Newman: Performance will make or break his contract decision with Penske
Ryan Newman, who has won 13 races in his nearly seven-year NASCAR Cup career, says he will need to see improved performance before he will sign a contract extension to continue driving with Penske Racing.
Newman won the Daytona 500 earlier this year, the first Daytona 500 win for the team owned by Roger Penske, but he has had only four top-10 finishes since and sits 17th in points.
“I have an offer, but I told Roger that I’m not in a position to fulfill that yet, depending on our performance,” Newman said while meeting with media in the Daytona area on Tuesday. “The performance of our team and his organization will make or break my position. [Penske] understands the ball’s in my court and why I have that feeling or that mood or that idea. It’s because of our lack of performance.
“There’s opportunities out there, but I have a lot of respect and a lot of loyalty for Roger for what he’s done for me and my career.”
Newman, who has three seasons where he has finished sixth in points, has only two wins since 2005.
“My goal is to be the best driver I can be and get the best results I can be, wherever that is – whether that is Penske Racing or any other place,” said Newman, whose entire Cup career has been spent with the team. “I have to be fair to myself and my long-term goals. Roger knows that. We’ve talked about that.”
They’ve probably talked about how Newman couldn’t build on the Daytona 500 victory.
“It gave us momentum,” Newman said. “That momentum has worn off since. And it’s been due to the fact that we haven’t been able to repeat the performance.”
A combination of unfortunate accidents and engine failures have stymied Newman this year. An engine failure last Sunday was a step in “a bad direction,” Newman said.
“You’ve got Kevin Harvick out there who just broke his own record for most non-DNFs, and we sit here already with two from an engine standpoint this year in 15 races,” Newman said. “It’s just a performance issue. There’s no excuse. If other guys aren’t doing it, then we shouldn’t either.
“We strive to be the best at everything, and we’re failing at that.”
