Roush Fenway Racing and Ryan Newman primed for crucial Bristol test

Ryan Newman will be relying on his consummate experience and past strong showings at the Bristol Motor Speedway as racing resumes at in the NASCAR championship this weekend.

Newman makes his 36th Cup start at Bristol on Saturday night at a venue where he boasts nine top-10 finishes with two top-fives. Indeed, Newman has three career Cup poles at The World’s Fastest Half Mile and an average start of 12.2 He led the field to green in 2003, 2004 and again in 2011.

“I’m just disappointed that I haven’t won there yet,” said Newman on his team’s website. “We’ve had some good runs, top-fives and top-10s but that’s not what we’re there for. We’d be nothing better than to lock ourselves in and secure a playoff spot and get some points to move forward and show that we’re a contender.

“Bristol is the most physical racetrack that we go to,” Newman said. “The speeds are so high, you really have to be half a lap ahead of you in predicting what’s going on. It’s fun because it’s challenging and I enjoy it.”

Resplendent in the Roush Fenway Racing Acronis No. 6 Ford Mustang this weekend at Bristol, Newman is well aware that with the playoff picture looming large, his showing will be vital as the season reaches a crucial phase.

“We’re coming down to the wire in the playoff picture, which puts an extra emphasis on these next three races. Bristol is a track we feel like we can excel at based off both our run there, as well as the speed Ricky (Stenhouse) had back in April. The night race at Bristol is always full of excitement and we’re ready to unload in our Acronis Ford to see what we can do.”

Motorsport Technology