Out of Nowhere: Ryan Newman Wins 2008 Daytona 500

As the lead cars followed behind the pace car near the end of the Daytona 500, Ryan Newman in the bright blue Alltel car was sitting in fourth place directly behind Tony Stewart. Following a crash that took Casey Mears out of the race, Newman was nestled among the biggest headliners including Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and seemed like a duck out of water.

In 2007, Newman didn’t win a single race. In fact, prior to Sunday, he was on an 81 race losing streak. His biggest season was back in 2003 when he won a career-high 8 races and hadn’t come close to matching that since. In fact, this is only the 12th win in Newman’s career and, considering he drives the number 12 car, it seems only fitting that Sunday would be his day.

But on Sunday, everything changed in what seemed like a blink of an eye. As the pace car cleared the track, Stewart made his move to the front of the pack. Stewart, who has raced at Daytona ten times without a win, seemed to have the winner’s circle in mind as the three lap sprint for the win began.

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As the cars jockeyed back and forth, Stewart made a move on the outside and Newman jumped behind him and gave him some help. With only two laps to go, Newman and teammate Kurt Busch, another unusual suspect at the front of the line, rode tight behind Stewart biding their time.

In the final lap, Stewart’s efforts to block Newman were futile as Newman and Busch teamed up, Busch giving Newman that extra push to take the lead into turn three and ultimately crossing the finish line in 1, 2 victory for the Penske Racing team.

This win marks a complete surprise in the racing world. With all the speculation surrounding the possible winner for this year’s Daytona 500, Newman’s name did not come up. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was easily the most talked about racer, followed closely by Tony Stewart. Jimmie Johnson was also a hot topic as was the possibility that Kevin Harvick would make a repeat performance of last year’s win. But Newman surprised them all.

In a race that celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sunday, only 24 men have ever won it. Richard Petty led the pack with 7 wins followed by Cale Yarborough with 4 wins. Jeff Gordon, Bobby Allison, and Dale Jarrett all have three. In total, only 8 men have won more than once. Now, Ryan Newman’s name will grace the trophy in his very own nameplate and a permanent place in history.

By Angela Moore
Pro Racing Fans Staff Writer

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