Former NASCAR driver Ryan Newman recently competed in the Late Modified Tour at Richmond Raceway ahead of the Cook Out 400 scheduled for Saturday, August 16, on the same track. During a late-race restart, Newman had an incident with part-time NASCAR driver Corey Lajoie and opened up about it during an interview with NASCAR analyst Matt Weaver.Newman qualified in eighth place for the 150-lap race with a best lap time of 21.825 seconds and a top speed of 123.711 mph. He was 0.301 seconds behind the pole sitter, Justin Bonsignore, with the fastest time of 21.524 seconds. Meanwhile, Lajoie began the race from the back of the pack in P22 with a best time of 22.343 seconds and a top speed of 120.843 mph.However, things changed during a late-race restart, when Ryan Newman split his tires and lost his lead. Reflecting on the same, the former NASCAR driver told Matt Weaver (via X):"I split my tires a little bit, but I mean modified racing, and kind of got to expect some of that. And Corey didn't expect me to spin it, I guess, because he drove right through me. And I just want to thank Bass Pro Shops and USA for being on the cars, getting coolers. What they do for me is unfortunate. We took a car that qualified eighth and was completing the race with 50 to go, and had a good strategy, and like I said, I split the tires. But I wasn't the only guy splitting tires on the restart. So the guy drove through, got up into the fence, and knocked the radiator out of it, and we're done."Ryan Newman wrapped up the Virginia is for Racing Lovers in P16 and only completed 100 laps of the 150-lap event. On the other hand, despite starting the race from the back of the pack, Corey Lajoie parked his #77 Curb Records/Mohawk Northeast-sponsored car in fifth place.“It was less dynamic than I thought”: Ryan Newman got candid about his experience with the NextGen cars in NASCARRyan Newman retired from the sport before the introduction of the seventh-generation cars in 2021. However, he returned to the Cup Series in 2023, drove the NextGen car at Darlington Raceway, and shared his driving experience.Newman teamed up with Rick Ware Racing during the 2023 Cup Series season and drove the #51 Ford Mustang at Darlington. Reflecting on the same, the former NASCAR driver shared the experience of getting behind the wheel of the NextGen car.“I will say that the practice and qualifying session was less dynamic than I thought it was going to be. The changes from the old car, the shifting, and all that stuff — I felt like I adapted to all that stuff rather quickly," said the 2008 Daytona 500 champion (via Racer.com).“But the track is still my favorite, so that made it a lot easier. It’s easier to dance with a girl that knows how to dance,” Ryan Newman added.The Goodyear 400 was scheduled for Sunday, May 14, 2023. The former Cup Series driver qualified for the race in P26 and finished 28th on the grid.