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: Sunday On A Monday
Having to race on a Monday instead of Sunday always throws me and everyone around me off. ..
Ryan Newman  |  Posted August 05, 2009   Charlotte, NC
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)

Having to race on a Monday instead of Sunday always throws me and everyone around me off just a little bit. We lose a day where we would have been doing stuff at the house or at the race shop or, maybe, just even a day where we can relax. But, in the end, we still lost a day when we planned on doing something other than race this past week at Pocono.

So, needless to say, my week has been a little more hectic than normal since the rain kept us up north a little longer than we had planned.

We didn’t really get the finish we felt we deserved at Pocono on Monday. I would say we had a solid top-10 car – probably even a top-five car – but we just didn’t get the breaks we needed with regard to our strategy.

It wasn’t a horrible finish – 14th – but it wasn’t what we needed or wanted. Like I said last week, we are really in a tough battle for a berth in the Chase for the Championship. We lost two spot in the points last week, falling to ninth, but we gained some points on 13th place.

And that’s what we are going to have to continue to do each week for these next five weeks – to solidify our spot in the Chase. We’re going to have to show how strong this team is over these five weeks and that we are up to every challenge that gets thrown our way.

Next up this week is the Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International road course. I really enjoy running on the road courses. I’m not saying that I would want to add any more to the schedule, but I do have a lot of fun hustling the No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet around the turns, both left and right.

Personally, I like Watkins Glen better than Infineon Raceway in California. There’s not really one thing that makes it better for me.

The biggest thing about racing at a road course is being smooth as a driver and being considerate of the other drivers around you. There are some key points at Watkins Glen, too. Turn one has some rumbles in it. You can wheel hop pretty easily getting into turn one. The esses are all about finesse going up the hill. And the fastest part of the racetrack is going into the bus stop, where you have to brake really hard. You try to carry as much speed over there and not over-brake. You can gain and lose so much time during braking. The bus stop and the carousel are 90-degree turns that are all about being smooth and using finesse. You have to get them just right.

When I have finished the races at Watkins Glen – meaning my car hasn’t had problems with brakes or other parts – I have typically finished well. And this year, I have a teammate in Tony Stewart who is pretty darn impressive at the road courses, so I am expecting a good day for both of us up there.

Like I said, since we lost a day on Monday, I’m pretty busy. I had to go to Spartanburg, S.C., on Tuesday to be fitted for a seat, since I’m running the Nationwide race for Phoenix Racing this weekend. I’m really looking forward to getting the extra seat time because I think it will really help me out the rest of the weekend.

I have a lot to take care of around the house and the shop before I head to New York. Hopefully, we will have a good weekend, weather-wise and race-wise.

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.
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.