A half-second.
Ryan Newman’s Cinderalla bid for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship last year came up short by a half-second – the amount of time Kevin Harvick beat him to the finish line by in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Channeling his inner “Little Engine that Could” combined with some grit and no-holds-barred racing, Newman maneuvered his way through the 10-race, four-knockout round Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup to finish second in the final standings despite not winning a race all season.
The No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driver is back in the Chase again and is still searching for that elusive win when 16 Challengers begin their quest for the 2015 Sprint Cup Series championship Sunday in the MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN). Newman hasn’t visited Victory Lane since July 28, 2013 at Indianapolis – 78 races ago.
“In the end consistency did pay off,” Newman said of his 2014 championship run. “That doesn’t mean it’s going to this year.”
He understands that playing the points is risky business when it comes to the new Chase format.
“We haven’t performed the way that we’ve needed to in order to win a championship, but we still have 10 races to prove that,” Newman said. “We have to win. We have to win when it comes to the last race, that’s for sure. Every race in between that, it helps to win. The last one is the one that’s important. So you have to build up to that.”
Newman has proven historically he can lead the pack to the checkered flag. He has 17 career Sprint Cup victories to his credit, including marquee wins at the Daytona 500 (2008) and the Brickyard 400 (2013).
Working in Newman’s favor is his history at the trio of tracks in the opening Challenger Round of the postseason. He is one of only five Chase drivers – Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth are the others – to win at all three ovals (Chicagoland, New Hampshire and Dover).
“Our goal is to go out there and do the best job we possibly can,” Newman said. “But we have to step it up. We haven’t led enough laps. We haven’t put ourselves in contention enough times to get that victory and that’s what it takes to guarantee the next round.”
Joining Newman in the Chase is his Richard Childress Racing teammate Paul Menard, who in his ninth full-time season will make his NASCAR playoff debut at the Joliet, Illinois, track.
“I’m obviously really excited to be in the Chase,” said Menard, who is also winless this season. “Once you get into the Chase, now you have a shot.”
Of all the Chase drivers, Menard has started the most races (150) since his last victory on July, 31 2011, at Indianapolis.
Menard saw first-hand what Newman did last year and knows he can advance without winning.
“Like you saw with Ryan last year, as long as you’re in it, things reset and you’re back to business,” he said. “I think we can accomplish the same thing. We just have to be consistent every week, have fast cars like we normally do have, keep our nose clean. One bad race definitely will knock you out.
“Ryan showed that if you’re in it, you have a chance. And we’re in it.”
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