L.G. Alexander, the first President of WIX Filtration Products, once said, “A look back is helpful – if it helps us look ahead.”
Looking back on his stats at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., certainly has Ryan Newman looking ahead to Sunday’s Auto Club 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
A pole in his very first Sprint Cup start at the 2-mile oval. Four top-five finishes. Seven top-10s, of which the three most recent have come in consecutive fashion. Two of those were back-to-back finishes of fifth in 2010 and 2011.
While the 35-year-old driver has yet to win at Auto Club Speedway, Newman’s got confidence – and momentum – on his side this weekend. He’ll need both as he’ll look to continue his recent trend of performances at the Southern California oval in order to regain some of the ground he and his No. 39 team lost in the championship battle at two of the opening four races this season.
It’s a challenge the WIX Filters team is enthusiastic about tackling. Despite incidents at Phoenix International Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway that saw them eliminated from competition prematurely, Newman & Co. have kept their heads high and know that, just because they’re down, it certainly doesn’t mean they’re out. After all, looking back, the No. 39 team has had slow starts to the season before and, each time, they’ve responded in style by contending for a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.
Heading West fresh off a seventh-place finish at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway last weekend, where he rallied from his starting position of 31st, the driver of the WIX Filters Chevrolet is looking forward to this weekend’s 400-miler, and he’s optimistic about his chances at another strong finish.
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