NASCAR Cup Series: Déjà vu for Ryan Newman at Talladega
By Asher Fair
Twice in the last three seasons, Ryan Newman has lost the lead in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway on the final lap to a Team Penske driver.
On Sunday, October 15, 2017, Richard Childress Racing’s Ryan Newman, just two races removed from the round of 16 playoff race that eliminated him from NASCAR Cup Series championship contention, took the white flag in the round of 12 playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway ahead of Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski in second place.
As Newman, who had led only three laps up until this point, made his way around the four-turn, 2.66-mile (4.281-kilometer) high-banked Talladega Superspeedway oval in Lincoln, Alabama for the 188th and final time, Keselowski crept closer.
As the two drivers made their way off turn four, they were effectively drag racing one another. Keselowski had more momentum, however, and ultimately took the checkered flag just 0.210 seconds ahead of Newman in second place.
Keselowski ended a 24-race win drought, a lengthy win drought by his standards, by winning this race, and he locked himself into the round of 8 of the playoffs as a result of it. Newman’s win drought, meanwhile, climbed to 27 races.
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The 2019 edition of this situation played out nearly the same way.
Ryan Blaney, another Team Penske playoff driver searching for his first win in quite a while, took the white flag, but Newman, using a big push from Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin down the back straightaway, took the lead from Blaney in turn three.
Newman, again just two races removed from the round of 16 playoff race that eliminated him from championship contention, cleared Blaney and had the lead as the two drivers came off of turn four.
But after the two drivers made contact, Blaney ultimately prevailed by just 0.007 seconds over Newman, who again led three laps of the 188-lap race, in second place.
WHAT. A. FINISH. @Blaney edges @RyanJNewman at the line in another unbelievable ＠TalladegaSuperS finish to advance to the Round of 8! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/UH8jBkHsjm
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 14, 2019
Blaney ended a lengthy 37-race win drought by winning this race, and he locked himself into the round of 8 of the playoffs as a result of it. Newman, still on the same win drought he was on two seasons ago, saw this win drought climb to 99 races, and in 36 starts at Talladega Superspeedway, he is still winless, now with two runner-up finishes.
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Twice in the last three NASCAR Cup Series seasons, Ryan Newman has had a chance to end his win drought at Talladega Superspeedway with the checkered flag in sight even after having just been eliminated from the playoffs, and twice, he has been passed by a Team Penske playoff driver as he has approached that checkered flag.
Will Newman ever win another race, and will he ever win at Talladega Superspeedway?