| Ryan Newman last landed in Victory Lane in 2008 | | | | the trophy, though." |
| when he won the Daytona 500, but he hasn't seen a | | | | In the end, the trophy is all that matters – to |
| first-place finish with NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series | | | | Ryan Newman, anyway. Newman snapped a 77-race |
| since – until April 11, 2010, that is. Newman defied | | | | drought that will perhaps give him the momentum to |
| odds and zoomed past Jeff Gordon in a restart on | | | | go full force into the next few months, and his |
| Lap 377 of 378 at the Subway Fresh Fit 600 at the | | | | standings are already taking a jump. Currently (as of |
| Phoenix International Raceway, and he took the big | | | | April 12) in 16th place in driver standings after |
| win after a gaping drought, perhaps signaling the | | | | Phoenix, Newman has had a steady but not |
| winds of change for the Cup Series. | | | | spectacular year on the NASCAR circuit. No. 39 |
| Newman trailed Kyle Busch for much of the latter | | | | opened his season with an accident at Daytona, |
| part of the Phoenix race in mid-April, but a late-race | | | | leaving him in 34th place on the day. He then had |
| caution and green-white-checkered restart allowed | | | | engine problems the next week at Fontana before |
| the Stewart Haas Racing veteran to cruise past Jeff | | | | securing an 18th place finish at Las Vegas, 16th place |
| Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, taking control in first | | | | finish at Bristol and 4th place finish at Martinsville. |
| once Kyle Busch pitted in the last yellow. Gordon | | | | Ryan Newman has steadily been inching up ranks of |
| ended the race in second place, with Johnson in third, | | | | the Sprint Cup circuit, and his big win at Phoenix will |
| Mark Martin in fourth and Juan Pablo Montoya in fifth. | | | | certainly help to sell <a rel="nofollow" |
| After the race, Kyle Busch offered up his | | | | onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(' |
| congratulations to Ryan Newman, but not without | | | | outgoing/article_exit_link');" href=" tickets</a> |
| proclaiming his car the fastest of the day. A leader | | | | to more races this season. The Stewart Haas Racing |
| for 113 laps of the Phoenix race, Busch and crew | | | | superstar will continue his reign as one of Sprint Cup's |
| chief Dave Rogers made a costly mistake in a pitting | | | | elite at Texas (April 18) and Talladega (April 25) to |
| gamble, with Busch summing up (as reported to | | | | round out the month of April in NASCAR world, and |
| NASCAR.com), "I like to win races with the best car. | | | | the Indiana native will be looking forward to this |
| If we would have won, I think we could have said | | | | summer, when he goes back to his home state to |
| that. The 39 (Newman) won, congratulations to | | | | partake in the Brickyard 400. Several more races |
| them, they deserve it, their crew chief made a great | | | | await No. 39 this season, as well, and now that he's |
| call that put them in Victory Lane. But they know | | | | got one win on the season anything could happen to |
| that they didn't have the best race car. They have | | | | propel Ryan Newman into the Chase. |