NASCAR Cup Series

Newman's fortunes changed in March at Martinsville

Published Oct. 25, 2009 6:14 a.m. ET

foxsports

When Ryan Newman entered Martinsville in the spring he had just one finish better than 22nd and was outside the top 25 in the point standings.

That weekend marked just the fifth race for the No. 39 Army squad. Newman qualified 27th, but under the direction of crew chief Tony Gibson, the team pulled together and the driver soldiered back to sixth — his second consecutive top-10 finish.

Newman vaulted to 18th in the point standings following Martinsville and continued to move toward Chase contention. The driver admits that March romp played a key role in the development of his team.

"We've had some ups and downs since then," Newman said. "But whether it's your first year together as a team or your first year as a driver or just the first part of the year, it's nice to come back to these racetracks a second time and apply the things that you've learned, where you made your gains and do your homework. Your homework is based off the past problem-solving that you've had."