Ryan Newman, Contender

Oh Ryan Newman, you never make it easy on us devoted, B31IEVE in you die-hard fans.

You ran hard in the regular season. Then, you dazzled us at Chicagoland when you finished 4th; you tickled us at New Hampshire with a top 10 finish; you drove us to distraction at Dover when you just couldn't get any more out of your race car.

Your uncharacteristic 19th place finish was enough, barely enough, but enough to pull off a swift advance to the Contender Round of the Chase for the Championship. Lady Luck never treats you well, but she had her sites on some of your competitors this time--especially Jimmy Johnson--who is no longer a threat with his aim for seven. There had to be some heads shaking over his demise. A mechanical failure--worth five bucks--how did that get by Chad Knaus?

We watched breathlessly during the race, each time Kevin Harvick got behind you. Then all hopes were dashed each time he passed by. Even though we knew you were in good shape, starting the race 6th in points, but as the laps ticked by, our worries commenced. We held our collective breaths as the points were revealed, perhaps one too many times.

I just wanted to scream, "I know, I know!"

It seems you were completely "noticed" by the commentators, who generally pay you no mind. Then, at the anti-climactic ending, when you were in sitting-duck mode, the only car a lap down with no potential to race for points, Lady Luck once again concentrated on the other guys.

When we learned you made it to the next round, and with a point to spare. Whew! That was a squeaker. I'll thank you to not do that again!

With the first round behind you, you are back on an even playing field. As I write this, I'm hoping you and the guys are all back at the shop, tweaking, refining, reviewing, and planning how to get that #31 back to being as fast as she will go.

Good luck Ryan. You sure do make this fun for us. I hope I speak for the rest of us when I simply say, thank you for letting us spend our Sundays with you. You are the most enjoyable driver on the track and we just love to watch, even though you make us sweat a little, each and every week. Good luck to you, contender.

Ryan Newman's consistency pays off in first Chase race

Who wasn't proud of Ryan Newman on Sunday? He finished in fourth place at Chicagoland Speedway to start the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship as he showed purpose, determination, and his signature consistency.

It was that consistency that nearly won him a championship last year.

NASCAR engineered the Chase for the Championship to give stock car racing an exciting playoff to end the season, not unlike other sports. Their most recent version of the Chase was billed as 'all about winning.'

Newman proved that isn't quite the case since he didn't win a single race last year, yet came nearly a hair's breadth from becoming the sports' champion.

Winning used to be everything in racing. It was a drivers' sport. But the rules have changed since a generation ago when all the decisions were made by the driver and his race team. There is more of an emphasis today on racing being a spectator sport. I don't see it that way and I admit it galls me a little when they call races a show for the fans. But this way, there is more money in it. While still a sport, racing now emphasizes it is more of a business.

Today, NASCAR is in complete control of the cars, the drivers, the tracks, the television viewing, the commentators; everything.

In an effort to create a greater spectacle, NASCAR has brought the latest adaptation to the sports' version of its championship playoff, with the Chase for the Championship. NASCAR thought they had the best of both worlds in their latest points system that awarded a point for each position gained on the track, a point for leading a lap, leading the most laps, and three points to the winner of the race. They advertised the new and improved Chase as having an emphasis on winning. Yet, Newman proved them wrong. Let's face it, as long as points are awarded, a mediocre or inexperienced driver who gets lucky and wins one or two, shouldn't be considered a champion. But consistency is also rewarded with points. That is where Newman excels, as he proved last year. There wasn't much NASCAR could do about it either, because he played by their rules. Race car drivers and his fans recognized that Newman worked hard to earn every point he got for which he was rewarded in the end.

Everyone had an opinion about the non-winning driver in championship contention. Comments at the end of last season were as varied as a Presidential race with Democrats and Republicans sniping at one another. And some of those comments were just as ugly. There were the Newman supporters, such as myself, who often faced off with fans of other drivers who didn't finish so well, who were flat out against a non-winner being eligible for a championship. There was a virtual war of words slung on social media and attached to magazine articles over Newman's being in the final four of the elimination round without winning a race. For those of us who follow Newman, we know he earned it. Announcers and even NASCAR knew he earned it.

But for those race fans who rarely saw Newman on the track, never saw him interviewed on television, or hardly ever even heard his name, they saw Newman as a johnny-come-lately who didn't deserve to be contending for a championship. For that, I blame those TV analysts that ignored Newman all season for whatever reason. I have my own ideas about why that is. In fact, I wrote a blog post last year that called Newman NASCAR's Rodney Dangerfield, because like the late comedian, Newman gets no respect.

NASCAR seemed to have it in for Newman too because he doesn't kowtow to them. He plays by the rules for the most part and uses the system to his advantage wherever he can. Basically, in my view, he outsmarts them and they don't take kindly to that. They also don't like that he is his own person and is not easily controlled. So when Newman bested two of the four drivers in the final heat of the Chase last year, coming in second, less than a half-second behind Kevin Harvick who ultimately won, some pretty nasty things were said.

The bottom line on Sunday, was that Ryan started the race in sixth position--based on the results of the first practice speed when qualifying was rained out. On on the last restart, Newman showed his championship potential. He restarted in 14th, after getting shuffled back in the prior restart. But during those closing six laps of the race, Ryan powered his car past ten others to finish fourth. It was amazing! It was a very good way to start the Chase for the Championship. As I've always said, Newman is the one to watch!

Ryan Newman to contend for Championship in NASCAR-created controversial Chase

Oh boy, #NASCAR, what a race it was at Phoenix! 

Honestly, I don't remember anything but the last lap, and of course its controversial aftermath.

I suppose if I was a Jeff Gordon fan, I too would be disappointed. Disappointed is one thing, but the vitriol against Ryan Newman has shocked me. 

Get a grip people! I've watched replays, read all the articles, and even made a few comments to set the record straight. 

For the record, Ryan Newman did not wreck Kyle Larson. No one was more disappointed at the finality of the race than Jeff Gordon., but even he agreed that Newman didn't wreck Larson.

"Well, he ran him wide. I don’t know if I’d say he wrecked him. He certainly ran him up the race track," Gordon said in a post race interview. 

What Newman did was race hard, which is his job. The video of the incident shows that Newman drifted up toward Larson's #42 in an effort to get around him. It appears as if Larson got loose, hit the wall, recovered, while Newman sped past him, gaining the one point he needed to advance to the final round in his quest for his first championship. It must be noted that Larson not only finished the race; he only lost two spots in the process. 

While the terms, "bumped, rubbed, and moved out of the way" are appropriate, it is wrong to characterize what happened as Newman wrecking the rookie Kyle Larson. 

Newman did nothing different than any other driver in the garage would have and has done. In fact, Kyle Larson did the same thing to Marcos Ambros the lap before. 

There was a championship on the line for Newman. He drove as hard as he had to to remain in contention. 

There is one thing Newman did, however, that other drivers don't normally do. Newman issued his regret for having to race that hard. With his characteristic good humor, in contrast to his appearance, sitting against a curb disheveled and exhausted, Newman justified the move as payback for Larson doing the same thing to him, costing him a $9,000 win in an Eldora dirt race. 

Winning isn't necessary

NASCAR has said it wants to reward winning. That sent mixed signals, since each round of the Chase for the Championship took away the perks for previous wins. 

Newman questioned NASCAR's move to reset the extra points for past race winners during the championship contender rounds, which indicates his open-minded fairness, since such a change would have hurt him and Matt Kenseth, who was also winless this season. 

Newman cannot be blamed for contending for the championship with no wins during the season. In fact, consider that Newman had to work even harder to gain points without a win. His consistency in making the most out of whatever hand he was dealt made the difference. The stats prove that too, as he was second overall in passing for points, behind Logano who won five races. Gordon, who was just one point behind Newman in the current standings was only sixth best in earning points. That statistic is a legitimate one, because it gauges passing other cars for position. Using that criteria, which NASCAR has done this year, winning appears much less important. 

Since the cars are so evenly matched, which is also NASCAR's doing, the only way to win is through strategy, using every advantage, such as for gas mileage, tire wear, fast pit stops, leading laps, and often times, aggressive driving. 

Chase for the Championship created drama

This year's Chase for the Championship has done what NASCAR intended it to do. It has raised the level of excitement to a fever pitch. I've been watching NASCAR since the Chase began and never has the bar been raised so high. The last three races ended in controversy over aggressive driving, though this was mild compared to the previous weeks. 

There was no potential violence between Newman and Larson. Quite the contrary in fact, as I've been told that Larson congratulated Newman on making it as a contender for the Championship.

That can't be said for the last two weeks, where Brad Keselowski's aggressive driving actually drew blood. At Charlotte two weeks ago, Matt Kenseth went after Keselowski. Last week it was Gordon that chased him down, resulting in both being bloodied about the face. NASCAR even issued fines against some of the crew members of teams that participated in the brawl.

Make no mistake, the stepped-up emotions of drivers, teams, and fans this year, is the doing of NASCAR's tweaking of the Chase for the Championship. 

UPDATE--Kyle Larson quote: 
"Coming to the finish, there were a lot of cars racing really hard. I knew the 31 was right around me, and knew he needed to gain some spots to keep from getting eliminated from the Chase. It's a little upsetting he pushed me up to the wall, but I completely understand the situation he was in, and can't fault him for being aggressive there. I think a lot of drivers out here would have done something similar if they were in that position."

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