Be in the right place at the right time for opportunity, and success will find you. It sounds simple enough. In fact, Ryan Newman found himself in that very position at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway one year ago, and found his way to victory lane. However, it’s never really that easy, is it?
In a race that saw the Quicken Loans driver experience more downs than ups, many, including Newman himself, wrote off the No. 39 team as a contender.
While entering the pits during the first caution of the day on lap 99, Newman was dinged for a pit-road speeding penalty that forced him to restart the race from the end of the longest line, in 21st place.
On lap 218, Newman fell victim to the rapid race pace, losing a lap to leader Jeff Gordon.
However, Newman and the No. 39 team refused to give up, fighting for every spot on the racetrack. The team made adjustments to dial in the balance of its racecar and, as the laps wound down, they realized they had a chance, after all.
In the waning stages of the race, Newman moved as high as sixth, quietly stalking the leaders. A late-race caution on lap 498 – two laps from the scheduled finish – set off the events that led to Newman’s first win at Martinsville. Under the caution flag, Newman opted to hit pit road for right-side tires. He restarted fifth on the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish on lap 504.
On the ensuing restart, Clint Bowyer tried to make it three-wide as the field raced toward turn one. But an ambitious move by Bowyer led to contact between his car and those of Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Newman quickly dove to the inside of the spinning trio to take the lead as the caution was displayed on lap 505. He was able to hold off A.J. Allmendinger on the final restart to pull away on the last lap for the victory.
So, it wasn’t exactly a Sunday drive for Newman. In fact, it was quite the opposite. But he still had to be at the right place at the right time not only to contend for the win, but to actually do it. It certainly was not given to him.
With that being said, it would be expected Newman feels confident about his chances in Sunday’s STP Gas Booster 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville. He’s always pointed at the No. 39 team’s short-track program as its strong suit. However, Newman is quick to point out that, just because you’re the defending race winner, it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll easily repeat the feat.
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