Ryan Newman and the No. 39 U.S. Army Racing Team are on a mission – to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. And like the 1 million Army Strong Soldiers they represent across the globe, they will put the mission first, attacking their goals with focus, determination and a refusal to accept defeat.
Just five races remain before the 12-driver field is set for the 10-race Chase, which will crown the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. And as the series heads to Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International for the second and final road course race of the season, Newman is in the midst of a hotly contested battle for a coveted Chase berth.
Even with a win earlier this year at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and four consecutive top-10 finishes heading into Sunday’s Finger Lakes 355k at The Glen, Newman is one of five drivers outside the top-10 in points. It’s a precarious position to be in, for only the top-10 are locked into the Chase, which begins Sept. 16 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. Chase positions 11-12 are wild cards and are awarded to those drivers between 11th and 20th in points who have the most wins. In the event of multiple drivers having the same amount of wins, a driver’s point standing serves as the tiebreaker.
Kasey Kahne holds the 11th-place wild-card spot thanks to his two victories, the most of any driver outside the top-10. Jeff Gordon vaulted into the 12th-place wild-card spot with his win last Sunday at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. And while Gordon has only one victory, just like fellow wild-card contenders Newman, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, his 13th-place point standing puts him in the 12th and final wild card spot via the tiebreaker.
Newman can take that wild-card spot by grabbing another victory in the next five races or by climbing into the top-10 in points. To do so, Newman and Co. will need to embody the same mental, physical and emotional fortitude of our Army Strong Soldiers. It will take a strength like no other, both on and off the racetrack, to successfully complete this all-important mission.
Sunday’s Finger Lakes 355k at The Glen is set squarely in Newman’s sights, for it provides the next opportunity to make the Chase. And while a win would obviously bolster his Chase chances, a triumph on the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course would also help Newman achieve another personal goal – earning a Sprint Cup win on a racetrack with left and right turns.
The South Bend, Ind., native has 16 career Sprint Cup victories and they’ve come on a wide variety of racetracks – superspeedways, short tracks, high-banked ovals and flat tracks. But a road-course victory has proven elusive, at least in the elite Sprint Cup Series.
Newman came close to winning at Watkins Glen during his rookie year in 2002. He started fifth and led 11 laps before relinquishing the lead to his current teammate and car owner, Tony Stewart, who went on to win the race by 1.636 seconds.
In 10 career Sprint Cup starts at Watkins Glen, Newman has one top-five and three top-10 finishes. And while he hasn’t won there in Sprint Cup, Newman did capture a NASCAR Nationwide Series victory at The Glen in 2005.
Newman wears the U.S. Army logo that adorns the chest of his uniform and the hood of his racecar with great pride. To him, there would be no better way to thank the Soldiers he represents than by making the Chase for the fifth time, which would give the No. 39 U.S. Army Racing Team the opportunity to fight for the prestigious Sprint Cup title.
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