Newman catapulted to 4th on restart

Image via WikipediaI don't suppose I will ever be happy with rained-out qualifying, although once again Ryan Newman made a little lemonade out of the lemons he was handed. 

Starting in mid-pack last week at the inaugural race at Kentucky, it was painful to watch Newman have to start 18th. It was harder to watch his team struggle yet again with an ill-handling race car. 

The pain turned right around though, due to some creative strategy and skilled wrenching on the #39 car. Though not ideal, racing today has as much to do with strategy as it does driving. Fortunately, Newman gets high marks in both. 

While Newman has so much going for him, the one place where he definitely needs improvement is his relationship with Lady Luck. 

This week, she picked Newman over Jamie McMurray whose engine blew up just before Newman was planning to pit under green. He was running in second place at the time. The caution under yellow enabled him to restart in the top 10, with new tires and fuel. 

One more pit stop was all Newman needed. The combination of driving ability and strategy catapulted him forward during the last two laps to a well-earned, much-needed fourth-place finish. 

So despite the iffy beginning, the end of the race, especially, Newman's final restart where he overcame three positions in the blink of an eye, was a beautiful thing to watch.

Newman's performance was reflected in the points' standings as well, as he now stands ninth in the upcoming 12-man Chase to the Championship.
 

Ryan Newman's mixed bag at Daytona

Congratulations to Ryan Newman. Not only did he run the fastest lap--199.252 mph--in last night's race, which earned him an award from Goodyear, but he also led the most laps--25, just like he did at the season opener at Daytona. For his efforts, the Rocketman won a $5,800 award from Goodyear.

But that's not all...

I'm sure this honor helped soothe Newman's ire, yet probably not enough to erase the feeling that victory was snatched away from him once again on a restrictor-plate track.

What a roller coaster ride--to be leading the last lap with victory in sight--only to get wrecked--finishing 22nd. 

The tandem team of Newman and Denny Hamlin were in the right position to win--with Newman second and Hamlin fourth. They got a good restart as they were able to work together at the line. But so did David Ragan and Matt Kenseth who took the lead by inches. Newman and Hamlin then got shuffled into the middle of a three-wide pack when Logano and Kasey Kahne took the outside. 

Newman and Hamlin fell back as they were sandwiched alone between the two long-lined, fast-moving drafts. Then, Though it wasn't clear what happened next because cameras were focused on the race lead, according to the replay above it looked like Dale Earnhartdt, Jr., got into Jaimie McMurray who got into Newman, pinning him against the wall, turning him around. Hamlin was able to scramble through the grass, allowing him to finish 13th while Newman had to right his car before charging for the start/finish line.

It was a sad night at Daytona for Newman and those of us who root for him. Thank goodness, Newman was able to maintain his 10-point standing, though with only 9 races left before the Chase for the Championship, it is time for Lady Luck to go on to something or someone else.

Another secret fine for Ryan Newman?

Is this possible? Did NASCAR impose a $50,000 fine against Ryan Newman for purportedly hitting Juan Pablo Montoya a few weeks back? 

     Related story:  Newman demonstrates class; Montoya not so much; jury still out on NASCAR

If what I heard today is true, the jury is no longer out on this issue as the above story implies. In fact, if this is true, NASCAR has crossed the line. If this is true, I am outraged.

Image via CrunchBaseToday, while I was checking Twitter, there was mention of a secret fine against Newman for the alleged altercation he had with Juan Pablo Montoya in the NASCAR hauler. No one is talking. No one will admit anything. 

NASCAR should have learned its lesson about keeping secrets from fans that have made the sport what it is; fans that support it. Fans were furious when NASCAR imposed secret fines against Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman. The two were fined for speaking their minds.

Whether there has been a secret fine or this is an ugly rumor, I stand behind a previous post on chontrack entitled, NASCAR, media should stick to racing not driver behavior. 

Ryan Newman needs a new race car

Image via WikipediaWhat's up with Ryan Newman?

Prior to Sunday's race at Kansas Motor Speedway, I read a story about Ryan Newman driving a "used car." It was a quirky little story about the chassis for Newman's Haas Automation Chevy being a vintage 2009. Running at Kansas would be its 15th start.

The story by Dustin Long, indicated that races are being won by drivers driving new or nearly new cars.

Newman's Crew Chief Tony Gibson explained away retiring this "used car," chassis # 39-531, according to the story by saying the car had good karma. 

I didn't hear that from Ryan Newman Sunday as he tried to command the thing around the race track without brushing the wall too many times. Newman was not happy and the car was the reason.

Just days prior to Long's story, The Ledger.com ran a story entitled, "NASCAR: Stewart's Step Up Requires Cold Cash." The title speaks for itself.

While I don't want to jump to conclusions, those two stories seem to fit together like tires on a race track. I'd hate to think that Newman is simply a victim of frugality. He had been on such a hot streak, but during the last several races, complaints about his race car have accelerated faster than a double-file restart with three laps to go. This situation coupled with the news that General Motors is planning to cut back on support for Hendrick and Stewart-Haas Racing really causes me concern.

The economy is a problem; we all feel it. I'll keep going to Burger King, and eating Tornados, so let's take Ryan Newman new car shopping.

Was Dale Earnhardt, Jr. the victim of bad karma?

Image via WikipediaIn the spirit of full disclosure, I am not a member of Junior Nation. I came to appreciate the sport after 2001, so I wasn't around when Dale Earnhardt, Sr. died. Therefore, I didn't inherit an automatic affection for Dale, Jr. like other members of Junior Nation.

The finish of the Coke 600 at Charlotte last night didn't make anyone happy, unless of course you consistently root for Kevin Harvick. He really pulled one out of his ...ah...hat. Congratulations to Kevin.

But this isn't about the win--it's about the loss. We all know that if you don't come in first, you lose.

Dale, Jr. lost last night.

While it looked like he was going to battle hard with Kasey Kahne at the end for the win, it just wasn't meant to be. Who could have predicted that not only would Kahne run out of gas, but that Junior, who it appeared had all the stars aligned in his favor, would fall short as well?

I can't help but wonder if Junior's demise wasn't the fault of bad karma perpetuated by NASCAR--NASkarma, if you will.

In a recent interview with Dale, Jr., conducted by Kenny Wallace on Race Day, Wallace asked Junior how he felt about NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France making the claim that Dale, Jr.'s success is directly tied with the success of NASCAR.

For me, that was an aha moment.

I hope Kenny didn't get into trouble for letting that cat out of the bag on national television. It appears Wallace had some prior intelligence on the subject. Perhaps he heard it from France first hand; or maybe he read a quote from France. Either way, it was news to me that France would admit to such a thing, which reconciled my own feelings that NASCAR shows favortism to Dale Jr., the sport's most popular driver.

I was angry at hearing this admission, even though I and so many other NASCAR fans have long held the suspicion that NASCAR and commentators tied to his father, obviously and blatantly favor Dale Jr.

So, it is very possible that favortism crept into the end of last night's race. A multi-car wreck happened on the next to last lap, under green. Had it been any other driver in the lead, NASCAR officials probably would have and should have thrown a caution. But when it looked like Dale, Jr. was going to cruise to victory, it no longer mattered what happened in the back of the field.

I admit that my belief that NASCAR is not entirely consistent in its calls, may color the way I see this. That is my bias. But my bias is insignificant. It doesn't hurt or help anyone. I have no power over the sport, the thousands of dollars earned, anyone's reputation, or the future of careers. I'm just a fan with an opinion.

But if the sanctioning body has such a bias, as many suspect, that is just plain wrong. Treating drivers and teams differently is wrong.

The sad irony is that the one probably hurt the most is Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the one person NASCAR wants to protect. Junior has been put in an untenable position, which heaps additional undue pressure upon him, and likely makes it more difficult for him to achieve success.

It is entirely possible that it was karma that caused Dale Junior to run out of gas on the last lap when he seemingly had it in the bag. It was NASkarma.