There’s no quit in Ryan Newman and his No. 39 Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) team.
Newman and his No. 39 U.S. Army Reserve team have proven they are a determined group that will never give up, as witnessed just three races ago when the team earned its first victory of the season at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
The South Bend, Ind., native overcame adversity to score the victory as he went a lap down to the leaders early in the race after serving a pit-road speeding penalty. Through it all, Newman and his No. 39 team refused to give up as they focused on the mission at hand and fought for every spot on the racetrack.
The team’s determination netted the ultimate in success as Newman got back on the lead lap and put himself in position to win. Once the opportunity arose, Newman – “Mr. Opportunity” – was in precisely the right place at the right time.
Newman took his first and only lead of the day on a lap-504 restart when he dove under leaders Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer, who got tangled up in turn one. Newman held off A.J. Allmendinger on the final restart on lap 514 and pulled away on the last lap for the victory.
Like U.S. Army Strong Soldiers, Newman and his team refused to give up and, in the end, completed the mission by winning the race at the Virginia short track.
As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into another Virginia short track this weekend – the .75-mile Richmond (Va.) International Raceway oval – Newman & Company are looking to build on their Martinsville win and parlay it into another strong outing.
Having followed his Martinsville win with a pair of disappointing finishes of 21st at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and 20th at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, respectively, Newman is more than ready to return to short-track racing.
Richmond has been a good racetrack for the 11-year Sprint Cup veteran. Newman has one win (September 2003) and one pole, five top-five finishes and 12 top-10s in 20 starts at Richmond.
And since joining SHR in 2009, the track has been one of the best on the circuit for the No. 39 team. In six starts, Newman has earned four top-10s and he has never finished worse than 20th.
Currently sitting 10th in the championship standings, 63 points behind leader Greg Biffle, and with one win already this season, Newman and his team are determined to climb upward in the point standings with strong runs each and every week. And with his solid history at Richmond, Newman is confident his team can get back in the win column this weekend.
To find victory lane at a second Virginia short track this season, Newman and the U.S. Army Reserve team will have to exhibit some of the same qualities as our Army Strong Soldiers.
A win will take determination, patience and, most of all, teamwork in the form of quick work on pit road and impressive, smart moves on the racetrack.
Following the example set by the brave men and women of the U.S. Army he proudly represents, Newman knows he and his No. 39 SHR team are ready to answer the challenge of racing under the lights at Richmond and make it two-for-two in Virginia this season.
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