I did say that one of these days Ryan Newman would win a race and someone would notice. Well, they are taking notice � and raising eyebrows in the process in a cloud of suspicion. Not unlike Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire after hitting 70+ home runs, or Lance Armstrong in the Tour De France � many believe that Newman getting tremendous gas mileage along with amazing horsepower is more than a coincidence. Here is a brief review of Newman�s eight wins�
Texas � Took two tires on final stop, which appeared to be the wrong call when Dale Jr. passed him with 50 laps remaining. However the #8 started to push badly, Newman re-assumed the lead and pulled away in the clean air.
Dover (June) � Started from the pole and won despite not having power steering for much of the day. Newman was at or near the front for most of the race. Tony Stewart had the best car that day, but was docked a lap for a pit road violation. Just after the halfway mark Stewart got upset when Newman would not let him have a lap back following a caution. �It�s all part of the sport� Newman would say later, adding that Stewart (or anyone else) would had done the same thing had the roles been reversed. By the time Stewart did get his lap back there was not enough time with Stewart finishing fourth.
Chicago � This is where fuel mileage came into play for the first time, and where the #12 started it�s 6 for 13 streak. Newman and Kevin Harvick were on the same fuel strategy, but Harvick ran out of gas with three laps to go as Newman cruises to victory. Harvick was also busted for a rules violation before the race. Tony Stewart appeared to have the best car that day as well, but took on tires during a late caution and was not quite able to get back to the front in the dirty air.
Pocono (July) � Working the race backwards on the 2.5 mile tri-angulated course, Newman makes his last stop at Lap 154 of the 200 lap event, and took on two tires to get track position. Two additional cautions in the closing laps proved pivotal in stretching the fuel mileage until the end.
Michigan (August) � In a race overshadowed by a post-race fracus between Jimmy Spencer and Kurt Busch, Newman goes the final 52 laps on a tank of gas and takes the lead for good when Busch runs out of gas with four laps remaining. Newman still has enough left in the tank to do a celebratory burnout afterwards.
Richmond (September) � Again, Newman has enough fuel to make it till the end in winning his first short track race, outlasting Jeremy Mayfield. Kevin Harvick was a contender most of the night before being taken out by Ricky Rudd, leading to a post-race skirmish on pit road.
Dover (September) � Here is where the winning of fuel mileage gambles started to get old with some observers. Newman cuts a tire early on and is fortunate to only end up a lap down. This was the week NASCAR instituted the new �Lucky Dog rule� automatically putting the first car back on the lead lap in lieu of racing back to the caution. On Lap 287 Newman finally gets his break, and the #12 is packed full of fuel before the green flag, allowing Newman to outlast Jeremy Mayfield for the win.
Kansas � Before the race, Jeff Gordon hinted that there may be something fishy going on regarding the #12�s deadly combo of horsepower as well as fuel mileage. That one voice was joined by many others after Newman goes 78 laps on his last tank to outlast Bill Elliott and Jeremy Mayfield for the win. Says Kevin Harvick afterwards, �I�m just pissed that the 15th place car wins the race and can go 15 laps farther than the rest of us � If he can do that with his foot, then he is a magician. And I will kiss his butt if he�s doing it with his foot�.
Newman also indicated in the post-race interviews that it is much easier to criticize the winners than the losers. Along with Harvick, the frustration is mounting with Mayfield, who has now finished second, second, and third the last three races Newman has won.
That makes six consecutive victories Newman has won on fuel mileage. So is Newman cheating??? Probably not � obviously it is the top finishers who are inspected more thoroughly than the other drivers. And NASCAR plays no favorites when it comes to busting people, they even got Dale Jr. at Talladega in the past month. I just think Newman and Crew Chief Matt Borland are somehow outsmarting everyone at this point. Actually, I like to see Kevin Harvick�s engineering degree. It is also ironic that it was Jeff Gordon who was first to throw down the gauntlet on this, when Gordon won 47 races between 1995-1999 he was under the same kind of scrutiny. As it was with Gordon then, when someone new bursts upon the scene there tends to be a tinge of jealousy, especially if the driver is not a �good ol� boy�.
So how many more will Newman win this year??? I give him a heck of a shot in Charlotte, where he has already copped his eighth pole of the season. Probably not in Martinsville, which is about breaking and keeping the car in one piece. Then comes Atlanta, another 1 � miler where he will obviously be a contender, but it is Bobby LaBonte who historically owns that track. Then comes Rockingham, where pitting and taking care of tires takes on the most importance over fuel mileage. Then the season closes with a pair of intermediate tracks in Phoenix and Homestead, which will play into Newman�s advantage. So that�s four winnable races, smart money has Ryan taking two of them to getting to the team�s goal of ten on the year.
Now for other burning issues of the past week???
What was up with Bill Elliott after the race??? � Uncharacteristically, Elliott brushed off a TV interview then didn�t show up at the �mandatory� press conference for the top three finishers (along with Jamie McMurray, who was the top rookie with an 8th place finish). Perhaps he is also frustrated wondering what the #12 has that he didn�t. Another thought is that Elliott didn�t want to address his immediate future, as it is widely rumored that he will step down from full time racing this year. There was even talk that Elliott and McMurray simply didn�t want to talk to the local media, some of whom seemed more interested in following the Chiefs-Broncos game that was going on at the same time rather than the race. Another factor may be that Elliott was upset with the lack of co-operation from teammate Jeremy Mayfield, whose future with Evernham is also up in the air. Elliott had the faster car, but Mayfield raced him hard as Newman was pulling away in the clean air � as if he needed any help. One conclusion you can come to however is that you can pull away the theories on Dodge not reaching expectations (besides Newman) after this 1-2-3 finish. How about the Silly Season rumors??? � Actually it was a pretty interesting week. Scott Wimmer, who has been waiting in the wings at Bill Davis Racing, was named to replace Ward Burton in the #22 for 2004. Wimmer will replace Burton for the final four races of this season. This way Wimmer gets a head start while Ward heads out hunting a month early � it�s win-win for everyone. So Ward�s headed for the #30, right??? � It looked that way, but reportedly sponsor AOL balked on the deal, feeling the Ward did not fit the crumbling internet giant�s demographics. And yes, I�ve heard the wisecracks on how Ward was going to use AOL�s trial disks for target practice. So where did Ward wind up??? � With the #0 car, sponsored by another internet provider!!!!! Guess NetZero wasn�t nearly as picky as finding a racing spokesman than AOL. Perhaps AOL wants Jennifer Anniston in the #30, Matt Drudge would have fun with that one. Johnny Benson is reportedly another driver on the hot seat while the #01 may also be looking for someone in case Jerry Nadeau is not able to return. And what about Junior??? � The bottom-line scroll on ESPN this week reported Junior to have officially signed to be DEI�s �diver� through 2007, actually Junior�s been diving for weeks now. But seriously you can put those reports of RCR getting him to rest. Is Matt Kenseth choking away the championship??? � I hate to disappoint everyone, as Kenseth has the popularity of Newman (outside of Wisconsin at least), which isn�t a whole lot. True, the #17 is beginning to run into a spate of bad luck, including an incident at Kansas with Michael Waltrip, whose fortunes has ran bad for several weeks now. That suddenly trims Kenseth�s lead from a seemingly insurmountable 436 to just 259 over Matt Kenseth. Many feel that it is Ryan Newman who has the best shot at overtaking Kenseth. Newman is now fourth, reducing his deficit from 617 to 364 in just four weeks. But keep in mind that even if Newman continued that pace, he would still be 111 points out heading into the final two races. There�s still a pulse in the point race, but if Kenseth rights the ship with a couple of strong finishes he should be safe.
Just a reminder, this is now a Saturday night race. A THATSRACIN.COM poll this week asked when you would rather watch a Cup event, with Saturday night an overwhelming winner. I think you can look for more Saturday Nighters in the years to come, especially in the fall. Ryan Newman has now started all six races here fourth or better, including three poles. The #12 was also a huge factor in the rain-shortened spring race and was the 2002 All-Star race winner. His resume is only topped by Jimmie Johnson, who has an All-Star race and two 600 wins in just his first two years. More impressively, this year�s win came after starting from provisional land. The fall race has been won by the #40 car in each of the past two years, Sterling Marlin in 2001 along with Jamie McMurray�s shocking win last year. Next to Atlanta, this is Bobby LaBonte�s second favorite track, finishing in the top three in eight of his last 12 races. Those not coming into Charlotte with momentum include Kurt Busch, who now has six DNF�s on the year and Michael Waltrip, who outside of his Talladega win has finished 26th or worse in six straight events. Robby Gordon, who was as hot as anyone during the summer, has now gone seven straight races without making the top ten.
| 1. Ryan Newman | 11. Jeremy Mayfield | 21. Rusty Wallace |
| 2. Jimmie Johnson | 12. Terry LaBonte | 22. Joe Nemechek |
| 3. Bobby LaBonte | 13. Sterling Marlin | 23. Elliott Sadler |
| 4. Kevin Harvick | 14. Robby Gordon | 24. Dale Jarrett |
| 5. Jeff Gordon | 15. Mark Martin | 25. Ricky Craven |
| 6. Kurt Busch | 16. Jeff Burton | 26. Jimmy Spencer |
| 7. Matt Kenseth | 17. Bill Elliott | 27. Johnny Benson |
| 8. Jamie McMurray | 18. Ricky Rudd | 28. Ward Burton |
| 9. Tony Stewart | 19. Greg Biffle | 29. Todd Bodine |
| 10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 20. Michael Waltrip | 30. Dave Blaney |