Ryan Joseph Newman (born December 8, 1977 in South
Bend, Indiana) is a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series. He drives the #12 Alltel/Mobil 1/Kodak Dodge
Charger for Penske Racing. Newman graduated from
Purdue University in 2001 with a B.S. in vehicle
structure engineering. In 2002, he was the Raybestos
Rookie of the Year.
He enjoys fishing and working on vintage
automobiles, particularly 1950s Chryslers. Newman's
car was featured on the cover of the 2005 EA Sports
computer game NASCAR SimRacing, and he was actively
involved in its development.
Newman won the Daytona 500 on February 17, 2008,
after passing Tony Stewart on the final lap. It was
his first win since September 2005.
