Ryan Newman overcame some early troubles in Saturday night’s All-Star Race to finish 13th in his Acorns Ford Mustang.
The 2003 Driver of the Year got into the main event via his 2002 victory in the All-Star race. With a unique qualifying session that includes three timed laps and a four-tire pit stop at max speed, Newman rolled off the grid sixth following Friday’s qualifying session for the four-stage race.
Just a few laps in Newman reported he possibly had nose damage on his machine after contact with the No. 12 machine. The team went to work on the nose as well as the handling at lap 26 when the caution flew, trying to loosen up the No. 6 Ford.
He went on to finish stage one 14th before pitting for more adjustments at lap 33. Following the stage two restart, the yellow flag waved once again when Newman went spinning through the front stretch grass. Despite the damage, the South Bend, Indiana, native kept it rolling and stayed on the lead lap.
Under the same yellow, crew chief Scott Graves brought the No. 6 machine to pit road ensuring the fenders were cleared for the final segments. The costly time on pit road forced Newman to settle with a he quickly maneuvered his Acorns Ford inside the top five within the first five laps of the segment. A caution flag was displayed shortly after setting up a 10-lap shootout.
With the restarts going three and four wide, Newman battled before losing positions forcing him to settle with a 13th-place finish in the non-points race.
Newman and the No. 6 team return to action next weekend at for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Race coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET next Sunday on FOX. Coverage can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.
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