Ryan Newman needs 'no fault insurance'

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Sometimes it is difficult to be a fan. In one afternoon I went from a kid on Christmas Eve to one who got coal in her stocking.

Ryan Newman's day looked promising; his WIX Chevrolet looked great at Phoenix International Raceway, one of his favorite tracks. He has seen some success at Phoenix. But not this time!

Newman and his team found speed and balance in what had mostly been an ill-handling race car. Then, just like at Daytona days earlier, while Newman was making his way into the top 10, he was taken out--collateral damage--caused by someone else. This time, Newman was on the outside, going around Carl Edwards who was on the inside. Edwards bobbled a little; it was just enough to hit Newman in the left rear quarter panel, sending him spinning hard into the wall.

Miraculously, Newman's #39 team repaired the car well enough to allow Newman to finish the race. He crossed the finish line in 21st place. It was certainly not what he wanted, nor was it fun to watch.

All is not lost however, as Newman actually rose two spots in the points--up to 18th--43 points behind the leader. With this being just the second race of the season, there is plenty of time to make up the deficit. Newman is as good as anyone at rising from the ashes. So, it is on to Las Vegas.

On to Phoenix

Feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve, I'm excited to see Ryan Newman go to Phoenix International Raceway.

Daytona is always exciting, but it really isn't a good barometer of race car drivers' potential. So much can happen, usually does, and in Ryan's case, it did.

In Newman's mind, as well as probably all other drivers except for Matt Kenseth perhaps, the 2012 NASCAR racing season will start at Phoenix.

Newman's fans got a glimpse of what Ryan was able to do during the Daytona 500. There were times he was the fastest car on the track, driving in excess of 200 mph.

The flip side was as usual, due to circumstances beyond his control. It involved a spinout from a tire going down, and a pit road incident that resulted in his being two laps down. He never let up, fighting to get those laps back. When he finally got on the lead lap, he made it to the top 10 in a good position with four laps to go. He was inches away from being in the clear on the last crash of the night, as he made his way into the outside lane. Tony Stewart was about to meet up with him. The two had probably planned to draft in tandem toward the lead. It would have worked too, had Tony not been spun around. The result was that Tony Stewart got into Kyle Busch, who got into Ryan which sent him spinning. Pretty good, Newman was basically taken out by his teammate who was BEHIND him. Oh, Daytona!

Despite significant damage, Newman still managed to eek out a 21st-place finish.

Phoenix is nothing like Daytona. Phoenix is a drivers' race track, according to Newman. Its different corner configurations make it a challenge for a crew chief to get the car handling right. They do the best they can, but the driver has to make up the difference.

Phoenix is one of Newman's favorite tracks. It is where he got his start in what was then the Winston Cup back in 2000.

Newman got is first win at Phoenix in 2010. In nineteen starts there, Newman has seven top 5's; seven7 top 10's and started on the pole four times. He has led 171 laps there.

A very good day for Stewart-Haas Racing

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeSunday’s race at Phoenix did not disappoint. The race for the 2011 Sprint Cup Championship remains unchanged—tight--with just three points separating Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart; Kasey Kahne celebrates an end to his long winless streak in Victory Lane; Ryan Newman made nice with Lady Luck, as she allowed him to turn a dismal 30th place start into a top-5 finish.

I cannot think of a better result from the unknown that was the newly-configured PIR (Phoenix International Raceway). It was certainly a good day for Stewart-Haas Racing. The only negative was when Brian Vickers apparently intentionally wrecked pole sitter Matt Kenseth. Vickers has been nothing but a hazard during this Chase for the Championship. Kenseth deserved better.

Chase needs tweaking

Stewart and Edwards ran a good race, finishing as they started, three points apart. Stewart remains three points behind Edwards, despite his running a better race, leading the most laps. In truth, Stewart should be in the lead, sporting four wins in the 8-race Chase for the Championship. Edwards’ has not won a race during the Chase. His only saving grace was a win during the regular season, which caused him to start ahead of Stewart. Edwards was more consistent, since Stewart had a couple of bad finishes that hurt him. But, with two instances of back-to-back wins in the final eight, Stewart should be far ahead. Perhaps more points should be awarded for winning a title race.

Newman and pit road

Newman had no glitches on pit road to contend with at Phoenix. That made all the difference. Even with the handling of his race car being a tad inconsistent, Newman did a great job passing cars and wracking up points. It is just too bad that cannot be said for previous Chase races. Pit road blunders really cost Newman. I’m certain that will be a big topic for post-season. There has to be improvement before the 2012 season begins.

Speaking of pit road, what’s with Brad Keselowski?

After last week’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, Brad Keselowski complained that Ryan Newman intentionally blocked him in his pit stall. Scene Daily reported the story http://fb.me/KHNfRL7x. Keselowski had to back up to get back onto the track. In doing so, he ran into Denny Hamlin’s car.

Keselowski blamed Newman because he, Keselowski ran into Hamlin while backing out of his pit stall. Huh? Basically Keselowski blamed Newman for intentionally blocking him because Newman’s teammate/owner Tony Stewart is running is in the hunt for the championship. Newman admitted blocking Keselowski, but said he had to pull in at the angle he did to keep from hitting Keselowski’s jack man. Keselowski also intimated that Newman deliberately picked the #2 pit stall in front of his, to hamper his chance at the championship. Keselowski was angry that “the #39 (Newman) played the team orders card in the Chase.”

Newman’s Crew Chief Tony Gibson explained that they were surprised that pit stall was available. They qualified 24th and pickings were slim.

Keselowski’s charge was ridiculous and insulting.

Related articles

• Way to go Tony! (chontrack.blogspot.com)
• Who lit the match igniting the fire in Stewart-Haas Racing? (chontrack.blogspot.com)