08/05/2020
Ryan Newman – Michigan DH Advance
ADVANCE NOTES
First of Two Doubleheaders in Three Weeks on Deck at Michigan
- NASCAR heads north to Michigan International Speedway for a doubleheader this weekend, the second of the 2020 season. Both events will run 312 miles (156 laps) at the 2-mile track.
- The Cup Series is coming off Sunday’s race from New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the 20th points event of the season. After this weekend, four races remain in NASCAR’s regular season, with the playoffs set to begin at Darlington on Labor Day weekend.
- The starting lineup for Saturday’s race will be determined by a random draw within teams’ order in owners’ points. Newman will draw for a spot in the 13-24 group. Cars will line up Sunday based off an invert of the top-20 finishers from Saturday, with positions 21-40 lining up in their respective finishing positions from Saturday.
- Four weeks of NASCAR action were initially completed prior to the COVID-19 hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed before the schedule later picked back up in mid-May.
Newman Historically at Michigan International Speedway
- Newman will make his 38th and 39th Cup starts at MIS this weekend, where he has an average finish of 16th with two wins. He’s finished in the top-10 10 times, six of which were inside the top-five dating back 37 events.
- Newman’s pair of wins came in back-to-back races in 2003 and 2004. Newman led 32 laps en route to his fifth of eight wins in 2003, holding off Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart. The next victory he led 22 laps after starting fourth to earn the win under yellow.
- He also has one career pole, which came in 2005, and an average starting position of 13.8. Overall he’s started inside the top-10 on 16 occasions at MIS.
- Dating back six races at the 1.5-mile track, Newman has five top-15 finishes, including an eighth-place run in the first event last season. He followed that with a 12th-place run in August.
- Newman also made four Xfinity Series starts at MIS, winning his first two events (2001, 2005) with a combined 126 laps led.
Scott Graves at Michigan International Speedway
- Graves will be atop the pit box for his ninth and 10th Cup races at MIS. In eight prior starts, he has a best finish of eighth with Newman last season. His best three finishes all-time at the track have come in the last three races – including an 11th-place run in 2018 and 12th-place finish last August with Newman.
- Graves also won an Xfinity event at the 2-mile track in 2016, defeating Kyle Busch to lead the final two laps en route to one of his three career NXS victories with Daniel Suarez.
QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on racing at MIS:
“Michigan is definitely real close to home for me and with lots of friends and family around. It holds a special place in my heart and in my mind having visited there growing up as a fan. No doubt it’s a big motor track, and that’s not something we talk so much anymore, because everything seems to communized underneath the hood. Taking the right car with the right balance, the right drag and right downforce is such a more pivotal answer. Michigan has always been the king of fuel mileage racetracks, we have been on both the good, and bad side of that as the numbers would suggest you are going to be on that stuff. Fuel mileage is super important at it will be again at some point this weekend.”
Last Time Out
Newman powered his way inside the top-10 early in Sunday’s race from New Hampshire, before going on to finish 21st in the Guaranteed Rate Ford.
Where They Rank
Newman is 26th in driver points after 17 points races in his 2020 campaign. In owners’ points, the No. 6 is 21st.
On the Car Saturday
Coca-Cola, longtime partner of Ryan Newman, makes its 2020 debut on the No. 6 this weekend at MIS. Newman also ran the Coca-Cola colors a season ago in the first race at Michigan, finishing eighth after starting 18th.
On the Car Sunday
Castrol returns to Newman’s No. 6 machine for Sunday’s race at Michigan. The high-performance lubricant brand signed as the team’s official oil partner in January and will serve as the primary for select races in 2020.
About Castrol
Castrol, a global leader in lubricant technology, serves customers and consumers in over 140 countries in the automotive, marine, industrial and energy production sectors. Our branded products are recognized globally for innovation and high performance through our commitment to premium quality products, highly responsive services and cutting-edge technology. To find out more about Castrol products and programs, please visit www.castrol.com/us.
