Ryan Newman looks for Atlanta pole record

Ryan Newman and legend Buddy Baker are tied for the most poles in series history at Atlanta Motor Speedway with seven each.

This weekend, Newman has the chance to claim the record as his own.

“I think it would be even more of an honor if I could pass him and set my own pole record at Atlanta,” Newman said, “just because I know what an incredible driver and teacher Buddy was to me, and I know how long that pole record has stood.”

As the series’ 2002 Raybestos Rookie of the Year, Newman benefitted from Baker’s on-track tutelage. He even named his 2008 Daytona 500-winning car, “Buddy,” after him.

“Buddy and I got to be friends when I starting testing at Penske Racing,” said Newman, now in his first season at Stewart-Haas Racing. “We realized we had a lot in common, and he became a good friend and a great mentor.”

Those lessons rooted very well at Atlanta.

“Honestly, Atlanta was a racetrack that Buddy and I spent a lot of time testing at during the earlier years of my career,” Newman said. “It was a track where he was very good, and I haven’t forgotten anything that he told me about how to get around there. I like Atlanta because it’s a fast track.”