Ryan Newman surprises everyone

The weekend of Nascar Sprint Cup Series in Phoenix was definitely surprising from start to finish. First, on Friday, it was AJ Allmendinger who stood out by snatching pole position against the big names in the discipline. And, at the end of the race, even surprise, it was Ryan Newman who stood out, winning the race ahead of the multiple champions of the discipline, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

The pilot of the Stewart-Haas Racing took the lead after a final restart, two laps from the finish, holding on to Jeff Gordon. Newman thus won his first victory since the Daytona 500 at the start of the 2008 season. He was then riding for the Penske team. Phoenix's victory is therefore his first success at the wheel of the No. 39 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet.

« We worked so hard to finally be in the winner's circle, emphasizes Newman. It?s been a long time coming for me too. It?s so good to go under the flag in the lead. The whole team did a good job, we arrived united. Tony Gibson (his crew chief, editor's note) also did a good job even if he wanted to pass me four tires. I only wanted to have two new tires, to keep a good position on the track. Especially since the track was getting colder and there was more grip with two new tires. I held my line, I kept everyone behind me, so it was a good decision. »