This week, we highlight Hoosier native Ryan Newman.
Ryan Newman, 2008 Daytona 500 champion and longtime NASCAR Cup driver, will visit the Cabela’s in Noblesville today, Saturday, March 25, greeting race fans and signing autographs from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in support of Donate Life Indiana, and the National Donate Life Month, which occurs in April.
Newman grew up in South Bend, Ind., and received his undergraduate degree in engineering from Purdue University in 2001. Like many aspiring drivers in the Midwest, he advanced through the ranks of the United States Auto Club (USAC) winning the Silver Crown Series in 1999. In 2000, Newman transitioned to stock cars and began driving for Roger Penske and Penske Racing. From 2000 to 2001, he competed in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, NASCAR Busch Series, and made a handful of starts in the Cup Series.
In 2002, Newman went NASCAR Cup racing full time, winning a rookie record six poles while also capturing a win at the all-star race, The Winston, and his first point race at the Fall New Hampshire race. He finished his rookie campaign sixth in points and was voted Rookie of the Year over future seven-time Champion Jimmie Johnson because of his superb qualifying ability and on-track consistency. Unquestionably, his greatest moment with Penske Racing came when he won the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17, 2008. This was the 50th anniversary of the “Great American Race” and was the first Daytona 500 win for team owner Roger Penske.
After leaving Penske Racing, Newman ran the number 39 car for Stewart-Haas Racing and the number 31 car for Richard Childress Racing. In 2014, despite a winless season, Newman nearly won the NASCAR Cup Championship, being edged out by race and series champion Kevin Harvick by a single point, which came down to a final restart with four laps to go.
Perhaps the most memorable moment of Newman’s final years in the Cup Series was his violent last lap crash at the 2020 Daytona 500. While leading the race on the last lap only several hundred feet from the start/finish line, he was bumped from behind and turned into the outside wall, causing his car to go airborne and flip back to the center of the racetrack. While upside-down, his car was hit at full speed by Corey LaJoie, which sent Newman back into the air, barrel-rolling across the start/finish line.
For hours, it was unclear the condition of Newman. Fortunately, he sustained (relatively) minor injuries and was released from the hospital just two days later.
In total, Newman won 18 times in the Cup Series over a 21-year career. He was regarded by many as being the toughest car in the field to pass, whether he was running first or twenty-first. Today, he competes in the SRX (Superstar Racing Experience) Series and numerous races in the SMART Modified Tour and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
On a different note, be sure to catch the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of the Americans in Austin, Texas. This is the first road course of the NASCAR season and will feature two former Formula 1 Champions. Additionally, Noblesville’s own Conor Daly will compete in the race, driving the number 50 BITNILE Chevrolet. Given the reduced down-force and large racetrack, this weekend’s race should be exciting.
Zech Yoder is a local resident, an attorney at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville, and a lifelong race fan.