Have a FaceBook, Twitter, or other social networking account?

Link them to your fanatic account!

Add An Account

TAKE ME TO...
NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
NEWMAN: Daytona Memories
What is my favorite Daytona memory?... that’s an easy one for me, now - winning the 50th Running of the Daytona 500 in 2008...
Ryan Newman  |  Posted February 11, 2010   Daytona Beach, FL
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing writes Voices of SPEED on SPEED.com. (Photo: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
One of the questions I get every year during media day, which is the first Thursday we get down to Daytona, is, “What is your favorite Daytona memory?”

That’s an easy one for me, now. Obviously, it’s winning the 50th Running of the Daytona 500 in 2008. That night was a dream come true. But that’s far from my only memory of Daytona. I have so many memories of this track – a lot of them date back to when I was a kid and coming to the racetrack with my dad.

Back then, I remember my dad pulling me out of middle school and we’d come down here. We would get into town in time for the Twin 125s (now the Duels) and stay through the Daytona 500. I guess I was probably 13 or so when we started coming. My grandfather had tickets to Daytona, and when he got sick, my dad and I started coming.

Our seats were in Seagraves Tower. We would sit up there and watch the practices, and we’d talk about what the drivers were doing. And maybe what I would be doing one day, too. Sitting in the grandstands was pretty cool, but I didn’t want to just sit in the stands and watch the race. I wanted to be in the garage. I wanted to talk to the drivers.

Dad and I would kind of study up on what the garage passes looked like that first day we were in town. That night, we would go to the store and buy some construction paper, glue and some glitter and make our own fake garage passes.

The next day, we would put the garage passes to work. Sometimes they would work, and both of us would get through the gate. Sometimes my dad sacrificed himself so that I could get in and talk to drivers. I remember, one time, just walking up and talking to Jeff Gordon.

For me, that was a pretty cool memory.

So after the checkered flags fell at Daytona in 2008, being able to look back at the Seagraves section and realize where I’ve been and how far I’ve come. It was a pretty awesome feeling.

It’s really difficult to describe that moment and that night, other than to say what I have already said: it was a dream come true for me. It wasn’t just my dream coming true, either. It was my mom's and dad's and sister’s dream, too, because they put so much effort into making me a racecar driver and the person I am. It was the dream of everybody who had contributed to my racing career over the years, whether they gave me a ride in their car or bought me a tire for my race.

It was an amazing night. And I will never forget a moment of it. My dad was spotting for me. I’ve said it before, and it’s true: I could hear my dad's tears dripping over the radio as I was going down the back straightaway. But to listen to him, I knew I had a really good push from Kurt (Busch).

It was just awesome. I mean, I got that tingly feeling. You only get that at certain times. You know what I mean?

After the win – the burnout, victory lane, the interviews – I just tried to take in every moment and savor it. I wanted to remember who came in to victory lane to congratulate or hug me. I wanted to remember every little detail.

For me, that moment will last a lifetime. And yes, one of the coolest things was having Richard Petty come to my bus and congratulate me. I still laugh thinking about what he said to me: I only needed six more Daytona 500 wins to catch him.



Page 1 of 2
Prev
12
Next
ryan_newman's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ryan Newman

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2012

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.