During the 2009 season, Newman led the first 25 laps at Bristol and finished seventh. He finished sixth the next week at Martinsville after recovering from a pit road mistake. After finishing in the top twenty the next two weeks, Newman had his breakout race leading at Talladega, nearly scoring Stewart-Haas Racing's first win. With two laps left, he was passed by Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski. Newman finished third after Keselowski sent Edwards airborne and crashing on his windshield and hood. The next week, Newman led 45 laps at Richmond and finished fourth. He made the Chase for the Sprint Cup but failed to win a race in 2009. The team did, however, score 15 top 10 finishes and managed to finish ninth in points.