Ryan Newman scores 4th place finish at Vegas, but no interview on Fox

Ryan Newman pits at Las Vegas--photo compliments of Jerry Conner

It was so exciting when Ryan Newman crossed the finish line at Las Vegas in  fourth-place that I can almost overlook the fact that Fox Sports didn't bother to interview him.

They interviewed winner Tony Stewart, (Congratulations for running a great race); second place finisher Jimmie Johnson; third and fifth place drivers Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards; and of course Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who finished tenth. But they just skipped right over Ryan Newman.

This is not the first time Newman has earned a top five finish only to be ignored by TV commentators--I know because I watch such things.

Newman was interviewed by Wendy Venturini during Speed TV's Victory Lane show. The coverage on Speed TV seems to be so much more professional and less biased than that of the networks.

Finally, for the first race of the year, Lady Luck didn't bite Newman. So after only the third race of 2012, Newman is already overcoming a tough start to his season--through no fault of his own--by the way. His fans are grateful.

I'm sure many of Newman's fans are pleased to collect on their free Bloomin' Onion being given away at Outback Steakhouse, his sponsor this week. Sadly, I don't have an Outback Steakhouse near where I live, so I won't be partaking in that taste treat.

Nonetheless, I'm thrilled just to revel in the fact that Ryan has moved up five places in the points standings, from 18th to 13th, just one place and one point out of 12th. In fact, the #39 team is just 39 points behind the leader.

Newman is oh so close to the top 12. I'm already thinking about his Chase potential. One more good finish should clinch it.

Ryan can get it done at Bristol. Though he has not yet won at Bristol, he has led 112 laps there. He has earned a top-5 finish and 12 times has finished in the top10. He has also earned the pole there three times.

Can't wait for next weekend--its Bristol baby!