Ryan Newman is Two-for-Two at NHMS
Loudon, NH — Ryan Newman only saw the view from the front at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend, capturing the checkered flag in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour F.W. Webb 100.
Behind the wheel of his No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, it was a history making day for Newman; no NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver has started and won from the pole position in two races on the same weekend at NHMS.
He and team owner Tony Stewart finished in exactly the same positions they started; first and second. That feat that hasn’t been accomplished in NASCAR’s elite series since Hendrick Motorsports drivers Darrell Waltrip and Ken Schrader finished one-two in the 1989 Daytona 500.
[Photo Gallery] by Nathan Teto
[Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto
Newman’s win today is his third Sprint Cup Series victory at “The Magic Mile” in just 19 races.
“We put it on today,” said Newman. “We don’t do that every weekend, so we will go back and figure out what we did right and relish this moment.”
Crew Chief Tony Gibson played the fuel mileage game perfectly during today’s 301 lap race.
“We were definitely a solid two or three laps short,” said Gibson. “I got on the radio and hounded him. I’m sure he got tired of hearing it, but he really showcased what he can do out there.”
Tony Stewart didn’t mind finishing second to Newman, a rare occurrence for the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet.
“This was a perfect day for the organization,” said Stewart. “To sit here and finish one-two, I am really proud of Ryan and what he did. I don’t mind finishing second if it meant him winning the race. I wouldn’t have wanted to win if it meant him running out of gas.”
Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx/ Freight Toyota fought an ill-handling car all day but bounced back to finish third.
“I can’t say enough about this 11 team,” said Hamlin. “They never gave up. We fought this car the whole day. We just kept working on it and made sure the fenders were on at the end.”
To see the final LENOX Industrial 301 race results visit http://www.nhms.com/media/race_results/.
The summer of speed is just getting revved up. INDYCAR races into NHMS on Aug. 14 for the MoveThatBlock.com INDYCAR 225 and NASCAR returns for the SYLVANIA 300. To purchase tickets call the NHMS ticket hotline at (603) 783-4931 or by visiting www.nhms.com.
Sources: NHMS PR