'Another Daytona 500 win would be amazing' for Ryan Newman

Ryan Newman is 35/1 to win Daytona 500

Ryan Newman
No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS
Race Notes and Quotes:

This Week’s Caterpillar Chevrolet SS at Daytona International Speedway … Ryan Newman will drive a brand new chassis, No. 494, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season opener, the Daytona 500, at Daytona International Speedway. This No. 31 Chevrolet SS was utilized for the first time during last week’s Daytona 500 practice sessions.

Newman in the Daytona 500 … Newman is the proud owner of a Harley J. Earl trophy by winning the 50th running of the Daytona 500 in 2008. In total, the South Bend, Ind. native has 26 starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, earning four top-five and six top-10 finishes. His average start is 20th and finish is 20th, as well. He’s led 101 laps in competition.

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Down to the Duel … Newman earned the 13th-starting spot in Thursday night’s second 150-mile Duel event after Sunday’s Daytona 500 qualifying session. The top-15 finishers in each Duel race — excluding Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, who are starting first and second in the field, will earn an automatic spot in the Daytona 500 by filling positions three through 32. Regardless of what happens in the event, Newman’s 2014 points finish locks him into the Daytona 500.

Race Rewind … Driving in his first race for Richard Childress Racing in the Daytona 500 one year ago, Newman posted a 22nd-place finish after sustaining damage in two multi-car incidents.

RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:

What would it mean to win the Daytona 500 again?
“To me, to win another Daytona 500 would be amazing. It would be huge because my crew chief Luke Lambert has never won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. If we could go through our season in 2014 and then prove what the season could have been by winning the biggest race of 2015, and get Luke in victory lane and get my second 500 victory, it would be a whole lot of fun.”

What makes Daytona so special?
“The history of our sport kind of revolves around Daytona and Daytona Beach. To drive through the Turn 4 tunnel, to me, is what is so special. You go down the dip, hit the bottom and then come back up. It’s like a welcome to the palace of speed greeting. It’s really cool. The racing is different from what I grew up watching and even when I won in Daytona the first time in 2008, but it still remains a lot of fun. There is a lot of respect you have to have for our sport that revolves around Daytona.”

- Richard Childress Racing