Ryan Newman Prepares for Stewart-Haas Debut

The NASCAR season is quickly approaching and several drivers will be hitting the track next month in a new ride. One of those drivers—Ryan Newman—took part in a teleconference Jan. 13.

Several reporters, including yours truly, participated and had a chance to talk with Newman about the upcoming season in his No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet.

Rolling into Speedweeks, Newman is the defending Daytona 500 Champ, he first spoke about how it felt to come to Daytona with that crown.

"Well, I wish the year hadn't passed already almost because it was pretty cool," Newman said. "I'm ready to defend it, but I'm not sure I want to give up the title, because I've got a one in 43 chance of doing that. It was a great win last year, for myself, for Penske Racing. All the things that happened to us that night, just a dream come true, and I really look forward to coming back and defending my title with a different team, with the Stewart-Haas team and U.S. Army Chevrolet and Tony Stewart, just trying to put on another show for the fans."

The off-season was different for Newman as he was busy getting acquainted with a new team and getting things prepared for the upcoming season. He spoke a little about the transition.

Newman said Tony Gibson, Stewart, Darian Grubb, Bobby Hutchins and everyone else are working hard to put together the family tree.

"They've done a great job in my opinion so far," he said. "We're really looking forward to testing. Just look forward to getting some of the first experiences underneath our belt."
The team had planned to test Jan. 14 in New Smyrna, Fla.

While Newman said he knows the testing schedule is a bit different this year, the team just wants to make sure they have everything shined up for the Daytona 500.

The next question thrown Newman's way regarded him passing Stewart (now his owner and boss) on the final lap of the 2008 Daytona 500. If the situation was the same next month, what would he do?

"Well, if we had to do the same thing last year and replay it, I would anticipate Tony pulling up in front of my line and I would push Tony ahead, knowing that I would be his teammate," he said. "Either way, Tony knows I'm a racer and I know he's a racer, and we'll race until the end, but we'll not sacrifice each other's performance to do that. That's the most important thing."

Starting off with a new team is always tough, but Newman is confident he will perform well in the No. 39 this season.

"I am confident coming out of the box that we'll be a contender at the Daytona 500," he told reporters. "I feel that there's going to be some things that we'll have to learn, but I think as a group, with our team, with the U.S. Army Chevrolet, that the people that we have with Tony Gibson and his group that came over from BEI and all the other people that were there from Haas racing that we'll be competitive. I feel with Hendrick components, myself, and Darian Grubb, and Tony Gibson, that there's no reason that we're not."

Newman added that both teams' goals are to make the Chase in 2009. Once the teams focus (and make) the Chase, they can then determine how much of a contender they are the for championship.

As for his newfound relationship with Stewart as his boss, Newman said Stewart has welcomed him into his family.

"And when I say family, I don't mean Stewart Haas Racing," he continued. "He invited my wife, Krissie, and I up to his place. They did the charity hunt with Johnny Morriss from Bass Pro Shops and Bill Jordan from Realtree Outdoors and gave a little girl who is ill an opportunity to shoot a deer, and she did, and it put a smile on her face. Just a situation like that, to do something good with my owner and other people is something I didn't really expect, and I'm happy to be a part of it."

The team has tested once at Rockingham Speedway, Newman said, in preparation for the upcoming season, but that was a one-day test to get to know each other on the radio, he said.

Newman expects the testing at New Smyrna to be the last before the season kicks off.
When asked how his communication was with Stewart, Newman said that had yet to be determined.

"Honestly, that's what we're going to work on tomorrow when we go to New Smyrna," he said. "He's going to be there and we'll have the 14 and 39 cars there. For me, it's important to understand what his balance feels like, and vice versa; for Darian Grubb and Tony Gibson to work together; to understand when Tony says the car is loose that it's drivable or undrivable, for me and vice versa."

Those, Newman said, are things that the team will work on during the testing.
As for his new crew chief, Newman said he got to know Gibson a lot during the end parts of last season.

"He's very much like Tony and I and enjoys the outdoors, fishing and hunting, and that's nice so you can connect outside of the racetrack," he said. "But his experience, his personality, his understanding of the way Hendrick Motorsports works and respect for the things that we do at Stewart-Haas Racing in conjunction with Hendrick Motorsports, I really look forward to working with him and the team and trying to succeed and accomplish our goals."

Newman also hits the track next month with a new sponsor in the U.S. Army.
Recently, he took a trip to Fort Bragg with some members of his team.

"That was really a treat," he said. "It was a lot of fun, shot some guns, did some simulation things. They fired a few bombs off, shotguns inside of a 20-by-20 room with rubber walls, and I was in on part of that."

Newman continued to say the coolest thing he got to do was be in the vertical wind tunnel, which is a way to simulate skydiving.

"To be a driver for the U.S. Army Chevrolet is an honor for me," he said. "To see some of their technology and safety and some of the things that they do to prepare their team and their organization just as we do was pretty neat."

Entering the Daytona 500 and trying to defend that title in a different car, crew and everything else, Newman talked a little about what it would be like with all the changes.

"I think the strange moment will be going to the Daytona 500 Experience and being part of that and pulling the old car out. That will be, I guess, the cutting of the umbilical cord of sorts," he said. "Again, I really look forward to competing next year... this year, with Stewart-Haas Racing in the U.S. Army Chevrolet. I really look forward to creating our own successes."

For the upcoming season, it appears Newman will get the points from the No. 66 car, which is guaranteed a spot in the first five races from last year's owner points.

Newman said from what he understands, the No. 66 will become the No. 39 in points (his car), while the No. 70 team (outside the top-35) will become the No. 14 team.
Stewart, however, will be the most recent past champion and will be guaranteed a spot in six races, should he not qualify.

When asked if having the guaranteed spot was a relief, Newman said definitely.

"Believe me, it weighed on my mind. But again, that's part of racing. I would be putting myself into that position and Tony Stewart will be putting himself in that position potentially."

When asked about his gold Daytona 500 trophy from last year, Newman said it was sitting on his desk next to his computer at his home.

"It's a special piece for me," he said. "Obviously, it's one of a kind, and it was kind of interesting when I got the trophy at first; I thought, man, that's a pretty cool trophy. They were like, 'yea, it's gold.' I figured every one of them was gold. The 50th running was pretty neat."

Newman continued to say the trophy was unique and to see the old car on top of it was, "pretty neat, as well."

As the only college graduate racing in NASCAR's premiere series, reporter's asked Newman if his degree in mechanical engineering (from Purdue by the way) impacted his career.

"Well, for me, it's just taken me to another level to understand the race car, the physics part of it, the gravities and the way all the things work with the race car mechanically," he said. "That makes a difference to me personally. I'm not saying it makes me smarter than everybody else, but it's made me a smarter person to the point that I tell anybody if you have the opportunity to go to college or to a university to get a further education, do it."

He added that what a person majors in doesn't ultimately make them a smart guy, but that the well-roundedness that comes with a further education that makes them a better person and a smarter person in order to make more money and be happier in the future.

"For me, my actual title is vehicle structure engineering," he said. "It's a mechanical backbone, but it gave me the opportunity to be flexible in school, and then I obviously have that diploma and that education to fall back on for the rest of my career."

While Newman is excited about having U.S. Army on the car, it will not be featured on every race this season. When asked about the sponsorship issue, Newman said people at the company are working hard to find additional sponsors for the remaining races.

"But in the meantime, hopefully we can come out of the box strong," he said. "My focus is Daytona, Daytona 500, and in the end, they pay me to drive the race car, and that's my ultimate responsibility. But I do stay aware of sponsorship and things that I may be obligated to later in the year."

When asked if he was worried about the sponsorship issue, Newman said he wouldn't say he's not worried at all.

"I just know it's something that the people at SHR are focusing on, and rightfully so. It's a trying time in our economy and we're trying to do things that we can to be as successful as we can. Having correct sponsorship that will align and work correctly with Office Depot, Old Spice and the U.S. Army is important, as well as making our performance and trying to make our team's dreams com true."

When asked about his test at Rockingham, Newman said it was still a great place to test.

"It's a great racetrack," he said. "I really, really enjoyed the driving around there. It was a lot of fun, really more so racing than driving. The tires fell off so fast that as you test it as a driver it's kind of frustrating, but when you're racing it's kind of like being at the local go-kart track when they throw the water or powder down; it's kind of slick."

When asked how he felt about there being no Preseason Thunder, Newman said it was three days that "could have, and should have been off."

"I never thought we needed to test. Sure, it's nice... the one thing that I wish we could test for is for the fans, because there are several fans that show up at Daytona and come to the racetrack and enjoy the atmosphere and the testing. For instance, some fans might not be able to afford to come for the Daytona 500 or the speed weeks or anything else, or any other race for that matter; they might just want to come to testing. I wish we could service the fans in that way, but in the end, with the economy the way it is, I don't feel like we need to test as a team or NASCAR needs to test as an association. It's all good with me. We just get a couple more days off, that they find something else for us to do."

Newman would have participated in the Budweiser Shootout Feb. 7, but David Stremme will race in his place.

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