Ryan Newman demands just one thing to extend his Cup return with RWR
Newman made his Next-Gen car debut during the practice session for the Darlington throwback weekend Cup race.
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Ryan Newman (credits: @newman)
Rocketman Ryan Newman has returned to the NASCAR Cup series impressively. Newman, who retired from full-time racing in 2021, returned to the series to drive the No:51 Rick Ware Racing Mustang at Darlington. He was given his first opportunity to drive the Next-Gen car by RWR’s Tommy Baldwin.
The last time Newman raced in the Cup series was the 2021 season finale with RFK Racing. He has since been racing in the SRX championship and other late-model events. The 2008 Daytona 500 champion is a crowd favorite and was recently named to the list of 75 greatest drivers of the sport, and he will be honored at Darlington with a special paint scheme by RWR.
Newman’s NASCAR return is not with a comparative team, as RWR hasn’t fielded a car worthy of wins this season. His priority going into the race weekend was to learn how race cars have changed over the years and how much fun he could get from being behind the wheels of Next-Gen cars.
“It’s fun to be back, and it’s fun to have the opportunity. I look forward to tomorrow. I told them, the only way I’m going to do this and continue to do this is if it’s fun. Today was fun, so we’ll see,” Ryan Newman said.
Newman had a strong start to the weekend in the qualifiers and the practice sessions. He once again showcased his impressive ability to extract speed from cars that are not fast. He secured a P26 at the starting grid and has out-qualified Cup regulars such as Erick Jones, Noah Gragson, Chris Buescher, AJ Allmendinger, Ryan Preece, Chase Briscoe, Corey Lajoie, and Ty Dillon.
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Ryan Newman explains how he landed the Cup ride
Newman, while talking to the media in Darlington, revealed how and how quickly he got into the Cup car. He always wanted a return to the series but had just one condition the comeback should be worthwhile. The former RCR driver said that he connected Tommy Baldwin for a late model ide but was offered a No:15 ride instead.
“I literally started this conversation prior to Martinsville, and it was by accident when I texted Tommy Baldwin asking him about an opportunity to race a modified. He asked me if I wanted to go to Martinsville, and I said, ‘In a modified?’ And he goes, ‘No, in a Cup car’,” Newman said.
“It all worked out for us to put all this together and do this, so thanks to Jacob Companies and Biohaven and Rick Ware Racing to give us the opportunity to…I say play, but ultimately I feel like we’ve got a pretty competitive car that we just have to execute and see if we can move up from where we start,” Newman added.
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Justin P Joy
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