ESPN Sprint Cup

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Ryan Newman's palms were relatively smooth for one who spends much of his time away from the racetrack working outdoors. The blisters often found on the hands of the 30-year-old Sprint Cup driver from hours of chopping wood were calloused over.

But there were blisters.

Mental ones.

Between agonizing over whether his future will be at Penske Racing after this season, about the potential loss of longtime sponsor Alltel and about his 16th-place position in points, the reigning Daytona 500 champion feels like he has been hacking at a cord of elm.

"'Cause elm is real stringy, and it's hard to split," Newman said. "When you get wood like that, you either quit chopping or you quit and go on to some other piece of wood."

That is where Newman is heading into Sunday's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He has told owner Roger Penske that if performance doesn't improve, he will not return to the organization he has been with since 2000.

Sources close to the situation say Newman has been contacted by representatives from Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing, Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Petty Enterprises and Richard Childress Racing.

One source said Newman could be the second driver at Haas CNC Racing if two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart completes a deal that includes ownership.

Newman won't go into detail about his future, saying only that he plans to meet with Penske again after the July 5 race at Daytona to decide whether to continue chopping wood or move on.

But he admitted a change could be as good for him as changes apparently have been for Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"You look at the biggest changes in the offseason, and the guys are first and third right now," he said of Busch's and Earnhardt's positions in the point standings. "It can be done. It's just a matter of who you surround yourself with."

For years, Newman felt he was surrounded with the right people at Penske. But many he felt closest to now are gone, none more significant than team president Don Miller.

Miller retired during the offseason so he could spend more time with his family and charity work. Some, including Newman, believe Miller was pushed out as part of a change in philosophy by new management.

"It hasn't helped the organization," Newman said of losing Miller. "He knew everything, absolutely everything, about racing and the business of racing. It has made a difference in my communication with the team.

"I don't have the relationship with other people that I had with Don Miller. And I've said that to them. We can't change the oil and bulls--- about a contract or qualifying effort or whatever. We just can't do it. It went from blue collar to white collar real quick."

And Newman, who has a degree in structural engineering from Purdue University, is as blue collar as they come in the garage.

"You're damn right I am," said the only full-time Cup driver with a college degree.

Newman also is aware there are blue-collar organizations out there that would love to see him behind the wheel.

"And there are white-collar organizations that look like blue-collar organizations," he said with a smile.

Highs to lows
Newman and Penske Racing were on top of the racing world after the opener at Daytona. Newman won for the first time in 82 races, and teammate Kurt Busch was second.

Optimism was high for a great season.

Hopes remained high 10 races in, at least for Newman, who was 11th in points. Then came a five-race streak in which the 2002 rookie of the year finished no better than 14th and had two finishes of 37th or worse.

His qualifying efforts also were weak, with no start inside the top 10, hardly what one would expect from a team that captured more poles (43) over the past eight years than any other.

Busch's struggles have been even worse. The 2004 Cup champion is 22nd in points with little hope of making the championship chase.

"The Daytona win was huge for us," Newman said. "It still carries momentum with our team, but it's in the past. We don't have the horsepower other teams have, and we're paying for it.

"And we don't have the reliability to go along with it. Our engine program is at an all-time low, I guess you could say."

So what happened?

"People aren't doing their job," Newman said bluntly. "That's the bottom line. They're just not getting the job done. Our entire engine company is behind other engine companies. Not just in design and principal, but in people and engineering staff, just the way we adapt our package to each racetrack."

Tim Cindric, president of Penske Performance Inc., admits the company fell behind on developing the new car. He insists resources are being poured into the program to catch up, including a full-time test team using former Cup driver David Stremme.

Cindric also said the struggles go beyond horsepower, pointing out that there have been races in which Penske drivers have driven up front.

"We've already done about 90 days of testing this year, which is about 40 days more than we'd done last year at this point," he said. "It's certainly not for a lack of time or resource. We're continuing to add staff and people to the program in the process to continue to close that gap. We're not going to stop until it's done."

Cindric added that many of the people who worked on the programs when Newman won eight races and 11 poles in 2003 still are in the organization.

"It's not down to the people," he said. "We have to ensure we finish races No. 1. If you look at our reliability the last year and a half, it certainly has been less than what it has been, particularly in Ryan's case."

Newman has failed to finish two races this season because of engine problems. He had nine DNFs last season, five for engine failure and four for crashes.

But Newman doesn't believe he's the problem, which is why morale is at an "all-time low for me."

"If I was screwing up or if I was getting in crashes, it would be different," he said. "I haven't seen that."

Newman pointed to offseason changes, from the departure of Miller to the promotion of crew chief Michael Nelson into a management position.

One also can go back to the end of 2006, when longtime crew chief Matt Borland and Penske parted ways.

Borland and Newman, with Nelson as the chief engineer, were one of the hottest combinations in Cup racing from 2002 to 2005. They won 12 races and 34 poles.

They were separated in 2007, supposedly because Borland wanted to spend less time on the road. Nothing about Borland's current status as director of competition at Haas CNC suggests that was the motivation. He's at the track every weekend.

Borland said he left Penske because "a lot of the fun was gone." He wouldn't go into specifics but said it began in 2006, which was about the time Cindric began calling the shots.

Borland wouldn't talk about the change in philosophy, but he understands Newman missing Miller.

"Don, he was the greatest influence to both of us," he said. "Him being gone is definitely a detriment. He made the place fun to work at."

Miller and Newman still communicate on a weekly basis. Miller has tried to offer advice to a driver he loves like a son.

"He asked me what do I think about what's going on," Miller said. "I said, 'You know what, son. It's a management change. It's a different philosophy now. Because it's different doesn't mean it's bad. It's just not what you liked, what you feel comfortable with.'"

Change of scenery
Newman likes going to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He enjoys the fishing at nearby Lake Winnipesaukee and, more importantly, the good memories he has of the track.

It was in Loudon that Newman won his first Cup event in 2002. It was there that he won again in 2005. Even last season when he was struggling, he finished 10th and ninth.

"Going to tracks where we can get some good results is what we need," Newman said.

Getting a chance to hang out by the lake during downtime also is good for Newman. Krissie Newman doesn't even plan to arrive in the area until late Saturday because she knows her husband will spend most of his free time on the lake.

"It's good to have that hole-in-the-wall track where he can go fishing and hang out with the guys," she said.

She sees Newman's frustration more than anybody else. She also knows the loyalty he feels toward Penske and the organization.

How that will play out, she doesn't know.

"A lot of the things right now are focused on getting the car better for this year," she said. "The decision will come one way or the other."

This isn't the first time Newman has been frustrated at Penske. The team was running poorly in 2005 and for much of '06 -- "We were horrible," Newman said.

"There was a point where I lost my confidence as a driver and the ability to go fast because I couldn't predict what the car was going to do," he said.

But there never was a point where Newman thought a change of address might be the solution.

"Because I've never been in this position before to this extent," he said. "I've never had six months left on my contract and no answers. I've got options but no answers.

"I have no idea what I'm going to do, where I'm going to go. I'm working on it."

RCR owner Richard Childress says Newman will have options.

"Any team would be crazy not to consider Newman. He can get the job done," Childress said. "But we're on down the road with our situation [for the No. 33 Chevy next year] and headed another direction. And I think Ryan is probably staying at Penske unless somebody offers him a special situation."

Miller would like to see Newman stay with the car he started from scratch. He also would like to see Newman happy again.

Whether both can happen, he's not sure.

"I don't know exactly all the things that are going through his mind," he said. "I know that he's stressing a little bit about what he should do at the end of the season. He's got a lot of people after him, a lot of different owners.

"It's kind of frustrating to have to make this decision and at the same time not running like you feel like you should."

David Newton covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. He can be reached at dnewtonespn@aol.com. ESPN.com motorsports writer Terry Blount contributed to this report.