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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
NEWMAN: Army Strong
I have been honored to be sponsored by the U.S. Army this season and representing the more than 1 million men and women who serve our country...
Ryan Newman  |  Posted November 11, 2009   Avondale, AZ
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing writes Voices of SPEED on SPEEDtv.com. (Photo: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
It’s true that I was more sore last weekend in the car at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth than I was all week long following the crash at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. I had been sore during the week, and I had kind of taken it easy, but I realized just how sore I was when I got in the car at Texas.

As it turns out, the No. 39 Haas Automation/U.S. Army guys had worked hard for me all week, and I had to put that soreness in the back of my mind and focus on the race at hand. In the end, a 12th-place finish wasn’t bad, but I’ll be honest and tell you that I was beat after the race.

I guess, in some ways, doing what we did on Sunday was a testament to how this team is truly “Army Strong.” We battled back from a pretty tough week for all of us at Talladega and nearly got a top-10 at Texas. I was really proud of all of the guys for what we accomplished.

And that brings me to something more important than the racing, especially on a day like today. I have been honored to be sponsored by the U.S. Army this season and representing the more than 1 million men and women who serve our country and allow me the ability to do what I love – and that is to race.

Being involved with the military has been a very special learning experience for me. I guess you could say, before working with the U.S. Army, I kind of took for granted some of the things the armed forces have done for us and are doing for us.

Going to the bases like Fort Bragg (N.C.), Fort Jackson (S.C.) and Fort Benning (Ga.) and spending time with so many of the soldiers at the bases and the racetracks has been amazing for me. It has been an eye-opening experience this year with the U.S. Army. I’ve met different generals and colonels and soldiers – it’s been special.

So, I guess what I’m saying is that I hope everyone will take the time to thank a veteran today and think about the sacrifices they have made to allow us to live the way we do and to enjoy the life that we have.

Since we are remembering the veterans this week, I can think of no better time for the U.S. Army car to go to the front of the field and pull into victory lane than at the end of the race at Phoenix on Sunday afternoon.

We had a good car at Phoenix in the spring – better than our 16th-place finish really shows – but we lost radio communication early in the race. Without being able to talk to each other, we really couldn’t make the car better throughout the race, and that kind of hurt our forward progress. I’m looking forward to a better run than that this weekend.

We would like nothing more to honor our soldiers and make them proud with a strong run on the racetrack this weekend.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Ryan Newman is in his eighth full season as a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and he’ll spend it with two-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart. Newman drives the No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala SS for Stewart-Haas Racing, the team co-owned by Stewart and Haas Automation, the world’s largest machine tool manufacturer. Newman is a graduate of Purdue University, where he has a degree in vehicle structural engineering. In his first seven seasons, Newman has collected 43 poles and 13 wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, including the 2008 Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. When not racing, Newman enjoys fishing and restoring his classic cars. The avid outdoorsman, along with his wife Krissie, play an active role in the Ryan Newman Foundation 501(c)(3), which they founded in 2005. For more information on Ryan Newman, please visit www.ryannewman.org or www.stewarthaasracing.com. Information on the Ryan Newman Foundation can be found at www.ryannewmanfoundation.org.
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