NASCAR: Who’s Hot And Who’s Not Heading Into Atlanta

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

NOT – Ryan Newman

Nobody in NASCAR might be happier to see Atlanta than Ryan Newman.

Newman and his team had to endure a long off-season in regards to critics not giving them respect. Newman finished 2014 second in the championship standings despite not winning a race. Coming into 2015 many analysts predicted that Newman would have another winless-season but this time he would not make the chase. The Daytona 500 was a great chance for Newman to jump out of the gate and silence some of those people but it just didn’t work out that way.

Newman had issues in the Sprint Unlimted and those issues were multiplied when he lost an engine in Daytona 500 practice. Newman had to start at the back of the field and was never a factor in the race where he finished 38th.

For Newman, Atlanta is a breath of fresh air because he certainly doesn’t want to have a repeat of last week. If you’re a fan of the No. 31 you’re probably rooting for a win this weekend. While a win would be nice, you should be happy if you end up with a top-10 after what went down in Daytona.