Safety workers look over the #39 U.S Army Chevrolet, driven by Ryan Newman, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. (Photo: Getty Images)
Ryan Newman’s continued concern over his latest wild ride at Talladega Superspeedway has been mitigated by Thursday’s deadly shooting rampage at Fort Hood, an Army base with ties to Newman’s NASCAR Sprint Cup team…and his heartstrings.
Newman is nearing completion of his first year as driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet, which features the U.S. Army and its black-and-gold colors as primary sponsor. In that role, Newman has gotten a behind-the scenes look at the men, women and children of military families facing deployment to America’s war fronts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As such, the massacre reportedly perpetrated by an Army psychiatrist that left 12 dead and 31 wounded at one of the largest military complexes in the world, touched Newman and team-owner Tony Stewart.
“Yeah, this has been a very special learning experience for me,” Newman said during a news conference Friday morning at Texas Motor Speedway, prior to practice for Sunday’s Dickies 500. “I’ve said before, maybe not in here, but I kind of took for granted some of the things the Armed Forces have done for us and are doing for us. This has been an eye-opening experience this year with the U.S. Army, meeting different generals and colonels and soldiers – it’s been special.
“What happened, unfortunately to me it’s a part of life. It’s happened before; it will happen again. Whether it’s in the U.S. Army, in a convenience store, it’s a part of life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families.”
Neither Newman nor Stewart said they knew any of the victims first-hand. “But, you know, obviously it was something that nobody would have dreamed would have happened, but it did,” Stewart said. “You’re thinking about all the families and people that are involved and wish them the best.”
Newman asked that everyone take a big-picture look at the tragic incident.
“Think about everybody down in Fort Hood with the U.S. Army and their families that are going through some very difficult times,” Newman said. “Big picture here, we’re racing in Texas, but our thoughts and prayers go out to other places as well.”
That said, Newman indicated he was anxious to get out to practice and qualify on the 1.5-mile TMS quadoval, where he won the spring race in 2003. Conversely, Newman exited last Sunday’s AMP Energy 500 on the high-banked, 2.66-mile Talladega layout in spectacular fashion with five laps to go in the 188-lapper. Newman’s Impala SS went airborne after contact with Stewart’s No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy, flipped bass-ackwards and landed on the hood of Kevin Harvick’s car. Newman’s car spun several times before settling on its roof, forcing safety crews to cut away the sheet metal in order to remove the driver. Newman emerged dazed, but otherwise uninjured.
Ironically, Carl Edwards’ car went airborne and landed on the roof of Newman’s car during the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega on April 26. A graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Vehicle Structural Engineering, Newman has been critical of NASCAR’s inability to keep its cars from launching at Talladega. The Alabama track and Daytona International Speedway are the only high-banked layouts where the sanctioning body mandates use of a carburetor restrictor plate to reduce horsepower and speed in a bid to keep the cars planted – and out of the grandstands.
