Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch Will Be Just Fine

From the moment it was officially announced that Kurt Busch would be taking over Rusty Wallace's legendary ride at Penske Racing in 2006, cynics have had a field day projecting the disastrous future relationship between Busch and current Penske driver Ryan Newman.

By now, everyone is aware of the hostility that existed for years at the Penske shop between Newman and Wallace. The generation gap mixed in with the completely different driving styles and philosophies put a strain on the relationship long before the memorable incident at Martinsville in the fall of 2004. Oh yeah, I think the three-letter word ego had a little to do with it as well. Newman has taken most of the criticism as he has been described as arrogant, self-centered, and disrespectful to verterans. But does Newman really fit into to those descriptions? Was he really the only one to blame?
Obviously not considering that it typically takes two to tango. It's been noted that Wallace used to share Penske team secrets to other drivers on other teams. There may not be anything particularly wrong with that, but for Newman and crew chief Matt Borland, they preferred to keep team secrets in-house.

History has shown that Wallace has had a pattern of sour relationships with teammates.

Once upon a time, Jeremy Mayfield was the young gun at Penske Racing. Right from the very beginning Mayfield and Wallace were at odds. They had different driving styles and eventually the two teams became completely isolated from each other right up until Mayfield's abrupt departure in the fall of 2001.

While Newman's public image has been scrutinized, Kurt Busch and positive image go together about as well as vinegar and an open wound. Busch became depicted as an arrogant punk almost immediately after breaking into the Nextel Cup scene in 2001. Memorable run-ins with Jimmy Spencer, Robby Gordon, Kevin Harvick, and even his own teammate Greg Biffle have soured his public appeal. After winning his first Nextel Cup championship, Busch tried to repair his broken image, but that effort was flushed down the toilet when he cursed NASCAR officials at Darlington, bumped into a member of the media at Charlotte, brusquely revealing his intentions of breaking his contract with Roush Racing, and of course, taunting the Maricopa County cops in Phoenix after being pulled over and ordered to take a sobriety test.

Because the two young guns have been heavily criticized and labeled as smug, fans and members of the media have written off any chance of a successful collaboration, one that would be similar to the Jeff Gordon/Jimmie Johnson combination at Hendrick Motorsports.

After the 2005 season ended, Roger Penske promptly took major steps in ensuring a positive alliance between Newman and Busch starting with the leaders of the #2 team. He replaced Wallace's former crew chief Larry Carter team with engineering guru Roy McCauley who spent time as Newman's crew chief in Busch Series. McCauley's engineering background should initiate the allocation of ideas with Newman and Borland. Because of this alone, the #2 and the #12 teams will work a lot closer.

Newman and Busch are reasonably close in age as only a mere seven months separate their birthdays. A generation gap will not exist and the two should have more in common.

As many skeptics expect for Newman and Busch to regularly quarrel, I expect them to become a deadly duo at Penske Racing, especially once the aero problems with the Dodge Charger have been mended.