Rainman

Rookie Newman says hello to Victory Lane for first time

Ryan Newman takes a bath as he celebrates his first Winston Cup victory. AP

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) -- Rookie Ryan Newman raced to his first Winston Cup victory, barely holding off Kurt Busch on Sunday in the rain-shortened New Hampshire 300.

The win followed consecutive second-place finishes for the 24-year-old driver. It also further established him as one of the top drivers in NASCAR.

Newman has eight top-five finishes in his past 10 starts, and a series-leading 13 in 27 races. He had five second-place finishes before breaking through in his 35th career start.

It was the first points-paying victory for the former USAC open-wheel champion from South Bend, Ind. In May, he won The Winston, Winston Cup's all-star race.

Sterling Marlin finished 21st and lost the points lead for the first time since the second race of the season. Mark Martin finished 16th Sunday and leads Marlin by six points.

New Hampshire 300 Results Place  Driver  Laps  1.  Ryan Newman  207  2.  Kurt Busch   207  3.  Tony Stewart   207  4.  Johnny Benson  207  5.  Bobby Labonte   207  For complete results, click here.

Newman started from the pole for the fourth time this season and led three times for 143 laps on the 1.058-mile New Hampshire International Speedway in a race that ended under caution.

The Purdue University graduate with a degree in engineering became the 16th driver to win this season with nine races remaining. The record of 19 winners in a season was set last year.

The victory was the 42nd in NASCAR for Roger Penske, the top owner in the history of Champ cars, whose drivers have won 12 Indianapolis 500s and 11 open-wheel titles. Matt Borland, like Newman in his first full season on the circuit, got his first victory as a crew chief.

Newman dominated early, but Johnny Benson caught him when the race resumed following a delay of near two hours. Benson started second, reached Newman on the 83rd lap and passed him five laps later.

But Benson tapped the lapped car of Mike Wallace on the 141st lap, and Newman and Busch got by him. At that point, the race became a battle of Fords, as Newman and Busch were separated by no more than a few car-lengths as they worked their way through traffic.

Tony Stewart began a fierce charge toward the front, and almost made it a three-car battle. Lap after lap, Busch drew up to Newman's bumper with Stewart's Pontiac a second behind.

Winston Cup Standings Place  Driver  Points  1.  Mark Martin  3545  2.  Sterling Marlin  3539  3.  Jimmie Johnson  3505  4.  Tony Stewart  3486  5.  Jeff Gordon  3478

But a caution for rain waved on lap 199, ending the chase. After seven more laps, NASCAR ended the race.

Unlike two months ago, when an uncured sealer and spent rubber caused drivers to slip and slide through turns 3 and 4 in the New England 300, the race was relatively clean. The start was delayed 58 minutes because of rain and the precipitation washed away most of rubber laid down in practice and by two support events Saturday.

A second stoppage came after 22 laps, and the event was delayed for 1 hour, 48 minutes.

Benson's Pontiac wound up fourth in the $4.1 million event followed by Bobby Labonte's Pontiac.

Ward Burton, who won here in July, finished 38th. Defending race champion Robby Gordon was 17th.

The winner averaged 105.081 mph in a race slowed for 24 laps by three caution flags. There were seven lead changes among six drivers.

 

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