Ryan Newman Uses Strategy Late In the Race To Win at The Brickyard

         Ryan Newman was able to kiss the bricks after using a late strategy call to take the lead from Jimmie Johnson and the win. After starting on the pole, Newman showed that he would be a contender early as he led until the first pit stops of the day. He was shuffled back during the middle part of the race, but he found his way back to the point and the win. It was a fairly disappointing finish for Jimmie Johnson. After leading most of the race, he had a 17 second four tire final pit stop while Ryan Newman had a 6 second two tire final pit stop. This left Newman four seconds ahead of Johnson and in prime position to take the win. It will definitely be a spot that the #48 team will work on in the future. One story line to follow in the race has already been mentioned which is strategy. Most of the drivers in the field used a different strategy than their competitors which led to some good finishes and the win for Newman. A final story line to follow is the lack of cautions in the race. Because of this, the drivers who wanted to win had to rely on good pit stops to take the victory. In the case of Ryan Newman, his team got the job done. All in all, it was a simple race at Indianapolis, but one that had a great story at the end.

        Ryan Newman started on the pole. It was his first pole since New Hampshire in September of 2011. He was able to lead the first lap of the race. It was a short time into the race before a championship and race contender would have trouble. On lap 13, Dale Earnhardt Jr. pulled down pit road for an unscheduled stop. He was forced to pit because he had a loose wheel. This set him off sequence and he would have to rely on cautions to get back in the race. It was a short time later that strategy began to take shape in the race. Drivers like Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin decided to short pit on lap 26 since their cars weren't too good. This led to the first round of green flag pit stops of the race on lap 28. During these stops, Jimmie Johnson was able to take the lead from Ryan Newman. Now, it looked like Johnson would run away, but strategy would have a say in that. 

       The race continued on until the second round of green flag pit stops of the race on lap 54. A short time after this the first caution of the race waved on lap 59. Timmy Hill had an issue on track and began to slow. Marcos Ambrose received the lucky dog. The drivers who had not pitted during the round of green flag stops went to pit road. Tony Stewart also pitted to top off with fuel in preparation for later in the race. The race went back green and Stewart proved pitting was a good move as he moved up a lot on the restart. The race continued on until the second caution of the race on lap 81. Jeff Burton had a rear gear issue and slowed down on track. A.J. Allmendinger received the lucky dog. Even more strategy was used during this caution. Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others decided to stay out. Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jamie McMurray, and Marcos Ambrose took two tires. The race went back green and the decisions went different ways. Some of the drivers who stayed out fell back, while others stayed near the front. Some of the drivers who took two tires fell back, while others stayed near the front. It would be interesting to see which driver could make the strategy work and take the win. 

         The race went back green and it was a short time before the drivers who had stayed out on the previous caution decided to pit around lap 98. This gave Jimmie Johnson the lead once again. The race continued on until the third round of green flag pit stops of the race on lap 107. A short time after this thee third and final caution of the race came out on lap 114. Timmy Hill stopped on the backstretch of the track. Mark Martin received the lucky dog. Jamie McMurray, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, and other decided to pit to see if they could work on their cars a little bit. The race went back green for the final time and it was a short time before pit stops came again. On lap 129, Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Marcos Ambrose pitted. This led to the fourth round of green flag pit stops of the race on lap 130. This is where things changed in the race. Jimmie Johnson came in before Ryan Newman and decided to take four tires. His team performed a slow 17 second pit stop and he went back out on track. Ryan Newman came in next and decided to take only two tires. His team preformed a six second two tire stop. Before the stops, Jimmie Johnson had held onto the advantage over Newman, but after the stops Ryan Newman held a four second advantage over Johnson. Now, he would just have to hold it.

         It was a very interesting final 25 laps. Newman sat in front of Johnson and Kasey Kahne. It seemed like Newman was still as fast as he had been and would hold onto the advantage. As the race went on, drivers began to pit in front of the three and finally Newman took the lead. The laps began to click away and with three laps to go, the emotion began to come out of Newman and his team. The tears began to fall and finally Newman was able to cross the line for the win at his home track. He made huge burnouts and the victory celebration was very emotional. Newman was finally able to kiss the bricks at The Brickyard. Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne came so close, but they will have to wait until next year.

        It has been a very emotional few weeks for Ryan Newman. A couple weeks ago it was announced that he will not be returning to the #39 at Stewart-Haas Racing. Fast forward to this week. He finished third in the inaugural Mudsummer Classic at Eldora. On Saturday, he barely beat Jimmie Johnson for his first pole at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Today, he takes the victory from Jimmie Johnson at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for his win at The Brickyard and his first win of the season. This could really boost his chances at getting a good ride for the 2014 season. It was also a really good day for Hendrick horsepower. 6 of the top 7 cars in the finishing order have Hendrick horsepower under the hood. This proves that they are definitely a group that can not be messed with. This could prove very important next week at Pocono. Last time at the track, Jimmie Johnson dominated and took the victory. Will he take the win again, will Ryan Newman beat him two weeks in a row, or will another driver shine? We will have to wait until next week to find out.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 59- Timmy Hill had an issue and slowed on track.

2nd Caution: Lap 81- Jeff Burton had a rear gear issue and slowed on track.

3rd Caution: Lap 114- Timmy Hill stopped on the backstretch of the track.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: Marcos Ambrose
2nd Caution: A.J. Allmendinger
3rd Caution: Mark Martin

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Ryan Newman
2nd: Jimmie Johnson
3rd: Kasey Kahne
4th: Tony Stewart
5th: Matt Kenseth

Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
7th: Jeff Gordon
10th: Kyle Busch
19th: Kevin Harvick
20th: Clint Bowyer
21st: Brad Keselowski
30th: Danica Patrick




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_Crown_Royal_Presents_The_Samuel_Deeds_400/W
-Image:
http://media.naplesnews.com/media/img/photos/2013/07/28/ryan_Newman_t607.jpg