Floundering Penske NASCAR team poised to regroup

While Newman's departure may cause The Captain's (as Penske is often referred) ship to sail through some rocky seas, smoother sailing will eventually return.

"Ryan has several dimensions that, frankly, other drivers don't have," said Walt Czarnecki, executive vice president of Penske Corp. "Clearly, his technical ability (and) we all knows he stands on the gas. He's an engaging guy. I like Ryan almost as a son, to tell you the truth, because I saw him come out of Purdue. But at the same token, when you've got the surrounding cast in place and that's not changing, it'll make the transition that much more efficient."

Newman has 13 wins and 43 poles in his Cup career, all while driving for Penske. But it's no secret he has been unhappy for much of the last three years due to a lack of performance and success.

Example: He missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup in both 2006 and '07, not to mention failing to win a race in either year.

And while he won the season-opening Daytona 500 to start off this year – the biggest triumph of both his driving and Penske's NASCAR ownership careers – Newman will once again miss the Chase in his final year under the Penske banner.

He's hoping that by leaving for Stewart-Haas Racing, the grass – and performance – will be greener on the other side of the hill.

But the Penske group will not fold upon Newman's departure.

"We've been around a long time and we're going to keep going," Czarnecki said.

Penske Racing gets the chance to bring in a new driver to try and reinvigorate what had become a stale team, while potentially also energizing teammates Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish Jr., who, like Newman, have struggled this season. Yahoo! Sports