Ryan Newman may seem a little blue this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That is because the driver of the Stewart Hass Racing No. 39 Chevrolet will be driving a paint scheme for the new movie Smurfs 2.
Quicken Loans and Sony Pictures Entertainment have partnered this weekend to share time on Newman’s race car at the 103 year old Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“It’s a unique racetrack. We all know that. It’s a lot of fun, especially when you’re up front. It seems like the straightaways go on forever and you can just sit there and relax and drive the racecar. The racetrack is really fun to drive. It’s one of the hardest tracks to race, which is why some people love it and some people hate it. It’s really a deal where, if you have a fast racecar, you will have fun.” Newman said in a press release.
Though he cautioned about the difficulty of passing at the flat track.
“If your car isn’t fast, it’s going to be a miserable day. It is so difficult to pass there. Track position is so important. But for me, I think racing at Indianapolis is just about the history of the track. The history of all auto racing at that facility and around there. Growing up in Indiana and being an open-wheel driver, I got to spend a lot of time around the Speedway and competing there and knowing the history of people like A.J. Foyt, Mel Kenyon and all the greats who have raced there. Just to know my tire tracks are in theirs, that’s cool. That’s what makes it special.”
Currently 19th in points, Newman enters Indy 36 points behind the 10th and final guaranteed spot in the 12-driver, 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Newman’s best finish at Indianapolis was a second place run in 2003. He finished 11th at the 2.5 mile track last season.
