Ryan Newman is perhaps one of the most recognizable names in NASCAR. Although the former racer never won a championship in his two-decade-long career, he won several important races.
But above all, he was one of the most respected figures in NASCAR for his prowess on the track. Considering his background as an engineer, he was equally skilled when it came to the technical aspects of his car, which made him an even more formidable opponent.
After retiring from full-time racing in 2021, Newman has remained close to the heat. After his most recent outing at the CARS Late Model Stock Tour in Orange County, Newman spilled the beans on his return to stock racing.
Ryan Newman’s NASCAR and Post-NASCAR Career
Unlike a lot of drivers, Newman debuted first in the Cup Series and then in the Xfinity and Truck Series. He started with Team Penske in 2000 as a part-time driver. In his first full-time season, he won the 2002 New Hampshire 300 along with six poles and was named ‘Rookie of The Year’ over Jimmie Johnson.
In his entire Cup Series career, he won 18 races and finished 2nd in points in the 2014 season, his career-best. Infamous for securing poles, Newman won pole positions 51 times in his career.
After retiring from NASCAR in 2021, he explored grassroots racing for a while. He often raced in the SMART Modified Tour and won a handful of races. The following year, he enrolled himself into Tony Stewart and Ray Evernham’s SRX Series and won the title there in 2023. He even briefly made a return to NASCAR in the same year.
Ryan Newman’s First CARS Late Model Stock Tour Start
When Newman raced in the zMAX CARS Tour race at Orange County Speedway, it was a fine display of the driver’s versatility. In the qualifying round for the race, he ranked 12th. As he drove the No. 7 for Matt Piercy Racing, he finished the race in the 14th position.
After the race, he expressed his desire to finish better but was still content with his “respectable” finish for a newbie. He also joked about the size of his head and said, “I wish I had a helmet hose, but it didn’t fit with my big old head.”
While speaking to Short Track Scene, Newman thanked Dale Earnhardt Jr., CARS Tours, and the other organizers for giving him the opportunity. He then reflected on his performance and said:
“Track position was very important out there and we knew that going in. I just got hung up on the bottom and started the race and wasn’t aggressive enough to move guys up out of the way and lost a bunch of stuff.”
Newman was able to stay away from any on-track accidents and finished better than some of the favorites.
“I think we finished in front of a lot of good cars that are top-five cars and competitive cars, so I’m proud of the effort,” he said.
Seeing the NASCAR veteran back on track was a delight for many. So, naturally, towards the end, he was presented with a question about returning to Dale Jr.’s CARS Tour again. Without raising any hopes or discounting any possibilities, Newman slyly answered it with:
“We’ll see, we’ll talk about it.”