Ryan Newman, one of the 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers to qualify for the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs, spent Tuesday discussing his championship goals, getting wrapped up in crepe paper and advising children to take their education seriously.
As part of NASCAR’s Chase Across North America program, which aims to educate fans on the new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format by having a Chase driver visit each market of a track that hosts a Chase race, Newman met with media members at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino before visiting Fred Fifer III Middle School in Camden, Del. Dover International Speedway hosts the third event in the 10‐race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the “AAA 400,” on Sunday, Oct. 4.
At Fifer Middle School, Newman spoke to approximately 1,000 students during two pep rallies, took questions from the students, signed autographs and participated in two relay races where he and Fifer teachers and administrators were wrapped in crepe paper by four students each, before racing across a mat to the finish line. Newman, who is used to running up front in NASCAR Sprint Cup fields based on his 51 career poles, won both races.
“I’ve been racing since I was 4½ years old,” Newman said to the group of sixth‐, seventh‐ and eighth‐graders. “It’s important to set goals for yourself, and to stick with your education.”
Newman, who revealed to the students that his favorite subject was math, said NASCAR Sprint Cup Series legend Jeff Gordon encouraged him many years ago to complete his education before plunging into a racing career. Newman took that advice to heart, graduating from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., in 2001 with a degree in engineering.
SiriusXM radio host and Delaware native Mike Bagley served as the emcee for the pep rallies, and drew loud cheers when he announced that students would be receiving tickets to the “Hisense 200” NASCAR XFINITY Series race, set for Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Monster Mile.
“We have a nice core group of students who follow NASCAR,” said Brian Smith, Fifer Middle School’s principal. “This is a great event and it allows us to get everyone involved.
Newman, a three‐time winner at Dover International Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will be looking to stay alive in the championship race when he visits the Monster Mile for the “AAA 400,” which will serve as the first elimination round in the 10‐race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs, with four of the event’s 16 drivers knocked out of contention once the checkered flag drops.
“In the first round, I’ve won at all three of the tracks [including Chicagoland and New Hampshire],” Newman said. “Dover is right up there [among my favorites].”
On Tuesday, Newman said his season of solid finishes with his Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet team needs to continue in order for him to be in contention for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup title.
“We’ve been super competitive at all types of tracks,” said Newman, who has four top‐five and 12 top‐10 finishes in 26 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this season. “Our consistency is one of our biggest strengths. You can’t afford to go two laps down at some of these tracks, including Dover.”
Newman, the 2008 Daytona 500 champion, 2002 NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year and winner of 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, made the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup for the seventh time in his career this year. Newman has also earned a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in previous years for Team Penske and Stewart‐Haas Racing. Newman finished second in last year’s championship standings, one point behind Kevin Harvick.
“It was great last year, but nobody knows what it will be this year,” said Newman of his Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup experience. “The intensity is only going to increase.”
Dover Motorsports PR
