NASCAR Cup Series

Newman honored by tie to Moore

Published Jun. 16, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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Ryan Newman will be racing with a legend this weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

The Stewart-Haas Racing driver will be piloting a car carrying a tribute to both NASCAR Hall of Famer Bud Moore and the U.S. Army’s 236th birthday. The paint scheme will feature an old military photo of Moore, a World War II veteran, on its quarterpanels.

Newman, who is 10th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, will also be celebrating his first Father’s Day as a dad. So it’s shaping up to be a special weekend all around for him.

“It's special for a lot of reasons, and I've always considered it home,” the Indiana native says of the track. “It's one of the first places I ever came and saw a NASCAR Sprint Cup race and as a fan, and just kind of like coming back home for me.

“So mix in having U.S. Army on the race car, their birthday, 236 years strong, the cool factor of having Bud Moore on the race car ... the decorated veteran that he was and is, just being Father's Day ... I look forward to it. I hope the race car is as fast as all of the hype we have built up into it.”

Newman admits that he had never met Moore until this opportunity came up. Moore was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame this year as part of the second class to enter it. A championship car owner, he’s also a decorated war veteran whose medals are now on display at the hall.

Newman said that he was honored to meet Moore, especially after becoming more familiar with his military career. But that was only one part of what inspired Newman's appreciation for the veteran.

And only part of the reason he will enjoy showcasing Moore once more this weekend.

“The other part of it is the NASCAR side of things, and you know, what he's done for our sport, the innovations he's made, the things he's accomplished, and mixing those two things together, that's why it's an honor for me to represent him,” Newman said. “And then talking about guys like Dale Inman (who is being inducted next January), that I've got a chance to meet, obviously in the Hall of Fame, these are great, genuine men who have meant a lot and done a lot and some have started out with very little.

“(I’m) just proud to represent and proud to -- and it's an honor for me to represent the Army, and then you add in a soldier like Bud Moore and NASCAR pioneer, that's even cooler.”
 

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