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Ryan Newman was one of the most consistent drivers in quite a long time. More then that he overcame the odds and finished 2nd in the championship standings. He just one position away from reaching almighty glory. Unfortunately the down side is Newman unlikely to repeat his stellar 2014 season.
At Intermediate tracks expect mainly low-teen like results with upside of single digits finishes from time to time. At high-speed Intermediate tracks , he have plenty of good venues. Dover is arguably his best career track. In 26 starts , Newman have 3 wins and 13.4 average finish. 5 of his past 8 races have resulted in 21th or worse. But two of the past 3 races have resulted inside the top 10. Last June he finished 31st. Was running inside top 10 before a mechanical issue occurred just before a pit stop.
Atlanta , Charlotte and Kentucky are other good tracks for Newman. Darlington could be Newman best track overall where he haven't won at. 4 of the past 6 races have resulted in 10th or better. From career standpoint , Newman only have 4 races where he finished outside top 20. 11 of 16 races were in the top 10. Kentucky actually been a great track for Newman. Realistically better then his stats suggests. Minus his one bad finish , Newman have an 7.0 average finish in 3 races.
Michigan is one of Newman's best tracks. In 27 career starts , Newman have two wins. 7 of past 8 races have resulted in 15th or better. Mr.Reliable at Michigan since 2011. Finished 11 and 15 in 2014 with RCR.
At flats he been a top notch option in his entire career. Pocono is his best track among flats. He have 5 straight Top 8 finishes. 13 straight Top 15s. 23 of 26 races have resulted in 18th or better. That's insane. Newman love Pocono. With consistency like that , I would too. New Hampshire is another good venue for Newman. Since 2012 , Newman been a teen-like driver. 5 of those 6 races were 18th or better. 3 of those 5 were either 10th or 5th place finishes though.
At Indianapolis Newman is little overrated. In 2013 he won at home state track. But wouldn't bank on that to represent his fantasy outlook. In 14 career starts , Newman have a 17.2 average finish. Past 3 seasons ,Newman have finishes of 11,1,7. Of the 3 races , I feel like last season 11th best describes Newman potential value. In his career , he have mainly finishes from 11th to 20th. Phoenix been one of his better flats. Since his win in 2010 (10 races) , Newman have 8 finishes of 11th or better. Including 5 Top 5s. He usually good for least a low-end (latter) top 10 finish.
Short tracks you can definitely depend upon Ryan Newman. At Richmond , he been rock solid. Stats wise this is probably his top track. In 26 career races , Newman have 11.2 career finish and 1win. Since 2011 , Newman scored 5 of 7 races in the top 9. All 7 races inside the top 15. Dating back to 2003 (23 races) , Newman have 19 finishes of 15th or better. 22 of 23 races were 20th or better.
Martinsville been a inconsistent track for Newman. As of late , he been so-and-so. 2 Top 5s since 2012. But unfortunately Newman also have 3 finishes of 20th or worse. Hard to say weather or not Newman can be trusted. Kinda a wait and see type deal. At Bristol , I feel like Newman is underrated. In his past 13 races (since 2008) , Newman have 11 finishes inside top 16. 6 of those were inside top 8.
At road courses Newman been decent at Sonoma and Watkins Glenn. At Sonoma , 11 of 13 were in the top 18. Actually only finish outside top 20. Now that's isn't the track record of a Jeff Gordon. But isn't terrible either. At Watkins , he been pretty bad from career standpoint. But 4 of the past 5 have been from 11th to 16th. Kinda like results at Sonoma.
At Daytona and Talladega , its really just taking a shot into the dark. Newman usually good for an top 20 at both venues. His career at average finish have hovered around that mark for awhile as well. There better options out there. But RCR speed will keep Newman relevant.
Look I don't expect him to back his 2014 season. That will be hard to do consistency wise. I also believe Newman will go winless. The runner-up curse all too real. Only driver recently been to overcome the curse was Brad Keselowski in 2013. Expect his best races to at Intermediate venues and flats tracks. Pocono, Richmond and Michigan are the tracks that I would considering him at the most. Just get the feeling he does his best at those venues.
Twitter - @MattAleza