Hello, Newman....

Hendrick Motorsports was the team to beat. They won the Bud Shotout, captured the pole, and even won one of the Twin 125 races. The Daytona 500 was Hendrick’s to lose.

But after the checkered flag waved after the 50th running of the Great American Race, it was underdog Ryan Newman who stole the show and gave team owner and open-wheeling mogul Roger Penske his first Daytona 500 win.

As the laps began to count down, it appeared as the top two tiered teams of NASCAR – Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing – were going to battle to the finish line as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart exchanged the lead on numerous times.

It appeared Stewart had the race all but wrapped up until he was passed by the Penske tandem of Newman and Kurt Busch, as Busch pushed Newman across the finish line for the victory.

Newman shocked the world.

Or did he?

Let us not forget who his boss is. The legendary car owner Roger Penske. Penske owns 14 Indianapolis 500 victories. His current roster of drivers includes reigning Daytona 500 champ Newman, 2004 series champ Kurt Busch (he drove for Roush Racing at the time), and 3-time IRL series champ and 2006 Indy 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr, so here is now for Penske Racing.

So, was Newman really the underdog, or was the Hendricks quartet just over-hyped?

The South Bend native has had his fair share of racing success in the big league. Since his rookie of the year season in 2002, Newman has finished sixth in the series on three different occasions (2002-03, 2005) and has 13 race wins to go along with 42 career poles.

Newman is Penske Racing’s senior driver, as he has driven for the Captain since his 2002 rookie season. Busch is in his third season under Penske and Hornish is the rookie of the bunch. Newman is the leader. Newman is the mentor. Newman is the heart and soul of Penske Racing.

So why was everybody so shocked that he captured the Daytona 500?

The big story was not that Newman had won; the major story was who failed to win: Stewart, Dale Jr., Gordon, Johnson, Hamlin, Kyle Busch. Those five drivers combined to lead 152 of 200 laps. Newman only led 8 laps, but it was the final lap that mattered.

All the hype and attention leading up towards the race was focused on Dale Jr. and how he would perform in his Hendrick debut. Dale Jr. performed about as expected. He was in the lead pack for the majority of the race, led some laps, and was in the mix towards the end. But, he failed to capture his second Daytona 500, which results in a failure.

Will winning the Daytona 500 transform Newman from a quiet and shy racer into the face of the series and a threat to win a championship?

That remains to be seen. But, Newman now joins the fraternity of Daytona 500 champions that includes legends such as Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Benny Parsons, Bobby Allison, and Buddy Baker.

Ryan Newman has been racing for 15 years, but his career truly started with winning the Daytona 500.

Hello, Newman…..