07/21/2020
Ryan Newman – Kansas Advance
ADVANCE NOTES
Thursday Night Race on Deck in Kansas
- Just four days after a 500-mile race in Texas, the NASCAR Cup Series stays west for a rare Thursday night event for 400 miles under the lights at Kansas Speedway.
- The first Kansas race was originally scheduled for late May in its typical spring slot, but was moved to summer following scheduling implications from COVID-19. The NCS race will be the first of five races at the 1.5-mile track across the weekend, with the Truck Series set for a doubleheader, and the Xfinity and ARCA Series also on tap.
- The lineup for Sunday’s race will again be determined by a random draw based on teams’ order in owners’ points. Newman and the No. 6 team are 21st in points and will draw for a starting spot in the 13-24 group.
- Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the COVID-19 hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.
Newman Historically at Kansas Speedway
- Newman will make his 29th Cup start at Kansas on Thursday. In 28 prior starts, Newman has an average finish of 19.5 with one win, three top fives and seven top 10s.
- Newman’s win at the 1.5-mile track came back in 2003, a year in which he won eight races. In that race he started 11th and led the final 28 laps, holding off Bill Elliott and Jeremy Mayfield for the victory.
- Prior to the victory in 2003, Newman finished runner-up in each of his first two Cup races at the track (2001, 2002). He also finished inside the top-10 in 2010 (ninth), 2014 (sixth), 2015 (10th) and 2016 (seventh).
- Newman has an average starting position of 13.8 with nine starts inside the top-10.
- He also has one start in the truck series, finishing second after starting fourth in 2015.
Scott Graves at Kansas Speedway
- Graves will call his eighth NCS race at Kansas on Thursday, where he has one top-10 that came in 2017 (seventh). He also finished 11th in his first-ever Cup event at the 1.5-mile track in 2013.
- Graves also called three Xfinity events atop the box, finishing third in 2016 and sixth with Chris Buescher in 2015.
QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on racing at Kansas:
“We’ve been making changes to our 1.5-mile cars recently, and Sunday at Texas we noticed some differences for the better. We’re hoping to continue that trend Thursday night at Kansas, a track that carries a lot of speed and typically creates some high-energy action. A Thursday night points event is rare for us, but looking forward to it and putting on a strong run in the Wyndham Rewards Ford.”
Last Time Out
Newman hung tough through a flurry of late-race cautions, and overcame some early adversity to finish 13th Sunday at Texas.
Where They Rank
Newman is 26th in driver points after 15 points races in his 2020 campaign. In owners’ points, the No. 6 is 21st.
On the Car
Wyndham Rewards returns to the No. 6 for the second consecutive race at Kansas, the brand’s fourth event overall of 2020 as the primary, and third with Newman. Wyndham Rewards is in its third season with the team after joining the fold with Matt Kenseth in 2018, and a 10-race program in 2019 with Newman.
About Wyndham Rewards
Recently named the number one hotel rewards program by readers of USA TODAY, Wyndham Rewards® is the world’s most generous rewards program with more than 30,000 hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals worldwide. Designed for the everyday traveler, members earn a guaranteed 1,000 points with every qualified stay and may redeem points for a wide-range of rewards, including free nights at any of approximately 9,300 hotels or tens of thousands of vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally through partnership with Wyndham Destinations (NYSE: WYND) and others. Wyndham Rewards has approximately 81 million enrolled members around the globe. Join for free today at www.wyndhamrewards.com. You’ve earned this.®
