Ryan Newman

Ryan 'RocketMan' Newman knew all along that he was destined to be a race driver. At the age of 4, Ryan was racing in quarter midgets and was eventually inducted into the Quarter Midget Hall of Fame for his tremendous influence in the sport. He went onto study and graduate in Vehicle Structural Engineering from Purdue University, something that has definitely aided his understanding of the handling of a race car.

Ryan was the Rookie of the Year in the '93 All-American Midget Series. This title could be attributed to the fact that he dominated the entire series and won the title as well. In 1995, he gradated into the USAC National Midgets category and won another Rookie of the Year title.

He seemed to be great at picking up the competition levels at different racing genres and got another Rookie of the Year for his feats in the USAC Silver Crown Series (1996) as well as in the Sprint Cars (1999). In 1999, he won the USAC Coors Light Silver Bullet National Championships via his two victories and 12 top-ten finishes. He also participated in the Midget series and won 7 races along with one win in the Sprint Cars.

He moved to Stock cars in 2000 and made his debut at the ARCA level in Michigan. He won his second race at the level and ended the year with two more wins. He wanted to move into the NASCAR Series and his quick progress through the ranks continued as he moved into the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2001.

In 15 races, Ryan won one at the NASCAR Nationwide Series but that wasn't the main thing on his mind. He was also participating in some select events at the NASCAR Sprint Cup series and was intent on making a mark. His first career pole, in just his third race, tied him with Mark Martin's record as the fastest pole position ever. In just seven races, Ryan got a second place finish at Kansas.

In 2002, he had a full season of Sprint Cup racing lined up and Ryan did everything but disappoint his fans. He got 14 top-five finishes, 22 top-ten finishes and won his first race as well. He won the All-Star event, becoming the second Rookie ever to do so, after Dale Earnhardt Jr. He topped the Rookie record of five poles with his six and also tied the eventual champion, Tony Stewart, in race leads for that season (22). Obviously, he got the Rookie of the Year title.

In 2003, his prolific run continued as he won the highest number of races for the season, 8. He also led the series in pole positions (11) and number of miles led (1509.13). He won 7 races but his retirements (8 in all) meant that he couldn't manage anything higher than sixth place again.

His performances in the following season were strong but his 9 retirements spilled water over his efforts. He won two races and looked set to win the title but four retirements in his last four races led to a disappointing seventh place only. He again led the 2005 series in pole positions although could only manage one win on his way to another sixth place finish.

Ryan was disappointing in 2006 as he just managed two pole positions. A dismal 18th place was no indication of his true worth but Ryan was intent on climbing his way back up the standings.

In 2007, he climbed back up to 13th place with three second placed finishes. But it was nowhere as good as he has been in the past and in 2008, Ryan will look to get back into the reckoning with renewed enthusiasm.