IT TO ENJOY THIS WIN WITH FAMILY, BUT THEY WERE ALSO THERE TO HELP YOU AND ROY IN HIS HARD TIMES AS WELL?
“Absolutely. My family was my crew growing up racing in quarter midgets and midgets, even the Silver Crown series. Up till '97 was when I got a full-time ride with somebody else. They were still part of the crew, they weren't responsible for getting into the racetrack. My sister, I talked to her on the phone. She's my biggest critic. She had a few choice words. She told that she didn't think I could actually even do it on a restrictor plate, restrictor plate track. So, it was, you know, I guess to prove my sister wrong either way is cool at the same time.”
ON WHAT RYAN NEWMAN HAS GONE THROUGH SINCE HIS LAST WIN:
“It was tough last year knowing that we were that close so many times. Going back to even Charlotte, when the track bar mount broke. It's like, Man, what do you got to do? I've told a few people, I just hope when I get back to Victory Lane it's a big one. Honestly, actually it was. It's great to do it as a team, to have a rebounding year like we did last year. Everybody, Michael Nelson, the guys on the team that helped get the team back on pace, you know, they're here today, too. That's awesome. Just all the hard work and the effort that all the Penske organization puts into it, it's all played out tonight.”
ON HAVING THE ONLY GOLD DAYTONA 500 TROPHY:
“I just assumed they were all gold. I didn't really pay attention to it. It's neat. It's awesome. We both get one, Roger?”
ROGER PENSKE (Team Owner, No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger)
“I hope so.”
RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger)
“I hope so. Me, too (laughter). No, it's a team win. It's an organizational win. I'm just Happy to see it and touch it and feel it. I mean, I drove by Daytona, U.S.A. and saw the statute of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. with that trophy in his hand, and that meant a lot to me. I won't have a statute made of me today, but hopefully that is something I can look forward to.”
ON PUTTING HIS HANDS AND FEET IN THE CONCRETE:
“That was pretty wild. The crazy part was you'd only do your right foot and then both hands. I guess they assume the left foot does nothing to get you in Victory Lane around here. It was pretty cool. That's the first time I've ever done it, so I'm not sure where my casting is going. I'm not sure if I get a Walk of Fame or a square on a sidewalk someplace, but it was definitely cool.”
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DAYTONA BEACH - Perhaps winning NASCAR's biggest event -- and the 50th running at that -- lends a driver to introspection and a bit of soul baring and story telling.
Such was the case for Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge, who won the Daytona 500 on Sunday night, celebrated and then began the media responsibilities that are part of being champion.
Admitting the victory still had fully registered and that he hadn't fully re-acquired all his faculties after the emotional triumph and the hoosanas and the hootennannies that followed, Newman nevertheless spent nearly an hour answering questions with team boss Roger Penske and crew chief Roy McCauley on Monday morning.
The driver known in the sport for his honest, forthright, answers -- always starched by perhaps the driest wit in the garage -- lifted the curtain perhaps a bit more than he ever had before.
There was the time in 1996, when Greg Newman's funds ran dry and it appeared his 19-year-old son, Ryan, was facing the end of his career.
But several of a long line of people Newman graciously thanked stepped forth and provided the money and helped set the Rocket Man on course to the strastosphere of stock car racing.
There were his fond memories of his trips to Daytona Beach and the speedway with his dad, and the urge that was so strong to get as close to the action as possible that they created fake credentials using construction paper, or just slipped through the gates undetected.
"We always had tickets, but that isn't where you always want to be, you want to be in the garage area," he said. "And when you're a driver, you want to be amongst other drivers.
"If you were good enough, you could sneak in and figure out what the credentials actually looked like, then you could go back and make your own."
Or the time he sneaked all the way to the pit road wall, where he got the autograph of the legendary A.J. Foyt.
Such are the memories of laying a foundation for a big-time racing career. Such things don't happen overnight, and Newman's began 26 years ago when he was all of four.
But it wasn't all about racing -- albeit darn close. Education played a major role with Newman's parents, and Penske, insisting on a college degree. He got it in engineering from Purdue, but barely.
"I was on academic probation the semester before I graduated," he recalled with a smile.
"Racing picked up in college."
He finished up with a 2.01 grade point average, shaving things as close to the minimum 2.0, as possible but making the grade nontheless.
Then, after the appropriate apprenticeships, Newman reached what was then Winston Cup in 2000, running his first full season in 2002 when he was rookie of the year. He won 11 races and 34 poles in his first three seasons and finished sixth, sixth and seventh in points, stamping himself as a force to be recokened with.
But then things began to go sour as he struggled both with his cars and in his relationship -- and it's a stretch to call it that -- with veteran teammate Rusty Wallace, with both accusing each other of lacking respect.
Wallace finally stepped away after the 2005 season, but Newman's fortunes continued to flounder as he embarked on an 81-race winless streak, and finished 18th and 13th in points in 2006 and 2007 respectively.
As a result, despite rock-solid confidence and what he called a rebound season in 2007, Newman was not even considered to have a chance at winning the 500 by some or really even to be a factor in the 2008 title hunt.
But all that ended Sunday night.
Newman now gets to bask in the glow of accomplishment and in anticipation of what the remaining 35 races might hold, and perhaps even signing a new contract with Penske to extend the one that expires at season's end.
"We have paperwork in progress," he said.
And, no, it's not construction paper.
"It's all good," Newman said. "It's been a long time coming to get to where we are. We have big goals and ideas we want to hit," such as winning the Sprint Cup championship and as has been the case throughout his career, if Newman gets there he won't get there alone.
From his parents, to Penske, to teammate Kurt Busch -- with whom Newman gets along quite well and who pushed Newman to victory -- to former 500 winner and sherpa Buddy Baker, Newman has had the support he needed when he needed it, and Sunday night, he rewarded everyone.
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Race fans will have an opportunity to add a truly unique keepsake from the historic 50th Running of the Daytona 500 as well as donate to a great cause.
Newly crowned 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman will autograph 200 street pole banners which were displayed along International Speedway Blvd. welcoming race fans to Daytona Beach for the historic running of "The Great American Race."
The banners, made out of either mesh or vinyl material, are double-sided and is 2' wide by 6' tall, will be sold through NASCAR Foundation beginning today, Feb. 25. Visit http://marketplace.edeal.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=63306014&aunbr=92099706 for more information.
The Ryan Newman Foundation was established by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman and his wife, Krissie, in January 2005. The mission of the foundation is to educate and encourage people to spay/neuter their pets and to adopt dogs and cats from animal shelters; to educate children and adults about the importance of conservation so the beauty of the great outdoors can be appreciated by future generations; and to provide college scholarship funding through the Rich Vogler Scholarship program to students interested in auto racing careers. The Ryan Newman Foundation is proud to be part of the NASCAR Foundation's family of charities.
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BRISTOL, Tenn. - The new racing surface at Bristol Motor Speedway may not lend itself to as much drama as the old one, but that’s just fine with Ryan Newman.
In fact, he’d prefer it this way.
“I thought they did an excellent job in making this a better racetrack,” Newman said on Friday of the .533-mile facility, which was repaved before last August’s Nextel Cup race at the high-banked oval.
“From my standpoint sitting in the seat, it drives like a three-wide, like a Michigan in a round about way. It’s a lot of fun to race. You can move around. It takes some time for [the groove] to move up towards the wall, but it’s a three-groove race track. Any half-mile that’s a three-groove racetrack is a heck of a racetrack in my book.”
Sunday’s Food City 500 Sprint Cup race will be just the second time Cup drivers have raced on the track since it was repaved.
The facility drew mostly praise from drivers but criticism from some fans after last summer’s race, which featured an unusually low number of wrecks and subsequent cautions. Bristol has long been lauded as a fan favorite for its trademark beating, banging and wrecking among competitors, which often yields intense displays of emotion.
“I’m a race car driver, and I want to see a race. I want to see us go door handle to door handle and rub sides,” Newman said. “I don’t want to see us bumping and banging and getting mad because one guy spun the other guy out. Now in saying that, this new car doesn’t allow us to spin each other out the way we used to, but we can still get it done. I like the race track the way it is.”
Changes introduced to the surface last year included the addition of three extra feet in width as well as slightly variable banking, designed to give drivers multiple grooves where they can run fast. Newman believes that has been accomplished.
“It’s not like it was a bad race track before, but I just think that it’s a racier race track now," he said. "If fans are here to see a race, then those fans should be happy. Those fans that don’t like it as much, they’re probably not here to see a race. They’re probably here to see some crashing. So go visit your demolition derby.”
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It's an absolutely wonderful time to be Ryan Newman
Autographed 500 Banners Being Auctioned
Newman happy with Bristol track the way it is