In his return to the Daytona Oval, Ryan Newman had just began the charge forward with less than 10 laps to go, when a multi-car incident occurred ahead, collecting his Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang. He went on to finish 36th.
The 160-lap race ran caution-free up until late in the final stage, when the Superspeedway chaos ramped up. With eight laps to go, a block was made from the lead, resulting in a wreck behind, which collected the 2008 Daytona 500 Champion.
Newman rolled off 22nd on the grid, and played his usual strategy on Superspeedways, hanging towards the rear for much of the opening laps. He was 23rd at the time of the competition caution at lap 20, and after a quick stop for service, went on to finish 21st in the first stage.
Stage two brought varying strategy calls, as some cars were forced to split the stage and pit for fuel, but Newman was able to run green to lap 100, ultimately finishing 18th in the second segment.
After rolling off 15th at lap 105, Newman settled into mid-pack, before green-flag stops began around lap 120. He and his fellow Ford Performance teammates long-pitted for fuel only at lap 131, setting them up for the finish on fuel mileage.
The first non-stage break yellow came out at lap 143 for a spin near the tail end of the field, when Newman hit pit road for fresh tires. After restarting 22nd, Newman began his battle towards the front, when the incident took place, ending his night.
With the regular season in the books, The Cup Series heads to Darlington for the #NASCARThrowback next weekend. The race next Sunday night is set for 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The race can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.
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