Ryan Newman: An American Success Story

“I believe in America because we have great dreams – and because we have the opportunity to make those dreams come true.” – Wendell L. Wilkie (American corporate lawyer and 1940 presidential nominee)

Ryan Newman readily admits that he lives his dream every weekend on the racetrack.

The story goes that when Newman was born in December 1977, his proud papa announced right then and there in the delivery room that his baby boy would be a racecar driver. At the young age of 4, Newman got his first racecar, a Quarter Midget, and began going in circles.

Thanks to a lot of hard work and sacrifices along the way, Newman hasn’t stopped racing. Newman is now in his 12th full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and, Sunday, he will make his 12th career start at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.

At Sonoma, Newman will celebrate another American dream that became a reality through hard work and dedication.

His No. 39 Chevrolet SS will pay tribute to the 30th anniversary of Haas Automation – the largest machine tool builder in the western world – with a special paint scheme honoring the company that Gene Haas founded in 1983. Haas is also the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing with three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart.

The company has always produced top-quality products at affordable prices, and all are built in the USA – in the company’s facility in Oxnard, Calif. – which is something Haas takes great pride in doing.

Haas Automation’s commitment to building an American-made product has also helped keep prices of machine tools down. For example, a machine the company first built 1988 sold then for just less than $50,000. Today, that same machine continues to sell for less than $50,000.

Haas Automation is an American success story, and this weekend, Newman hopes to celebrate his sponsor’s success with some success of his own on the 1.99-mile, 10-turn road course nestled in California’s wine country.

With 16 Sprint Cup Series wins to his credit, Newman would like to add a road-course victory to that tally.

In 11 starts at Sonoma, Newman has two top-five finishes and five top-10s. He has completed all 1,217 laps contested there since his rookie campaign in 2002, and he even scored a runner-up finish in 2006.

With 11 races to go until the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins, Newman sits 18th in points, 28 points out of the Chase. As a team fighting for a spot in this season’s Chase, Newman & Company hopes to not only improve on its recent finishes at the Sonoma road course, but also contend for the win.

There would be no better way to honor all the hard work that made dreams become reality and to kick off Haas Automation’s 30th anniversary celebration than with a victory in the company’s home state.

TSC PR