Ryan Joseph Newman (born December 8, 1977 in South Bend, Indiana) is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver of the #39 U.S. Army Chevrolet for Stewart Haas Racing. Newman graduated from Purdue University in 2001 with a B.S. in vehicle structure engineering.^[1] In 2002, he was the Raybestos Rookie of the Year.

He enjoys fishing and working on vintage automobiles, particularly 1950s Chryslers. Newman's car was featured on the cover of the 2005 EA Sports computer game NASCAR SimRacing, and he was actively involved in its development.

Newman won the Daytona 500 on February 17, 2008, after passing Tony Stewart on the final lap. It was his first win since September 2005.

Contents 1 Racing career 1.1 Early days 1.2 Beginnings with Penske 1.3 "Rocket Man" 2 Races Won 2.1 Sprint Cup (14 Career Wins) 2.2 Nationwide Series (7 Career Wins) 2.3 Camping World Truck Series (1 Career Win) 3 Charity 4 External links

Racing careerEdit

Early daysEdit

Newman made his racing debut in 1993 in the All-American Midget Series, winning both Rookie of the Year and the championship. His 100 feature wins and two titles have him in the Quarter Midget Hall of Fame. Moving to USAC in 1995, he was ROTY again in both the Midget Series and the Silver Crown in 1996. In 1999, he was the first driver to win in all three divisions while being the Silver Bullet Series champion.

Beginnings with PenskeEdit

Newman began working for legendary racing icon Roger Penske in 2000, winning 3 of the five ARCA RE/MAX Series races he entered, and making his Winston Cup debut at Phoenix International Raceway. In 2001, Newman continued in both ARCA and NASCAR, while attending Purdue. Around this time he would meet racing legend Buddy Baker, who would eventually become his mentor on superspeedways.

"Rocket Man"Edit

In 2002, Newman won a season-high six poles, breaking the record set by Davey Allison, and won his first career Busch Series race. In September, he won his first career Winston Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after starting from the pole. Newman also became the second rookie since Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the The Winston. He beat out Jimmie Johnson for the Rookie of the Year award.

Newman's sophomore season began with a flip at the 2003 Daytona 500 after contact with Ken Schrader. He and his team recovered and reeled off eight wins and eleven poles, both series highs, but he also finished with seven DNF's, which left him sixth in points. His number of poles during the season led to him being nicknamed "Rocket Man."

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In 2004, Newman would make the inaugural Chase for the Cup, finishing seventh in points with two wins. The next year, Ryan made the Chase again, beginning with his second New Hampshire victory. He returned to the Busch Series after a four-year absence, winning six out of the nine races he entered, including a series-record five straight. Newman endured his first winless season in 2006, finishing a career-worst 18th in points, while his longtime crew chief left for Michael Waltrip Racing.

His pole ratio between his rookie year and 2006 was one in every three races, tying him for 15th on the all-time poles list. In 2007, he again went winless, including a near win at Lowe's Motor Speedway before a blown tire ended his hopes.^{[2] [3]} The streak ended after he won the 2008 Daytona 500 on February 17, 2008. It was also the first Daytona 500 win for Penske.

Races WonEdit

Sprint Cup (14 Career Wins)Edit

2010

• Subway Fresh Fit 600 at Phoenix International Raceway - April 10, 2010

2008

• Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway - February 17, 2008

2005

• Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway - September 18, 2005

2004

• DHL 400 at Michigan International Speedway - June 20, 2004
• MBNA America 400 at Dover International Speedway - September 26, 2004

2003

• Samsung / Radio Shack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway - March 30, 2003
• MBNA Armed Forces Family 400 at Dover International Speedway - June 1, 2003
• Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway - July 13, 2003
• Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway - July 27, 2003
• GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway - August 17, 2003
• Chevy Rock and Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway - September 6, 2003
• Dover 400 at Dover International Speedway - September 21, 2003
• Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway - October 5, 2003

2002

• New Hampshire 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway - September 15, 2002

Nationwide Series (7 Career Wins)Edit

2005

• Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International - August 13, 2005
• Domino's Pizza 250 at Michigan International Speedway - August 20, 2005
• Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway - August 26, 2005
• Dover 200 at Dover International Speedway - September 24, 2005
• Dollar General 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway - October 14, 2005
• Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway - November 19, 2005

2001

• NAPAonline.com 250 at Michigan International Speedway - August 18, 2001

Camping World Truck Series (1 Career Win)Edit

2008

• E-Z-Go 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway - October 25, 2008

CharityEdit

Newman and his wife, Krissie, operate the Ryan Newman Foundation, which primarily focuses on assuring that adequate care is provided for unwanted dogs and cats in shelters and pounds. He helped fund the construction of the Catawba County, North Carolina Humane Society shelter, in the county where he once lived.

External linksEdit

• Alltel Racing Website
• Official Fansite
• Kodak Motorsports Website
• NASCAR Driver Website
• Penske Racing
• NASCAR Stats from Racing Reference

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