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bob jennings' WORLD O' RACING  07/23/2000

In memory of Kenny Irwin, in praise of Ryan Newman

Ricky Shelton (car 90) and Ryan Newman (car 39) during the USAC Midget feature at Salem Speedway on June 20, 1999

 Bob Jennings

I wasn't going to USAC races when Kenny Irwin was a regular competitor before he graduated to NASCAR but I'm familiar with his successes. I wish I'd seen him race in USAC more. I also wish he would've been snapped up by the Indy Racing League because I believe that's where he belonged. Kenny would've been good for the IRL and I think the IRL would've been good for him. I don't think his NASCAR career was going anywhere, at least not where Kenny hoped it would go when he was picked to replace Ernie Irvan in the Robert Yates Texaco number 28 for the 1998 season. Perhaps Irwin would've found his way to Indy racing over the next few seasons. I wish it had happened.

I feel bad about Kenny Irwin's death at New Hampshire International Speedway. That he was a native son of Indianapolis makes his passing even worse. I read in The Indianapolis Star about local reaction to Irwin's death and it was widespread in the Indianapolis racing community.  Among those attending the funeral service on July 12 at the Abundant Life Church on the far northeast side of Indianapolis were Tony George and Tony Stewart.

I don't think it's necessarily accurate to criticize the safety of turn three at NHIS any more than it is to question whether NASCAR is doing enough to protect its drivers. The truth is there've been more drivers killed in NASCAR over the past decade than in any other major form of motor sports however. The truth is also that in less than two months Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin have been killed hitting the same wall in turn three on the New Hampshire mile. It makes you wonder doesn't it?

When I think about USAC competition in the years since the sanctioning body lost Indy car racing to CART in 1979 and began to focus on its other divisions the name that most readily comes to mind is Rich Vogler. Somewhere in there Kenny Schrader flashes in my memory. Mel Kenyon, Sleepy Tripp, Steve Butler, Stan Fox, Jack Hewitt, Robbie Stanley, P.J. Jones, Eric Gordon and Stevie Reeves come next and I think about them because I remember watching races on USAC Thunder telecasts on ESPN and ESPN2 when they were competing. Next comes Jeff Gordon who sort of epitomizes the motto that USAC uses to define its racing competition "the starting line for champions." After that I recall the group headed by Mike Bliss, Doug Kalitta, Dan Drinan, Tony Stewart and Kenny Irwin. Donnie Beechler and Andy Michner are other drivers from that period I remember. I also think about Billy Boat who did most of his USAC racing in west coast competition during the same period with a lot of success.

Kenny Irwin joined USAC in 1991 just as Jeff Gordon was moving to the NASCAR Busch series. Kenny had four career feature wins in the Silver Crown cars finishing second in the 1996 season standings. He had seven feature wins in USAC Sprint cars. He won eight features in the USAC Midgets and was the 1996 series champion.

One of my vivid memories of Kenny Irwin came in the 1996 "Hut Hundred" midget race at the Terre Haute Action Track, which I was watching on one of the ESPN USAC Thunder telecasts. Kenny was the full time driver in Steve Lewis' Beast number 9. Tony Stewart who had begun his three-year run in the Indy Racing League was a part time driver in the other Lewis car when his schedule permitted. Stewart and Irwin were battling for the lead about halfway through the event when the TV cameras panned to turn two where Irwin's number 9 and Stewart's number 91 had run into one another while fighting for the lead. Both cars were out of the race. I bet that pissed off both Steve Lewis and Bob East.

Another vivid Kenny Irwin memory came at Indianapolis Raceway Park in May 1997 during a 100-lap USAC Silver Crown race that I was watching on ESPN. Irwin and Mike Bliss were having a intense battle for the lead. As the two cars came off the final corner Bliss completed an outside "slide job" around Kenny and beat Irwin to the finish line to win.  

Irwin went to the NASCAR Craftsmen Truck Series in 1997 and had two wins on the way to being named the series rookie of the year. In August 1997 it was announced that Kenny would be driving the legendary Robert Yates Texaco 28 car made famous by the late Davey Allison during "Brickyard 400" weekend. Irwin made an impressive Winston Cup debut at Richmond in September 1997 qualifying second on the grid in a Ford supported by the Yates team. He made four Winston Cup starts in 1997 with one top ten finish.

Irwin's rookie season in Winston Cup was a mixed bag. Kenny was named the Rookie of the Year although he only finished in position 28 in the 1998 points. He had one top five finish and won pole position for the season's final event at Atlanta Motor Speedway. I think there was some disappointment however that Irwin wasn't more competitive in one of racing's high profile rides.

The Winston Cup race for which I most remember Kenny Irwin was the 1999 "Daytona 500." Irwin was running strong and finished a close third to winner Jeff Gordon and second place Dale Earnhardt. Unfortunately the rest of the 1999 season didn't go as well. Kenny had two top five and a total of six top ten finishes, finishing nineteenth in the season standings.

Perhaps the most notable happening in Irwin's 1999 season other than being fired by Robert Yates came at Martinsville on October 3. He and longtime rival and nemesis Tony Stewart had what must've been one of many such incidents between the two drivers throughout their years of racing together. They bumped into each other three times I believe. I think Stewart did the bumping the first couple times and Tony said later he didn't mean to bump Irwin. Apparently Kenny felt he'd had enough and gave Stewart a good swift kick in the ass relatively speaking. The move spun Stewart's Home Depot number 20 around and brought on one of Tony's periodic displays of public temper as he threw a heat shield at Irwin's car 28 as it passed by under yellow. Then Stewart who had just won his first Winston Cup race three weeks earlier put his multi-million dollar butt in jeopardy by actually trying to jump in Irwin's car. Tony that was pretty stupid!

Irwin joined the Felix Sabates Sabco Racing team for the 2000 season replacing Joe Nemechek in the number 42 BellSouth Chevrolet. In his 17 starts he had one top five finish. Chip Ganassi has acquired majority interest in Sabco. Recently he indicated a shakeup was a possibility and there was speculation that Kenny's ride might be in jeopardy for 2000.

Kenny Irwin continued to run USAC events when his NASCAR schedule permitted. Irwin loved the Coors Light Silver Bullet (Silver Crown) cars. I watched ESPN telecast of the Silver Crown race at Gateway International Raceway held on July 30, 1999. Irwin and Ryan Newman put on a classic contest for 80 laps around Gateway. After Jason Leffler led the first five laps Newman and Irwin driving Johnny Vance's Aristocrat Raybestos number 2 took over. Newman's white and orange number 14 M&L Plumbing/Welsch Heating & Air Conditioner/VHT car led the next two laps. Irwin led lap nine. Ryan led laps 10 and 11. Kenny led 12 and 15. Newman and Irwin would exchange the lead nine more times before Ryan beat Kenny to the checkered flag.

What does his two and one half seasons in Winston Cup say about Kenny Irwin's talent as a racing driver? Does it mean that because he wasn't successful in one of NASCAR's premier racing cars he wasn't good enough for NASCAR? That's not my take. I believe that open wheel racers are likely more talented than their stock car counterparts. One only has to look at how well Jeff Gordon and recently Tony Stewart have been doing in Winston Cup to understand my point. After a few IROC races Eddie Cheever figured out how to beat the NASCAR boys at their own game. NASCAR veteran Ricky Rudd isn't exactly setting the world on fire so far in the Texaco 28 either.

Perhaps Irwin lacked some of the maturity and commitment it takes to succeed in the high-powered commercial world that Winston Cup has become. I've heard that during Irwin's rookie season Robert Yates personally retrieved Kenny from taverns, where he was hanging out the way young men like to do. But Kenny Irwin was a good racer. I think his big successes were still ahead.

After winning the Winston Cup race at New Hampshire International Raceway two days after Irwin's death Tony Stewart dedicated his win to Kenny, calling him the toughest driver "race in - race out" that he ever competed against. The two Indiana boys Stewart and Irwin had a long history much like that shared by Al Unser Jr. and Michael Andretti. I'm sad that Kenny Irwin left us before reaching his potential.

This brings me to the current list of prominent USAC drivers from the past few seasons. With the exception of Tony Stewart I'm most familiar with this group because I've been going to USAC events on a regular basis. Jason Leffler, Ryan Newman, Tracy Hines, Dave Steele, Dave Darland, and Tony Elliott have been the most successful since Tony Stewart moved up to the Indy Racing League and then NASCAR.

I paid more attention to USAC competition in 1999 than anything but the "Indianapolis 500" and the Indy Racing League. In my mind Newman was the "main man" in USAC last season. He was the USAC "Silver Bullet" (Silver Crown) champion. He also won a lot of USAC midget races and was a winner in the USAC sprints too. It seems like at many of the races he was the guy I was watching the most.

I became aware of Ryan Newman watching the ESPN Thunder shows, on the floor with my back against the couch in my little Chicago apartment, wishing I was at Indianapolis Raceway Park or wherever the USAC telecast was coming from.  Ryan was a teenage boy then with acne on his face and dad, mom and sister close by. I can't tell you which year or where they were racing and I think Newman was something like 16. Anyway I remember Ryan winning what I believe was his first USAC Midget feature in a white car sponsored by LCI communications which used to sponsor Steve Horne's Tasman team in CART.

Now a few years later Newman has either graduated from Purdue University or will be starting his senior year this fall. His physical appearance has changed. Ryan is a stocky Indiana (South Bend) guy wearing one of the short 1950's style haircuts that are so popular with today's youth. Dad, mom and sister are still close by whenever he races however.

During the 1999 season Ryan Newman and Jason Leffler had an intense rivalry going in the USAC Midgets. Leffler was driving the Steve Lewis Beast number 9 following in the footsteps of Tony Stewart and Kenny Irwin. I can't tell you for sure because the USAC website doesn't carry statistics but I believe Leffler has won the three most recent USAC Midget titles. In 1999 Jason won six midget features, while Newman also won six USAC features in the C.E. Lewis Drinan number 39. Leffler and Newman each won two USAC Silver Crown features last season. Where Jason has an advantage over Ryan is that he likes to run the dirt tracks. Newman tends to do most of his racing on pavement. It should be pointed out however that Leffler stays away from the USAC Sprints while Ryan was a regular competitor at the pavement shows in that series and won a USAC sprint feature at Winchester in August.

Newman beat Leffler in the prestigious "Night before the "500" feature at Indianapolis Raceway Park on May 29. These two youngsters are both extraordinary and were about as equally matched as two drivers could be in a midget racer. When Jason Leffler is on he's nearly unbeatable and he may be the more aggressive of the two. Newman seems to be smoother and his approach to racing is reminiscent of Rick Mears. Ryan sometimes seems more mature than Leffler and I've seen him force Jason into mistakes a couple times.

I saw Newman and Leffler put on a fierce "dogfight" at IRP in person last August 18 in a USAC Midget feature. It was a balmy mid-August night with clouds gathering overhead and a warm wind blowing that promised thunderstorms before morning. I like the feeling I always get as I walk from my car to the track for a night race. It's a similar feeling whether it comes at Anderson Speedway or Indianapolis Raceway Park, sort of a Hoosier feeling. That always makes me happy to be in Indiana.

Jerry Coons Jr. led the first lap of the 40-lap feature at IRP before being passed by Sarah Fisher who led through the fourth lap. Then Newman took over the lead and stayed in front until Leffler passed him on lap 11. Jason proceeded to pull out a substantial lead until the yellow came out for a multi-car crash in turn one. After the restart with his tires cooled during the laps under the yellow Ryan came back at Leffler and regained the lead on lap 29. Jason tried to resume the fight but Newman had pulled away and maintained the lead to the checkered flag.  

Man I want Ryan Newman in the Indy Racing League so bad I can hardly stand it! He's the most exciting USAC'er since Tony Stewart in my opinion and he's obviously one of my current favorites. Perhaps Newman may be Rick Mears all over again. Maybe that's why Roger Penske signed Newman to a contract earlier this summer. Ryan wants to go stock car racing and Penske has him running the ARCA series under the tutelage of Penske's NASCAR consultant Buddy Baker. Baker has praised Newman enthusiastically just as he did when Tony Stewart began running the Busch series full time in 1998.

However who knows? Maybe this is just a ploy and crafty old Roger Penske will put Ryan Newman into one of his Indy Racing League cars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next May. Hell, Ryan would have to be a better choice than Gil de Ferran. I mean let's be real. That would be terrific and it might lessen the contempt I've been feeling for the old "Captain" in recent years. I even admit to feeling a slight appreciation that Penske's United Auto Group put up the money for Jason Leffler to run in one of Fred Treadway's cars in this year's "Indianapolis 500." I guess none of us are all bad.

Ryan Newman and Dave Darland are the only drivers to win a feature in each of the three major USAC series in 1999, pretty impressive accomplishments for both drivers in such a competitive environment as USAC. Neither Newman nor Darland pulled a "Tony Stewart," which is what I call the USAC triple that Stewart pulled in 1995 when he became the first driver in history to win the Silver Crown, Sprint and Midget titles in the same season. Both Ryan and Dave were among the guys to beat each time they came to a USAC event last year however.