Ryan Newman has an agreement to revisit his latest contract offer with team owner Roger Penske after an undisclosed deadline, but said he will not return to his current NASCAR Sprint Cup team unless his No. 12 Dodge program shows significant improvement soon.
Newman’s season has been mostly a disappointment after he opened with a victory in the 50th Daytona 500. He’s 17th in points with five top-10s but four finishes of 30th or worse, two because of engine failures.
“It’s a performance issue,” Newman, 30, said. “There’s no excuse. The other guys aren’t doing it. We shouldn’t either. We strive to be the best at everything, and we’re failing at that.”
“Heck yeah,” said Newman, who has won 13 Cup races, eight in 2003 when he finished his career-best of sixth in for the second of three times. “Without a doubt. My goal is to be the best driver I can be and get the best results, wherever that is, whether it’s Penske Racing or any other place. I have to be fair to myself and my long-term goals and everything else, and Roger knows that. We’ve talked about that. It’s no secret. Sunday was obviously a step in a bad direction when it came to that.”
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