03/24/2021
Ryan Newman – Bristol Dirt Advance
ADVANCE NOTES
Newman at Bristol Motor Speedway
- Newman makes his 39th Cup start at Bristol on Sunday but, like the rest of the field, will tackle the dirt for the first time in a Cup car. In 38 prior events at Bristol, Newman has an average finish of 15.6 with 19 top-10s.
- Newman’s best finish at ‘The World’s Fastest Half Mile’ came in the fall of 2004 when he finished second after starting fourth. He also finished fifth in the 2015 spring event.
- Dating back seven events at Bristol, Newman has an average finish of 12.5 with three top-10s. Most recently, he finished 15th and 25th in last season’s two events.
- Newman has an additional nine combined starts in the Xfinity and Truck Series, winning in NXS action back in 2005. He earned the Xfinity pole in 2006 and finished 10th or better in five NXS starts. He recorded a fourth-place result in the No. 2 truck in 2009.
Newman on Dirt, in Truck Series
- With Sunday’s race on the Bristol Dirt the first time the series will race on dirt in more than 50 years, the playing field is somewhat leveled in a way that NASCAR has never seen. However, Newman will be one of multiple Cup drivers to attempt the Truck Series race Saturday night in an effort to gain valuable experience entering Sunday.
- Newman grew up on the dirt circuit back in his USAC racing days, and has participated in the Chili Bowl the last two seasons. He also ran in two of the NCWTS events at Eldora Speedway in the last decade, including a strong showing in 2013 when he finished third. Most recently he ran the No. 3 entry in 2018 and finished 30th.
- Saturday, he’ll pilot the No. 39 entry and attempt to race his way into the field for Saturday night’s Truck event. The No. 39 is a bit of a throwback to Newman’s earlier days in the Cup Series, when he ran that number in five seasons for Stewart-Haas Racing, winning a combined four races in that span. One of 44 trucks on the initial entry list, he will don the Coca-Cola colors, among others, across his Ford F-150.
Bristol Dirt Formats
- Both the NCWTS and NCS will run practice sessions and qualifying heats that will determine the starting lineups for each main event. The lineup for each of the four qualifying heats per series will be determined by random draw.
- Passing points – a common theme across weekly dirt track racing – will also play a role this weekend. Passing points are the amount of points collected based on how many cars drivers are able to pass during a qualifying heat. Those points will help determine the starting lineup for the main event.
- As for the qualifying heat races, the Cup Series will run four 15-lap heats with 9-10 cars in each race. The Truck Series is scheduled to run four qualifying heats with 11 trucks in each.
Scott Graves at Bristol Motor Speedway
- Graves will call his 11th Cup event at Bristol this weekend, where he has an average finish of 15.6. Dating back four races, he and Newman have finished outside the top-15 just once.
- Graves also called seven Xfinity events at Bristol dating back to 2012, recording one top five with Chris Buescher (2015).
QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on racing at Bristol Dirt:
“There’s obviously been a lot that’s gone into making this weekend happen on the Dirt, something that is unique for us in the Cup cars but a race that I look forward to. Going back to my younger days, racing on dirt is something I’ve always enjoyed and this weekend will no doubt be historical in many aspects. I’m thankful to have an opportunity to run the Truck race Saturday night, and want to thank both Coca-Cola and Aggressive Hydraulics for coming on board. Sunday will be a lot about patience for a lot of guys in our field that have never run on dirt, but we’re looking forward to the challenge and can’t wait to get dirty in our Oscar Mayer Ford this weekend.”
Last Time Out
Newman found himself inside the top-five at one point late in the action of Sunday’s race at Atlanta, before going on to finish 13th in the Kohler Generators Ford.
Where They Rank
Through six races, Newman is 21st in driver points.
On the Car
Oscar Mayer takes its colorful scheme to the Bristol Dirt this weekend, highlighting Cold Cuts on the side of Newman’s machine. It marks Oscar Mayer’s first time on the car at Bristol, and the last time they were the primary, Newman finished seventh at Homestead.
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