In NASCAR’s first-ever Cup race at the Daytona Road Course, Ryan Newman drove his Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang to a 19th-place finish.
After rolling off 14th based off NASCAR’s newest starting lineup procedures, Newman overcame an early issue on the 3.57-mile road course. Just five laps in Newman flat-spotted a tire, resulting in an unscheduled stop just prior to the stage end at lap 15.
The South Bend, Indiana, native pitted again under the stage break, putting him near the tail end of the field for the ensuing restart. With shortened fuel windows on the long course, Newman again hit pit road with three to go in stage two for fresh tires and a set of adjustments.
Newman would restart 25th for the final segment, which was halted three laps in due to lightning in the Daytona Beach area. The delay paused action an hour before cars hit the track again. After hitting pit road again at lap 38, Newman restarted 27th with 26 laps to go. From there, teams had one final stop to make, with crew chief Scott Graves running Newman long to the end of the pit cycle.
Newman advanced as high as seventh and ran 10th at the time he hit pit road with nine laps remaining. The yellow flag was displayed one final time with five to go, when Newman stayed out and went on to finish 19th.
Next up, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Dover International Speedway for a doubleheader next weekend, for a pair of 311-mile races on Saturday and Sunday. Race coverage for both races begins at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Both races can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.
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