DARLINGTON, S.C. | The MotorSportsNews.Net(work)

Newman Battles to 14th-Place Finish in Rain-Shortened Darlington Race

by MikeMay 21, 2020

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 20, 2020) – In a day filled with avoiding raindrops, the scheduled 311.4-mile NASCAR Cup Series race was cut short Wednesday with Ryan Newman scoring a 14^th-place finish in the Oscar Mayer Ford. At one point Newman led the field just past the halfway point, as varying strategies played out with the race ending after 208 laps.

It was an eventful night for Newman, who rolled off sixth after scoring a 15^th-place finish in Sunday’s race at Darlington. He maintained his top-10 standing early as he and the team managed tight conditions. After ending the opening stage 13^th, he restarted 11^th for stage two. Three laps later, the yellow was displayed again in which he fired off eighth, but lost the coveted track position on the next caution in which he had to pit.

He ran comfortably inside the top-15 just past lap 100, when the yellow was displayed bringing Newman’s machine down pit road. The team had pit gun issues on the right rear, losing multiple spots on pit road, putting him 24^th on the restart just prior to the stage two end, where he would finish 19^th.

An immediate yellow waved just after the stage three green, and crew chief Scott Graves called for Newman to stay out, putting the Oscar Mayer Ford at the point for the ensuing restart. Throughout all of this, rain crept closer to Darlington Raceway, only reinforcing the strategy call. Despite rain drops falling during the yellow in which he and teammate Chris Buescher ran 1-2, the field would restart at lap 132.

After getting a slight tire rub on the restart, Newman continued to battle feverishly against the field with 20 lap fresher tires. He fell to seventh by lap 140, and slipped to outside the top-15 some 20 laps later due to ill handling. With the remainder of the field on a differing pit cycle, Newman and Buescher were forced to pit under green, as Newman stopped for service at lap 163 from the 23^rd spot.

Some 15 laps later, the yellow was displayed as the majority of the field pitted under green, with Newman reporting the balance had improved aboard his No. 6 Ford. After taking the wave around, Newman fired off 12^th for the restart at lap 186. By lap 194, Newman was 22^nd when the yellow came out again, bringing Newman down pit road one final time for service.

He would restart 18^th at lap 199, moving inside the top 15 as the yellow came out just three laps later for an incident on the front stretch. Newman received some slight damage on his machine, but the rain eventually set in at Darlington, ultimately ending the race after 208 laps.

Following two-straight events at Darlington, the focus now shifts to Charlotte Motor Speedway, where the NASCAR Cup Series will visit Sunday night for the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, Sirius XM Channel 90), where Roman makes its debut aboard Newman’s machine.

Buescher Settles for 23rd-place Result at Darlington

by MikeMay 21, 2020May 21, 2020

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 20, 2020) – A bold pit strategy nearly resulted in a 1-2 finish for the Roush Fenway team, as the No. 6 and 17 Mustangs stayed out during the second stage break with inclement weather threatening Darlington Raceway. Rain drops fell on the track with Chris Buescher in the second position and the caution flag displayed, but ultimately cleared and he took the checkered flag 23rd on Wednesday night at the South Carolina track.

Buescher rolled off the grid 32nd in his Fastenal Ford and drove his way up to as high as 25th in the first stage. The driver pitted twice during the second caution of the day to continue to fix a vibration and to loosen up the car, but Buescher ultimately took the green-white-checkered flag for the first stage 28th.

The No. 17 team restarted stage two 21^st, but only three laps after the restart a competitor car got into the back of Buescher, sending him for a spin. Luckily, his Mustang had minimal damage and the driver was able to pit for a quick fix and get back on track. The team stayed steady in the mid to high twenties to finish the second stage 24th.

Pit strategy came into play at the beginning of stage three as crew chief Luke Lambert made the call not to pit. The threat of inclement weather in the area came into play as Buescher restarted for the final stage in second, with teammate Ryan Newman leading the field. Rain drops fell on the track, but ultimately cleared and the race resumed.

After the green flag waved, the No. 17 team did their best to maintain momentum, but old tires set them back. Buescher hit pit road at lap 169 for a second attempt at a stop after missing pit road the prior lap. The team elected to take tires and fuel, then went back to work, two laps down. A series of cautions in the final sixty laps of the race helped the team fight their way back up to 23rd with 20 laps to go. Inclement weather arrived at Lap 208, ending the race early. Buescher was scored 23rd.

The No. 17 team looks on to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24 for 600 miles of racing under the lights. Tune into Sunday evening’s race at 6 p.m. EST on FOX and PRN.

Newman Earns Hard-Fought Top-15 in Racing Return

by MikeMay 18, 2020

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 17, 2020) – In his return to the track – and NASCAR’s return to action – Ryan Newman turned in a gutty performance, recovering from a late spin to drive his No. 6 Oscar Mayer Ford to a 15^th-place finish in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at the famed Darlington Raceway.

“Really proud of everybody’s effort today to unload the Oscar Mayer Ford as good as we did,” Newman said following the race. “We started pretty strong and for the first 180 laps or so we were really good, then we got the car too free and we needed it to turn better, but we never got the front to work and made the back loose. Overall, great to be back in the racecar, proud of how everybody worked, not just our team, but everyone in NASCAR to break the ice on getting the world back in motion.”

Newman – making his return since the Daytona 500 – powered his way into the top-10 by the end of stage one, finishing ninth to earn valuable stage points. He maintained the top-15 position throughout much of stage two before the car’s handling went away late and a cut tire caused the car to spin out and ending the team’s bid for a top 10.

A random draw determined the starting lineup for #TheRealHeroes400, as drivers were grouped into their respective positions by points, with a draw for each spot from there. With the No. 6 20th in owners’ points, Newman rolled off 21st after the random draw.

Newman reported he was tight 30 laps in when the competition caution flew, in which teams were allowed two pit stops with no change in position. Crew chief Scott Graves and the team made a series of adjusting on the Oscar Mayer machine, setting him back up 15th for the restart.

From there, the South Bend, Indiana, native wasted no time charging his way forward, entering the top-10 less than 20 laps later before finishing the stage in ninth. He was caught speeding on pit road under the stage break, setting him back to the rear for the ensuing restart.

After restarting 27th, Newman again worked his way back up to 15th by lap 123, reporting the car felt good as stage two cycled through. A series of yellows flew from lap 124-172 in which he worked his way up to ninth, before crossing the line 15th for the second stage.

From there the handling went away, as he lacked grip with 90 to go. With 41 to go, Newman was running 17th when the right rear tire went down, sending his Oscar Mayer Ford for a spin to bring out the yellow. After a pit stop for fresh tires and cosmetic repairs, Newman restarted 25th with 34 laps left, but battled his way back to 15th by the checkered flag.

The No. 6 team returns to Darlington Raceway for the second race in four days Wednesday night for a primetime race under the lights (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90). The starting lineup for Wednesday’s 228-lap race will be set by a random draw for positions 1-20, meaning Newman will roll off sixth in his Oscar Mayer Ford.

Buescher finishes 32nd at Darlington

by MikeMay 18, 2020

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 17, 2020) – After fighting his way through multiple incidents in NASCAR’s return to on-track action, Chris Buescher took the checkered flag 32^nd in his Fastenal Ford Mustang. (more…)