Ryan Newman's 2014 Preview
By Richard Tix
Let's set the time back a few years...
Year 2008, and Ryan Newman is on his way out the door at Penske. In the past 3 seasons (08, 07, and 06) Newman has had 1 win, 11 top 5's, and 30 top 10's. Newman seemed to have hit a rut and would be joining Stewart-Haas Racing at the perfect time. Could he turn it back around and get back to his early years?
Let's now turn it back to the present...
As hard as it was to imagine at first (Smoke and Newman are pretty good buddies) the team planned to set ways with Newman after the 2013 season as Newman made the Chase and proved to be the most consistent driver on the season for SHR (to be fair Smoke go hurt at the time he normally gets hot).
In 2014 Newman will be set to start fresh at Richard Childress Racing in the #31 Chevy. Newman is hoping a change in scenery will help him bounce back to the once promising career he had (He had 8 total wins in 2003). We have seen team changes work out for the best in the past, most recently with Matt Kenseth this past season. They can also be the last stop in a drivers career if it doesn't work out. So the next few years will be important for Ryan Newman and RCR. With so many young guns waiting in the wings in NASCAR's lower ranks, it will be interesting to see which Cup veterans keep pace so they can keep there jobs with top level teams.
So what do you think? Let me know on Twitter! Will RCR help Newman contend again? Will this be Newman's last quality ride? Will Newman find a way to get multiple wins for the first time since 2004? Should SHR kicked him to the curb?
Let the count down to Daytona Continue!
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