NASCAR's Newman Has Little Left to Prove

DOVER, Del.September 18, 2003; Dick Brinster writing for the AP reported that Ryan Newman was trying to establish himself as more than a one-year wonder the last time he came to Dover International Speedway.

Newman was 24th in the Winston Cup standings, with just one victory and a bunch of bad finishes that began with a crash in the Daytona 500.

"Nothing was by our doing, but mostly just plain old bad luck," Newman said. "Once we got that win here in June, it just seemed to start going our way."

His power steering failed midway through the MBNA 400, but the polesitter persevered and won the race. Since then, the 2002 rookie of the year has been the dominant driver and now has a series-leading six victories.

He's also on top with seven poles, but can't add to that this week because qualifying was canceled with Hurricane Isabel expected to affect Dover on Friday. Low-lying Delaware declared a state of emergency Wednesday.

The cancellation, announced Tuesday by NASCAR, gives the pole to runaway points leader Matt Kenseth. Neither Newman, who will start fifth, nor the other drivers are fretting over it, however.

"I think the most important thing is safety for the fans, workers and all the competitors," Todd Bodine said.

Newman will have to wait until Sunday to add to his glittering record. He's aware of the consensus that's he's become the best driver on the circuit, but the stoic racer from Indiana is largely unmoved by it.

"We're just on top of our game right now, and it can go back to bad luck at any point in time," he said.

Newman isn't surprised that he's lived up to expectations of greatness predicted for him three years ago, before he even ran in his first NASCAR event.

Don Miller, the normally reserved president of Penske Racing South, gushed over Newman. Miller made it clear from the start that he expected Newman to be a NASCAR star.

Newman shrugged off the praise at the time, but now acknowledges that he's not surprised Miller was correct.

"Not to be cocky, but yes, or at least I was sure hoping it would," he said. "I knew I was a good driver and had the potential. I just needed the right grooming, which Roger Penske gave me, and it's paying off."

Among those Newman will have to beat Sunday is series champion Tony Stewart, who had the best car on The Monster Mile in June. But Stewart spent most of his afternoon trying to overcome a penalty for a violation on pit road.

Stewart isn't complaining about that loss, but laments the changes that have been made since his two-race sweep here in 2000.

The tires then were of a softer compound than those now supplied by Goodyear. The tires of 2000 lost grip over the course of a run, placing a greater premium on the ability of a driver to make them last.

"You had to play the chess match of tire management, and that's what made it so fun for us and so exciting for the fans," said Stewart, who starts 11th Sunday. "You couldn't just start on the point and run away from the field.

"You might have had a guy who was in a hurry at the beginning of a run and passed three or four cars, but at the end of that run he'd get passed by those same three or four cars, and maybe a couple more because he had used up his tires."

Also figuring to be difficult for Newman will be Jimmie Johnson, who won last Sunday for a two-race sweep this year at New Hampshire International Speedway. Johnson, who starts fourth — a spot behind Kevin Harvick on the grid — also swept here last year.

Although he wanted a championship in his second season, Johnson is now resigned to chasing second-place driver Dale Earnhardt (news - web sites) Jr.

"Matt is doing a great job week in and week out," Johnson said of Kenseth. "That team is not missing any strides."