Heartened by a recent uptick in performance, Ryan Newman is optimistic that he can continue the trend this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. The Indiana native has had good luck in the Irish Hills with two Sprint Cup wins in his career and, more recently, three Top-10 efforts in his last four starts there.
He’s also buoyed by the overall strides that Stewart-Haas Racing has made lately, with Tony Stewart’s victory at Dover International Speedway and Top-5 runs last weekend from both himself and Stewart at Pocono.
“We have – aside from Dover, we have had some good runs in the last four races,” said Newman. “And you know, carrying some of that momentum, as well as – obviously Tony had a good weekend in Dover, but just keeping the ball rolling.
“I think that there’s some things that we learned at our Pocono test that we can absolutely carry over from the Pocono race into Indianapolis going back to Pocono, and as well, I think at places like Michigan that are smooth and have similar asphalt and are really fast, as well.”
Newman, like other drivers on the circuit, likes the high-banked, two-mile oval at MIS, which he called “not the most challenging racetrack we go to” but one that was also “open and forgiving.”
He’s hopeful for another strong result there, which would no doubt please one of his major sponsors, Quicken Loans – the company will also serve as the title sponsor for the 400-mile race on Sunday. But while one might see increased off-track pressure for Newman as a result, he insists that there’s none there.
“There’s no pressure from the outside,” he said. “I think people view it as pressure, but from my perspective, it’s an opportunity to do something even greater, to win your own race as a title sponsor and a car sponsor. I’ve had the opportunity to do it before and haven’t, so I look forward to another opportunity.”
Newman currently sits 18th in the championship and is one of many drivers in 11th through 20th place that is seeking a victory to boost their hopes of a wild-card berth in the Chase. The only driver in that bracket that has one? His teammate and boss, Stewart.
