|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Previous Issues > January 2007 > What's It Like To BE... > What's It Like To BE.... A Race Car Driver?
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
 What's It Like To BE...
What's It Like To Be.... A Race Car Driver?
This month Kidsville News was lucky to get an interview with Ryan Newman, race car driver in the NASCAR Cup Series. He drives the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger for Penske Racing. In addition to his exciting job as a race car driver, Ryan is an animal lover and has four dogs. In fact, he and his wife created the Ryan Newman Foundation to help educate and encourage people to spay/neuter their pets and to adopt dogs and cats from animal shelters. The foundation also helps educate people about the importance of conservation so the beauty of the great outdoors can be appreciated by future generations.
 TRUMAN: What does it take to become a race car driver?
RYAN: Becoming a race car driver is the same as it is in any sport; you have to practice for a very long time to get to the highest level. I started racing when I was just four years old. It took me 20 years of racing to get to the Cup Series, but you have to work your way up to this level.
TRUMAN: When and why did you become interested in racing?
RYAN: My dad had been a racer when he was younger, and so he introduced me to the sport when I was a kid. My sister was also a racer when she was younger. I was about four years old when my dad first introduced me to racing. I ran my first competitive race in 1981. When I was in grade school, I played basketball, but I didnt really like any of the other sports. I just wanted to race.
TRUMAN: What do you do on a typical day?
RYAN: Monday through Thursday, my days consist of doing interviews or appearances and going in to the Penske shop to sign autographs for fans and meeting with my team members to work on the cars.
Thursday afternoon is when we typically travel to the race track. Friday I usually have practice and then qualifying. Sometimes Ill have interviews at the track and maybe a sponsor appearance in town later that night. Saturday consists of two practices in the morning, and then I have the rest of the day off. Sometimes Ill have an interview or two, but then I will try to go fishing around the track with my wife, Krissie, or some of the crew. Sunday is race day, and I almost always have sponsor appearances in the morning. These appearances usually consist of 15 minutes of talking with the guests and maybe signing a few autographs. When I get into the garage, I have a few minutes before I go to the drivers meeting. This meeting is important. If my crew chief or I miss it, then we get sent to the back of the field to start the race. An hour before the race, my whole team gets together to go over our strategy for the day, and during this meeting, I stretch out to get ready for the race. After the meeting, its time for me to go to driver intros where an announcer calls out every driver in the order that they start from last to first and sometimes, well ride around in the track waving to fans in a car or truck. As soon as were done with intros, its time to start the race. When the race is over, the team boards the plane and heads back home on Sunday night. 
TRUMAN: Whats the hardest part of your job?
RYAN: The hardest part would be the physical aspect. You have to be in good shape and be able to last in the car for three or four hours straight. Drivers can get very dehydrated if they dont drink enough before and during the race. I stretch before the races so that I can be comfortable while Im inside the car. If youre not, you can cramp up, and it can get very uncomfortable and very tough for a driver to run the entire race.
TRUMAN: Is your job scary? I know it can be dangerous. Are you ever afraid when you are driving at such fast speeds?
RYAN: There are definitely parts of my job that can be scary. Sometimes the car will flip over, and you cant do anything but wait for it to stop and hope that it doesnt flip too hard or land in such a way that you cant get out of the car quickly. Another fear for most drivers is fire. I had an accident earlier this year in Watkins Glen where my engine exploded, and there were flames surrounding my car. Luckily, the flames didnt get into the car, and it looked worse than it was.Im not afraid of driving at the fast speeds, and you really cant be if youre going to drive a race car. The whole point of being in the car is to drive faster than everyone else. The rush of adrenaline that you get from driving so fast is what keeps the drivers coming back each and every week. You cant get that kind of thrill out on the streets, and NASCAR and the teams have done such a great job making sure that the drivers are safe that I know if I am in an accident, Ill be a lot better off on the race track than if I were on the street where I dont have quite as much protection.
TRUMAN: Whats the best part?
RYAN: The best part is getting to drive the race car. Thats what Ive wanted to do my entire life, and I get the chance to drive at the top level of racing every weekend. For me, there isnt any better job than being a race car driver.
TRUMAN: What are your favorite hobbies?
RYAN: My favorite hobbies are fishing and collecting classic cars. I started fishing when I was real young, and if I hadnt been a race car driver, I probably wouldve been a pro fisherman. I have a nice-sized pond on my property which enables me to go fishing just about anytime I want to. At most of the tracks, I have found some nice ponds to go to during my down time while Im away from home. Sometimes Ill go with family, crew members or even just by myself. Being out on a pond or a lake and spending a few hours fishing is exactly what I need to relax during NASCARs long season.
TRUMAN: I understand that you really love animals. What kind of animals do you have? Why are they important to you?
RYAN: Krissie and I have four dogs, all rescued. We have Digger, Mopar, Harley and Socks. Socks actually has a sister named Panda that Krissies parents took in. Animals are very important to us. We believe in keeping the overpopulation of cats and dogs down by emphasizing the need to spay/neuter your animals. Too many cats and dogs are born to people who dont want to take care of them, and then they either leave them on the streets to fend for themselves and risk getting hurt with no one to help them, or they put them in overcrowded humane societies that dont have the capacity or the means to support all of them. Part of the goals of the Ryan Newman Foundation, which Krissie and I started in January 2005, is to educate people on their responsibility to help stop the overpopulation in our country. Its important that animals get to be part of a loving home with people who want to take care of the animals as much as the animals want to love their people. There are so many animals living in humane societies and animal shelters today that would love to be part of someones home.
TRUMAN: What kind of advice would you give to kids who are interested in
becoming a race car driver?
RYAN: The most important advice is to practice; get in a car early and start
driving, whether its go-karts, sprint cars, midgets or another type of car. You should know how the cars work, too. Its important that kids work on their own cars and know the basics of whats going on so they can better explain to their crew chiefs and teams what is happening during practices and races. My parents were very big on me getting a college education, so I got a degree in vehicle structural engineering. That helps me a lot in my profession because I learned all about how cars work.
TRUMAN: Thanks for telling us about what its like to be a race car driver,
and good luck at the races! (For more information about Ryan Newman or his foundation, visit www.ryannewmanfoundation.org or www.penskeracing.com.)
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
