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: Tears Of Joy
It should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed my racing career that New Hampshire Motor Speedway holds a special place in my heart...
Ryan Newman  |  Posted June 25, 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)
It should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed my racing career that New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon holds a special place in my heart. It’s where I got my first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win back in September of 2002.

We were on the pole for that race, and our car was pretty stout. In fact, we led about three-quarters of the race, which was called at lap 207 due to the rain. We were leading the most important lap, too – the last one. That was my first points win in NASCAR’s top series.

It’s probably a good thing it was raining because maybe that helped folks realize the difference between a tear and a raindrop. I’m pretty sure there were some tears shed that day. At least I feel pretty confident my dad was crying.

That was a big day for me – for all my family and friends who had followed my racing career and who had helped me along the way. There were a lot of sacrifices to get me into NASCAR, and I will never take what anyone did for me for granted. I am truly grateful for everything.

A few weeks ago, reporters asked me about getting my first win in a rain-shortened race. It was a big topic of conversation because David Reutimann had just gotten his first win in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte with help from the rain.

The reality of the situation is that, at the end of the day, that’s just a part of racing. They don’t put on the trophy that the race was rain-shortened. It doesn’t say how many laps it was. It doesn’t say who finished second. They may put all that stuff in the record books, but the trophy is what we take home.

You won the race because you and your team put yourself in the right position at the right time. You made the best strategy call. You deserve the trophy. At least that’s the way I look at it.

I’m pretty excited to be going back to New Hampshire. I think about that first win, and that was pretty cool. But I really like this track because I have had a lot of success there over the years in qualifying and in the race.

It’s a track where I have always enjoyed racing, and I think the racing continues to get better there each year. They have made some great improvements to the track, like adding banking and giving us more racetrack, so we can battle side-by-side. And that has helped the competition level a lot over the years.

Track position has always been extremely important at New Hampshire. But with the new double-file restart rule this year, I don’t think anyone really knows what to expect. I think there will definitely be some action and some interesting moves on the racetrack this weekend.

We’re taking the same No. 39 Haas Automation/U.S. Army car that we raced in Phoenix and in Richmond, so that makes me even more excited for this weekend’s race. We finished fourth at Richmond in May, and our car was good enough to win that night. Besides, our short-track program has really been the No. 39 team’s strength this season, so I’m confident we will have a solid run.

It’s going to be a fun weekend, and I will be busy. I’m going to race in a Winged-Midget racecar on Friday night at Lee (N.H.) Speedway. Then, on Saturday, I’m going to be racing in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Loudon.

Maybe we can bring home a win, or three, when all is said and done 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.

Play Super 7 Sweep Fantasy Racing powered by Wind Tunnel!
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.