Ryan Newman
For Ryan Newman, 2007 signals the Indiana native’s eighth year with Penske Racing. Alltel has been his primary sponsor throughout his tenure with the Mooresville, N.C., team, while Mobil 1 has stepped into that position in selected races.
This year, however, Newman’s team contains a new look in personnel and sponsorship in the Cup and Busch Series.
Mike Nelson, the Cup team’s engineer since the team was conceived in 2000, is now its crew chief. Nelson, an Anderson, S.C., native, stepped into the lead role for the final two races last year.
For Nelson, his rookie season as a crew chief contains an additional challenge with NASCAR’s implementation of the Car of Tomorrow in 16 of the 36 races. That means preparing a Charger and an Avenger, Dodge’s COT.
In the sponsor department, Alltel remains the team’s primary in NASCAR’s NEXTEL Cup Series, while Mobil 1 assumes that role in five events. Joining Newman for the first time is Kodak.
The Purdue University graduate will carry Kodak’s colors in three Cup races and in seven NASCAR Busch Series events. Matt Gimbel will again oversee the Busch Series effort.
Even though Newman’s 2007 effort sports several new wrinkles, seeking victories and a championship are nothing new for the 29-year-old driver. Newman began driving a race car at age 4 ½, and nothing else has interested him. It has been that dedication to the sport that has brought him success.
In 1993, Newman won the All-American Midget Series Championship and rookie honors. Two years later he claimed USAC National Midget Series Rookie of the Year. In 1996, Newman was the top rookie in USAC’s Silver Crown Series and in 1999 he was named the Sprint Car Rookie of the Year.
That same year he earned the USAC Silver Bullet Series National Championship, and became the first driver in series history to record a victory in all three divisions – Sprint, Midget and Silver Crown – in one season.
Newman joined forces with motorsports legend Roger Penske in 2000 and walked off with three ARCA victories in five races. He also made his Cup series debut at Phoenix International Raceway.
The following season Newman competed in a precedent-setting ABC schedule, which involved races in the ARCA, Busch and Cup series. Newman recorded ARCA and Busch victories, as well as his first Cup Series pole, all while managing to graduate from Purdue University with a degree in vehicle structure engineering. Newman’s degree made him and then crew chief Matt Borland the first driver-engineer/crew chief-engineer combination in NASCAR history.
In 2002, Newman earned the Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year title and established a new standard for the circuit’s first-year drivers. Newman finished sixth in the points; tied Mark Martin for the most top-10 finishes in a season with 22, a rookie record; became just the second rookie to win The Winston all-star race; led the series with six poles, another rookie record that broke the one established by Davey Allison in 1987; posted 14 top-10 finishes, second only to series champion Tony Stewart with 15; and tied Stewart
in races led, holding the No. 1 position in 22 events. He also claimed his first career Cup victory in a rain-shortened race at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Newman backed up his outstanding rookie performance with the most prolific sophomore season by a Cup driver since Dale Earnhardt won the series championship in 1980. Newman and the Alltel team won eight races, 11 poles, and led the most miles with 1,509.13. His series-high 11 poles were the most since 1985. Newman also tied Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the most races led during the season at 24, and ended the year with a series-high 17 top-five finishes.
After finishing sixth in the point standings for the second straight year, Newman was named SPEED Channel Driver of the Year, the first time a driver had received the award without winning his series championship since Elliott accomplished the feat in 1985. Newman also was named: NMPA Richard Petty Driver of the Year, Benny Kahn/Daytona Beach News-Journal Driver of the Year, and the Sporting News’ Dale Earnhardt Toughest Driver of the Year.
Even though Newman and his team were unable to find the same commanding performance in 2003 as they had in the previous season, the team visited victory lane at Michigan International Speedway in June.
With the 2004 season, the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup made its debut. The Alltel team qualified for the title chase through a nail-biter race at Richmond International Raceway, then went on to win its second race of the year at Dover International Speedway. Although the team put on impressive runs during the “Chase,” it ended the season seventh in the series’ final standings.
In 2005, the Alltel team found consistency, posting one victory, eight poles, eight top-five and 16 top-10 finishes, and only three DNFs. The Alltel team once again qualified for the “Chase” and won the first race of the title bout at New Hampshire.
The Alltel team once again received the annual Bud Pole Award, as well as the Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race Award. The Alltel pit crew also earned the inaugural Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge for spending the least amount of time on pit road throughout the season.
The 2005 season also saw Newman return to NASCAR’s Busch Series. In the nine races Newman entered, he was victorious in six of them, winning five consecutive, a single-season record in the Busch Series. Led by crew chief Roy McCauley, the team posted eight top-five finishes in its nine starts.
Newman and the Alltel team experienced its most disappointing season in 2006. Even though Newman increased his career pole total to 37, moving him into a tie for 15th on the all-time list, his 18th-place finish in the point standings was his first outside the top 10.
