He's a Hoosier on Goodyears, hoping to add his name to those of Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon as Indiana's foremost exports to success on the Winston Cup circuit.

And while he may be a rookie in his first full season on the tour, Ryan Newman's roots to NASCAR go back even further than the time he's been on this earth. You might say his actual NASCAR "career" began back before he was born, and he has parents Greg and Diane to thank for that.

	Newman is a Rookie of the Year favorite.

"My parents have always been fans of racing," Newman said this week while preparing for this Sunday's MBNA America 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. "In fact, they went to Darlington for their honeymoon in 1975. Racing's obviously pretty deep in our blood."

From his start in quarter-midget cars as a 4½-year-old, Newman has steadily built an impressive career in various forms of racing. Now he's standing at the base of the most successful form of motorsport in the country, and is quickly putting his mark in stock-car racing's major league.

Newman, driver of the No. 12 Ford and teammate of former Winston Cup champ Rusty Wallace, has jumped out to a quick start this season in the chase for Rookie of the Year honors. He also has suddenly become a viable contender for the Winston Cup championship.

"Having Ryan and his guys there as teammates, that's really been a neat deal," Wallace said. "They've been a pleasure to work with. Those guys have gone out there and put some big numbers on the board so far this year and I'm really proud to call them my teammates."

Newman enters this weekend's race in second in the points, based on finishes in this season's first three races of seventh, 14th and fourth at Daytona, Rockingham and Las Vegas, respectively. While Newman's sudden success has taken some by surprise, it's not by accident, says the 24-year-old native of South Bend, Ind.

"No, I'm not really surprised at our success so far this season, not really," Newman said. "Even before the green flag ever dropped at Daytona, I told everybody that we were capable of winning poles and winning races and being in the top-10 and finishing in the top-10 of the Winston Cup points. We qualified second at Las Vegas and finished fourth, so that's pretty close, and we're sitting now second in the points, so we've met our goal there so far. If I didn't think we were capable of it, yes, I'd be surprised. But I think that we are and I'm happy that we are."

Newman isn't the only one who is taking his success in stride.

"We all knew Ryan had a lot to put on the table," said Newman's crew chief, Matt Borland. "That first year he showed a lot in ARCA, but last year (one pole and top top-5 finishes in seven Cup starts, the most allowed in one season before losing rookie status) he showed us he could compete on the highest level.

"He showed everyone he could be the best on any given day and that is even prior to his rookie season. Everything we as a team thought of him, he's been able to back up on the track for everyone else to see. We're amazed at what he is capable of doing with a race car."

Added legendary team owner Roger Penske, "Ryan's an extremely talented young man. I think he showed everybody last year that he can come out fighting, and that's what we expect of him."

With a degree in vehicular engineering from Purdue University, Newman not only drives smart, he's smart when it comes to understanding aerodynamics and how it affects his car. While other drivers have a hard time explaining even the most basic working elements of a stock-car, Newman can produce a verbal thesis on why his car is loose or tight, why it's doing this and not doing that, and be able to give engineers and Borland valuable input on how to improve the setup.

That verbiage is then translated into results, and usually good ones at that.

"We've jelled a lot as a team in terms of chemistry and with the engineering background," Newman said. "Throughout the last two years that we've been together, we've learned, we've designed setups I like, built cars that are comfortable for me, and I think all those things are showing up at the start this year.

"That's one of the pieces of the puzzle, having the driver comfortable and the crew comfortable and everybody being able to understand each other. It's just good to have a situation like we have right now. I don't want to be blind to the fact that this week or next that we could get spun out or blow a tire or whatever and all this could go away. At the same time, the team deserves the credit for the position we're in right now."

Comparisons have come quickly for Newman, particularly with fellow Hoosiers Stewart and Gordon. While the South is known as Winston Cup's breeding ground, Indiana has quickly become just as vital in producing winners.

"Jeff and Tony and I were all Silver Crown champions, but at the same time I don't necessarily want to mold myself into being like somebody else," Newman said. "It's good to have somebody like that that has broken the path, whether it's Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kenny Schrader or Tim Richmond or whatever, from the open wheel and midget cars to stock cars. It's more important for me to focus on what my goals are and what I need to do as a driver and a teammate.

"Guys like Tony, Jeff and myself, we grew up racing hard in short races, as hard as we could on dirt and pavement, sliding cars around and trying to be smooth in the cars at the same time. We've grown in basically every condition, and that means a lot when it comes to being able to control the race car, hold it to the limit and having the versatility being able to go from racetrack to racetrack.

"I get a little bit of harassment about being from Indiana and not being an Indy car driver, but I don't really care about that. I've thought about it, but it's not what I've wanted to do or what I've ever focused on. I've always focused on being a stock-car driver, and I've been blessed to have the opportunity and be in the position that I am and have the people around me that are helping me to be a stock-car driver."

	“	(Newman) showed everyone he could be the best on any given day and that is even prior to his rookie season. Everything we as a team thought of him, he's been able to back up on the track for everyone else to see. We're amazed at what he is capable of doing with a race car. ”
		— Matt Borland

Although he fiercely defends his individuality, Newman is, in a sense, a hybrid. He has some of Stewart's machismo while also possessing some of Gordon's coolness. As he battles Jimmie Johnson for this season's rookie award, Newman wants to be judged on his own merits.

"I don't think it's necessarily good or bad to be compared to other drivers," he said. "There's a certain amount of critics that like to compare you with other drivers because it gives them a baseline to judge off. At the same time, I'm my own person and will always be my own person and want to be able to accomplish the things I want to do and not say I want to accomplish something because Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart or Kevin Harvick did.

"The toughest competition for Rookie of the Year will be Jimmie Johnson. He has a very similar opportunity as me, working with a Winston Cup champion (Gordon) as a teammate, a great team to work for -- him with Hendrick Motorsports and me with Penske Racing -- and we're basically at the same point in our life where we've raced several things throughout our careers, dabbled in NASCAR the last couple of years, and now we get the opportunity to do it at the highest level. He's just the same as me, focused on doing the things he needs to do to be the best driver he can be.

"As for how we can do this season ourselves, I think we can finish in the top-10 in the Winston Cup points, we're capable of winning races and winning poles. If we do that, I think the Rookie of the Year will take care of itself."

This weekend's race could very well be Newman's biggest breakthrough yet. He enters as a solid contender to take home the checkered flag for the first time on the type of track that plays to his strengths.

"We had a real good test there, we're taking a real good race car there, and we're looking forward to a real good race," Newman said. "I think we're capable of sitting on the pole there, and with a real fast race car, we hope everything turns out good for us, we can have a good race, stay in the upper part of the points and walk away with some more experience and carry it on through the rest of the year."

Newman shows a maturity level far beyond his years. He knows he's been presented with nothing short of a silver platter to success, driving for a boss like Penske and having a teammate like Wallace. While those things may be intimidating to most young drivers, that's not the case with Newman.

"I'm blessed with the opportunity, so you're better off not blowing one of those things," he said. "You're better off focusing on the goals you've set forth and accomplishing the task at hand. I mean, you can sit as a driver and think, 'Wow, I'm driving for Roger Penske. He owns 500 corporations across the world, is on the board of directors of numerous companies.

"At the same time, driving for a Winston Cup champion in Rusty Wallace, who has finished in the top-10 an ungodly amount of times in his career in Winston Cup.' I could think of those things, but that doesn't make me a better driver or a better person. I can be as good a person as I can be, do the things I need to do and the places that I came from and remembering the people that helped me.

"I feel a lot of appreciation and a lot of respect being in my position with those people around me. I pay back that respect every day."

Jerry Bonkowski covers NASCAR for ESPN.com.