Ryan Newman wins 50th running of Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. --- Helloooo, Newman.
Ryan Newman won the 50th anniversary of the Daytona 500 Sunday night in a stirring fight to the finish over Penske teammate Kurt Busch giving car owner Roger Penske, dominant at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 14 wins, his first restrictor-plate triumph in NASCAR's season-opening race.
After Casey Mears brought out the race's final caution with five to go, Newman surged to the lead ahead of race leader Tony Stewart going into Turn 3 of the final lap. With drafting support from his teammate Busch, Newman got a huge push and went into the lead and never surrendered it as he snapped a three-year drought that dated back to a Sept. 9, 2005, triumph at Loudon, New Hampshire.
``Kurt Busch and Penske Racing, without Kurt it wouldn't have been possible,'' said Newman, a native of South Bend, Ind., whose previous best finish in the Daytona was a third in 2006. ``He could've made it three-wide, but he didn't. These guys on the team deserve it for sure, but I couldn't have done it without Kurt Busch. Tony tried to block me hard and he thought he had help from Kyle, but Kurt really helped me out.''
Stewart, who had promised the media the opportunity to snip locks of his shaggy hair if he won the race, wound up finishing third in his No. 20 Toyota after leading with one to go.
``I thought we were going to have a fun haircutting party here with you guys,'' Stewart said. ``It's just hard to explain. It's one of the most disappointing moments in my race career. But I just want to take a second and congratulate Ryan Newman, a fellow Indiana boy. I'm happy for Ryan. He's a great guy and a good friend and he deserved it.''
The Top 10 at the finish:
1. Ryan Newman
2. Kurt Busch
3. Tony Stewart
4. Kyle Busch
5. Reed Sorenson
6. Elliott Sadler
7. Kasey Kahne
8. Robby Gordon
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
10. Greg Biffle
