Ryan Newman doesn’t think he has burned any bridges at Penske Racing, but he says his focus is “100 percent” on staying at Stewart-Haas Racing.
Newman spent seven years racing in the Sprint Cup Series at Penske before heading to SHR. With Penske having released AJ Allmendinger earlier this week, and with Newman unsigned for 2013, Newman’s name has surfaced as a potential candidate—if Penske were interested in having him back.
Newman said Saturday he didn’t think there was a reason that he couldn’t return.
“That’s not the reason we left—to burn a bridge,” Newman said. “The reason we left was to try new things. ... There’s potential for absolutely anything.
“My goal is to stay at Stewart-Haas and keep doing what we’re doing and we’re working on that. I made it a point not to (burn bridges). There were certain people I didn’t get along with, but that’s going to happen wherever you go.”
Newman has several sponsors at SHR and the situation for the No. 39 car has not been solidified for 2013. The U.S. Army will end its 12-race deal after this season. Quicken Loans, which is on the car for nine races, is not signed yet for next year. When the Quicken deal was first signed, the company’s association with the Army was seen as playing a big role.
“(The Army) had a great relationship with Quicken Loans—they had some initiatives they do with the veterans and veterans' loans,” Newman said. “(Quicken Loans) had an opportunity to expand (their sponsorship) and they still may.
“We’re hopeful that we can secure some top sponsorship for the season and Quicken Loans looks to be potentially a big part of that.”
Newman is 14th in the Cup standings and battling for a wild-card berth. He has three wins and two Chase appearances in three-plus years at SHR.
Team co-owner Tony Stewart has said he wants to re-sign Newman. SHR already knows it will field two full-time cars for Stewart and Danica Patrick next year.
“We’re still focused on doing what we’re doing here,” Newman said. “We’ll keep talking and figure it out. ... There’s a lot to be done.”
There’s also a lot to be done on Penske’s side, too, where it needs to find a driver for its No. 22 Cup car for 2013. The driver might want to get the endorsement of current Penske driver Brad Keselowski, who had a strong working relationship with former Penske teammate Kurt Busch as they both made the Chase last year.
Allmendinger was in his first year at Penske but was released after failing a NASCAR drug test.
Keselowski said he has discussed potential replacements for Allmendinger with team owner Roger Penske, “but I can’t tell you if we’ve come up with an answer.”
“The strength of your teammate plays into (your performance),” Keselowski said. “Kurt (Busch) and I last year had a great relationship that showed on-track results. There was a lot of times where I look back at him and think what a good pairing we were together and wish some things would have worked out a little bit differently.
“That is the past and things are where they are. … I hope that we can secure a teammate that is of an elite talent that I can work with.”
Newman spent seven years racing in the Sprint Cup Series at Penske before heading to SHR. With Penske having released AJ Allmendinger earlier this week, and with Newman unsigned for 2013, Newman’s name has surfaced as a potential candidate—if Penske were interested in having him back.
Newman said Saturday he didn’t think there was a reason that he couldn’t return.
“That’s not the reason we left—to burn a bridge,” Newman said. “The reason we left was to try new things. ... There’s potential for absolutely anything.
“My goal is to stay at Stewart-Haas and keep doing what we’re doing and we’re working on that. I made it a point not to (burn bridges). There were certain people I didn’t get along with, but that’s going to happen wherever you go.”
Newman has several sponsors at SHR and the situation for the No. 39 car has not been solidified for 2013. The U.S. Army will end its 12-race deal after this season. Quicken Loans, which is on the car for nine races, is not signed yet for next year. When the Quicken deal was first signed, the company’s association with the Army was seen as playing a big role.
“(The Army) had a great relationship with Quicken Loans—they had some initiatives they do with the veterans and veterans' loans,” Newman said. “(Quicken Loans) had an opportunity to expand (their sponsorship) and they still may.
“We’re hopeful that we can secure some top sponsorship for the season and Quicken Loans looks to be potentially a big part of that.”
Newman is 14th in the Cup standings and battling for a wild-card berth. He has three wins and two Chase appearances in three-plus years at SHR.
Team co-owner Tony Stewart has said he wants to re-sign Newman. SHR already knows it will field two full-time cars for Stewart and Danica Patrick next year.
“We’re still focused on doing what we’re doing here,” Newman said. “We’ll keep talking and figure it out. ... There’s a lot to be done.”
There’s also a lot to be done on Penske’s side, too, where it needs to find a driver for its No. 22 Cup car for 2013. The driver might want to get the endorsement of current Penske driver Brad Keselowski, who had a strong working relationship with former Penske teammate Kurt Busch as they both made the Chase last year.
Allmendinger was in his first year at Penske but was released after failing a NASCAR drug test.
Keselowski said he has discussed potential replacements for Allmendinger with team owner Roger Penske, “but I can’t tell you if we’ve come up with an answer.”
“The strength of your teammate plays into (your performance),” Keselowski said. “Kurt (Busch) and I last year had a great relationship that showed on-track results. There was a lot of times where I look back at him and think what a good pairing we were together and wish some things would have worked out a little bit differently.
“That is the past and things are where they are. … I hope that we can secure a teammate that is of an elite talent that I can work with.”