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Ryan Newman made a return to the NASCAR Cup Series for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, after an absence of more than a year. Driving the #51 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing, Newman made his first start in the next-gen car.
His debut outing in the next-gen car yielded a 28th-place finish, as he finished four laps down on the leader. While the result wasn't impressive, one has to consider that he hadn't raced in an event of this length in over a year.
This absence from the grid, took a toll on the 45-year-old as he physically struggled in the car. The #51 Rick Ware Racing driver revealed after the race that his seat was uncomfortable and that he suffered rib pain at the end of the first stage.
Ryan Newman described his pain in a post-race interview:
"My seat was not comfortable, I had rib pain after the end of the first stage so I was miserable in the car. I got a cramp in my foot, my ribs feel like somebody punched me, so I’m just happy to be walking and moving right now."
Battling the pain throughout the race, Newman finished the 400-mile race without any major issues.
Despite being hindered by the issues, Newman admitted that it was a successful day, driving a car with a decent pace. He described his outing on Sunday saying:
"I had fun today, there’s no doubt about that. Not the finish that I think our team deserved, and was capable of, but ultimately we had some decent speed in the car, my first experience with the car. So, we’ll see. We’ll have a discussion."
The South Bend, Indiana native will return for NASCAR All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway. He also has scheduled starts for the Southern 500, Bristol, Richmond, and Martinsville races.
Ryan Newman reflects on his first outing with Rick Ware Racing
Ryan Newman claims that his #51 Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang had better pace than some of the cars that finished inside the top 10.
Starting the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway in 25th position, Newman's struggles began with a slow start, as he took the green flag. Later, he was involved in a 10-car pileup, that originated as Erik Jones lost his right-rear wheel. He also spun on his own with 18 laps left in the race.
The 45-year-old described his race saying:
"Well, we got caught a lap down early, then we got caught two laps down just as quick as we got caught one lap down, and that changed our day. We were a better car than some of the guys inside the top-10."
He added:
"I just didn’t know what to expect, got a slow start to the race and that cost us a lap. If [Martin Truex, Jr.] wasn’t so fast, he wouldn’t have lapped up both times. So, either way, it was a decent run for us."
Ryan Newman will be back in the #51 Ford this weekend for the All-Star open race.
