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Engine Woes Hamper Newman in Atlanta
Ryan Newman ran solidly in the top-15 for most of Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., but engine issues during the final 100 laps of the event slowed down his No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala SS and thwarted his team’s march to a top-10 result. Newman was relegated to a 22nd-place finish in his 15th career Sprint Cup start at the 1.54-mile oval.
“Our Haas Automation Chevy was pretty good today,” said Newman after the race. “We had some handling issues, but Tony Gibson (crew chief) and the guys adjusted on the car and gave me a really competitive machine.
“At the end, I think we maybe had a top-10 car, but we lost a cylinder and that put us behind. We were right in cycle to be the next guy for the ‘lucky dog’ and we just lost that cylinder and that set the tone for the rest of our day.”
With the drop of the green flag, Newman showed just how strong his No. 39 Chevrolet was by passing four cars on the first lap. At lap 13, the second caution of the day waved and Newman radioed Gibson that his car was just a little too tight. He pitted for right side tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment and returned to the track in first place. Newman proceeded to lead three laps — the first laps he has led in the No. 39 Chevy with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR).
As the run progressed, Newman battled a loose-handling racecar. It was so loose that he actually hit the wall twice during the course of the run.
Newman pitted under the green flag at lap 65 for four tires, fuel and an air pressure and chassis adjustment to help the car’s handling. However, an untimely caution flag once Newman returned to the track put the No. 39 team in 17th-place and on the tail-end of the cars one lap down.
Over the course of the next run, Newman was able to hold the leaders off and move into the group of cars just one lap down. He continued to fight handling issues and the team continued to make adjustments to improve the car. By lap 221, Newman had made his way to the front of the lap down cars in 13th-place. He was the next in line to get his lap back when problems struck the No. 39 Haas Automation team.
At lap 225, Newman radioed his crew that he had an engine problem, as his V-8 powerplant had missed several times as he drove down the backstretch, ultimately dropping a cylinder. Newman was able to nurse the engine and maintain a spot in the top-20 until the final caution flag of the day waved at lap 321.
Under the caution, Newman reported that the motor had lost yet another cylinder. On the final restart, he couldn’t get his car up to speed quickly enough and lost four more spots, whereupon he finished 22nd, three laps down.
Tony Stewart, Newman’s teammate at SHR and driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala SS, finished eighth. Stewart battled back from being two laps down to finish eighth and score his third top-10 finish of the year.
Stewart continues to lead SHR in the championship point race, as his eighth-place finish bumped him up two spots to sixth in the standings after round four of 36. Newman gained one spot to climb to 32nd in the standings. Stewart is 113 markers arrears series leader Jeff Gordon, while Newman is 310 points out of first.
The Sprint Cup Series takes a rare weekend off before heading to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway for the March 22 Food City 500.
Filed under: Ryan Newman · Tags: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kobalt Tools 500, Tony Gibson
What does this 39 team have to do to get a break. Week after week, a decent race car ends with a poor finish. The racing gods appear to be punishing us!! Ryan, go rub Tony’s belly for a little luck, or something…
Go SHR!!!
Well another up and down week. Stewart continues to run well and Newman keeps getting snake bit. If the team could catch a break and have a little luck come their way both teams would be able to run in the top 15 every week. Now onto Bristol were anything is possible, Newman needs to have some luck come his way and get a solid top 10 otherwise he could be looking at having to qualify on speed the following week when the series heads to the paperclip.
What is the reason that Stewart’s car #14 always runs well, and Neman constantly has engine trouble?
Is the ‘Boss’ looking out for his driver/team mate?
Makes me wonder.
And if it’ not the engine, it’s the tires, or something literally falling off the body of the car.
Come on, Stewart, lets get Ryan’s car in competition at least to be able to stay in the top 15.
WE’RE FOR YOU RYAN! You deserve some luck or someone fixing you a capable car of staying up front with your ‘BOSS’.
…and by the way, howdo we send messages/email comments to Stewart?
Don’t get me wrong, I like Tony Stewart, but I think he needs to take care of his driver, and needs to know that Newman’s fans are thinking the same thing.
Newman deserves and has earned the right to having a ‘good’ race car.
Carolyn,
You can contact him at:
Stewart-Haas Racing
6001 Haas Way
Kannapolis Gateway Business Park
Kannapolis NC 28081
(704) 652-4227
(704) 723-4905 Fax
Ryan just needs some luck on his side and no one would like to see him run better than his “boss” Tony Stewart and all of his fans.
Carolyn Jennings. Before you start trying to stir up a conspiracy why dont you try reading what has been happening to Ryan every week. Aside from the last engine issue, Ryans issues have been just a run of bad luck pretty much.. Ryan has had this bad luck monkey on his back ever since he won the Daytona 500 last year. His bad luck just didnt begin at SHR. He is a good driver and Tony gives him equal equipment so he should best his position here soon.
TONY STEWART CARES ABOUT HIS DRIVE RYAN NEWMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s early in the season, new teams seems to have bad luck at first I think Tony and Ryan are competitors just have patients fans Ryan and Tony are just getting the bug’s out . Tony cares about Ryan or he wouldnt ask Ryan to join him on his team . Just remember fans were their’s smoke their’s a rocket
New teams need time to work together. It’s early. Tony, Ryan and the whole gang will do just fine in time.Like they say. “PATIENCE”.