Family Guy tackles Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR needed a feel-good story to emerge from Sunday's 50th Daytona 500, and while it may not have gotten its first choice – that being fan-favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. finding his way to victory lane – Ryan Newman winning might be a better story.

When the South Bend, Ind., native crossed the finish line first, he capped a story line that wasn't just about a good driver winning the biggest race in the sport. It was about an all-American kid, who grew up in the heartland, doing good.

Newman comes from a blue-collar, tight-knit, hard-working family. He's a loving husband, a doting son. Heck, in his spare time, he's even an advocate for pets.

How much more apple pie can you get?

Newman was just what the Daytona 500 needed as it celebrated its 50th anniversary: The Great American Race was won by a great American driver in true American fashion.

The underdog did it.

When Newman climbed out of his Penske Racing Dodge, there were almost as many tears flowing as there was celebratory champagne. But those tears weren't just about winning a race. They were about a team overcoming adversity and misfortune, both on and off the racetrack.

They were tears of thankfulness for crew chief Roy McCauley's wife, Amy, who's on the winning end of a yearlong battle with cancer. Ironically, it was one year ago Sunday that Amy was diagnosed.

They were tears of vindication for Newman's parents, working-class folks who not only scrimped and saved to send their son to Purdue University to become a structural engineer but also found a little extra cash to help him pursue his racing dreams.

They were the tears of relief from Newman's wife, Krissie, who was her husband's rock during the most trying period of his stock car racing career. After 81 races without a win – dating back to 2005 – her husband hadn't just broken the streak; he had won the Daytona 500.

After winning the biggest race in his world, all along thanking teammate Kurt Busch for pushing him past Tony Stewart for the win, McCauley for a great car and the Penske organization for their hard work, Newman kept going back to one subject over and over: family.

With just about every ounce of attention last year focused on the family feud between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and stepmother Teresa Earnhardt, Newman was a breath of fresh air Sunday, not only for the way he won but also for celebrating his roots.

Newman couldn't stop talking about his father, who serves as his spotter and was sobbing on the final lap over the radio as his son streaked across the finish line.

"When I was in victory lane, he just told me he loved me, was proud of me, and I gave (the love) right back to him," Newman said. "He was extremely emotional. We gave each other a big hug."

And he praised his mother for being back home in Indiana, rather than here in Daytona to watch a car race.

"She had just spent some time with some friends out in Phoenix; one of our neighbor's husband passed away," Newman said. "She did the right thing, spent some time with her. She's been traveling a lot and had the opportunity to stay home and visit with my sister and her two grandbabies."

Newman then joked about how he eventually had to hang up on his mother because she was screaming so much.

"She was an absolute mess," Newman said. "She was bawling. I had to talk to her later because I couldn't understand a word she was saying."

The other woman in his life, Krissie, was there, overwhelmed by what was happening. And so were his grandparents, beaming with pride in the stands.

The joy comes from something they all know, that Ryan Newman is a very good race car driver who has struggled through a tough stretch. Five years ago, he won eight races in a sophomore season that built some big expectations.

But as the winless streak kept growing, doubt started to creep in, maybe not in Newman's inner circle but certainly within the critics, who began to wonder what had happened to the Rocket Man.

Coming into this season, many of those critics expected big things from Newman, predicting him to be the "comeback driver of the year."

Newman did, too. He finally had under him cars he was confident in, cars that were capable of winning.

Still, though, he had to win because the doubts would be there as long as the winless streak was, too.

So after finally putting the streak to bed, Newman only could sit there and thank those who never wavered in their support. Winning the biggest race in NASCAR, that's how he repaid them.

And in so doing, Newman proved one of sport's oldest adages totally wrong: Nice guys don't always have to finish last.

How could you not be happy for a story like that?