Quiet storm

Humble Newman lets his driving do the talking

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Ryan Newman smiled when reminded that he was considered a superstar before he completed his first lap in a stock car.

"You just do the best job you can and hopefully everybody is satisfied at the end," he said.

That's about as much emotion as Newman displays. He simply shrugged one day three years ago as boss Don Miller gushed over the attributes of a kid who made his reputation racing midgets and sprint cars while working toward a college degree.

"Oh, he'll win," the normally reserved president of Penske Racing South guaranteed at the time.

Fast forward to 2002, and Miller wasn't wavering a bit even though Newman was 0-for-34.

"As good as he is right now, you are only seeing the tip of the iceberg," Miller said.

Hours later, Newman won in New Hampshire and parlayed that into a fifth-place finish in the Winston Cup standings.

Now, 11 months later, Newman leads the circuit with four victories, five poles and self-proclaimed unimportance.

"It's the total package," he said. "It's all about teamwork, it's all about communication."

Never does he suggest that the awesome driving talent that seduced Miller, team owner Roger Penske and many more is anything other than a contributing factor.

That doesn't surprise crew chief Matt Borland, who is amazed by the degree of maturity the 25-year-old Newman has shown from the start. Without fear of sounding even the least bit complacent, Borland easily anoints Newman as one of the best in the business.

"I believe pretty much every race, he's the driver to beat," Borland said. "He has the ability and the talent to drive his race car at a level that most people can't."

All that's missing is a series championship. That will have to wait for another year because Newman was victimized by early-season mechanical failures and crashes not generally of his making.

He takes it in stride.

"It's just a matter of getting all that stuff out of your system," he said. "Hopefully we've done that and we can go on."

This week, that will mean a trip to Michigan, where Newman will hope to improve on a ninth-place finish in Watkins Glen, N.Y. He's ninth in points, noting that he's ahead of last year's Rookie of the Year pace but further off the lead only because Matt Kenseth is romping toward the title.

Newman will calmly approach his job and satisfy all the demands being made on a modern-day NASCAR icon. Then he'll get in the car and give his 31-year-old crew chief another example of what Borland calls "Ryan's cool."

"I usually never have to calm him down," Borland said. "If anything, it's the opposite and he's talking me through stuff. Ryan's growing pains were over when he started."

When Newman speaks of the future, he understands that means success. No one stays on top in the sport unless they win.

Newman has five victories in his first 66 starts, a ratio slightly better than that of four-time series champion Jeff Gordon and surpassed only by current champ Tony Stewart. Newman isn't counting, but understands the impact success has in a multimillion dollar industry.

"Wins are great," he said. "Championships are awesome. A sponsor wants everything they can possibly get."

Part of that is dealing with the media in an age where controversy sells. Newman is no darling to the print or broadcast reporters because he isn't controversial or extremely quotable -- unlike Gordon and Stewart.

Newman is rarely involved in hassles on the track. Away from the speedway, the closest he comes to excitement is fishing, and restoring old toys, cars and boats.

"I'm a genuine person," he said. "To me, that's what it's all about, being truthful and honest and being polite."

 

Related information

Stories

B.Duane Cross: Doping the Winston Cup points race Kenseth thinks consistency makes a champion NASCAR fan sentenced for sending FOX half-million e-mails Q&A with Matt Kenseth

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video