Will last season's runner-up find Victory Lane in 2015?
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Team: Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet
Rank in final 2014 standings: Second
Wins: 0
Year in photos: Recap Newman's 2014 season
Strides: Ryan Newman didn't win a race for the first time in five years but his runner-up finish in the Sprint Cup Series championship was a career highlight. In fact, Newman had fewer top-fives [five] and top-10s [16] than the previous season yet his consistency and perseverance landed him a shot at the big trophy. He had six top-10s in the 10 Chase races, counting an 18th-place result as his worst finish in that span.
A dramatic runner-up finish to Kevin Harvick in the Homestead season finale meant he fell a mere 1-point shy from claiming his first Sprint Cup championship.
Setbacks: Newman was NASCAR's poster child for the power of consistency in a season when wins were everything. Still, Newman realizes the necessity for a trip to Victory Lane. His runner-up finish at Homestead was as close as he came to winning in his first year with RCR and the team will need to raise the bar in 2015. Considering what they accomplished without hoisting any hardware, a victory could be the championship difference for the 13-year veteran.
Quoteworthy: "It's like caramel corn, I guess. It's a little bit salty and a little bit sweet," -- Newman said of championship runner-up effort in 2014.
What's Next: Arguably, Newman went about his championship bid the hard way – relying on consistency and good points days instead of advancing via victory. A numbers guy and with an engineering degree from Purdue University, Newman was able to earn his shot at a title the old-fashioned way -- math.
But let's not forget Newman knows how to win and is a former Daytona 500 (2008) and Brickyard 400 (2013) winner; however his lowly 41 laps led in 2014 could be improved upon and the security of an notching an early-season win would go a long way toward easing another championship run.
"We all want to win and winning means a lot in a number of facets. … but in the end, the math was there [for us]," Newman said after the season.
"I'm happy with what we achieved. I'm disappointed by how close we were but if we were one point, two points or 20 points it wouldn't have mattered. You want to finish first. But we have the ability and the opportunity to try again next year."
Certainly good chemistry between Newman and crew chief Luke Lambert contributed to the immediate success in his first year with the team and that bodes well for the future too.