Newman gets prepared for emotional return to Daytona
NASCAR veteran Ryan Newman does not expect Sunday’s return to Daytona International Speedway to feel much different than most days do.
“I guess after February, I’m pretty emotional every day,” he said.
Newman’s crash during February’s Daytona 500 was both lifechanging and death-defying. The combination changed one of the most fearless drivers in NASCAR’s Cup Series.
“I’m just thankful for the opportunity to continue on,” Newman said.
Keeping his emotions in check will not be easy at the site of Newman’s dramatic wreck while he led on the final turn.
The 42-year-old said his first test drive back at Darlington or return to superspeedway racing at Talladega presented their own mental hurdles. But during the biggest race of the season, Newman came a split-second from his second victory in the Daytona 500 to go with his 2008 win.
With the finish line in sight and securely in the lead, Newman was bumped by Ryan Blaney, sending Newman’s No. 6 Ford Mustang into the outside wall and soon airborne before Corey LaJoie plowed into the driver’s side door.
Newman’s car skidded to a stop on its roof and in flames at the exit of pit road.
While the details and images from Newman’s brush with death gripped the racing world, he said he cannot remember the incident or much of his two-day stint in a local medical center. Sitting out the next three Cup races, Newman was left to process the event.
“There’s no doubt I have thought about it,” he said. “The reality is it’s not the truth, it’s not what happened; it’s a what-couldhave-been. Everybody has that in their season.”
Yet Newman has gone from on the verge of winning the Daytona 500 to failing to record a top-10 finish since sliding to the ninth spot following the crash. He is currently 26th in the season standings and has four chances to secure a playoff spot for the second straight season.
Newman’s first crack will come Sunday during a history-making moment for the Cup Series. Beginning at 3 p.m. and stretching for 65 laps, drivers will take on the speedway’s 3.56-mile road course, known for the Rolex 24 At Daytona sports car race.
During the schedule shake-up caused by the pandemic, NASCAR officials canceled road races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen and decided to stage a unique event on the sport’s most iconic track.
The course Sunday will be different than most road races due to the included high-banked portion of the speedway’s main track.
Newman is not sure what to expect but knows Roush Fenway Racing has made significance tweaks to the car he will drive.
“I don’t know if it’s a new car or a rebuilt car,” he said. “The reality is I will show up, buckle in and do my thing.”
Since he joined the Cup Series full time in 2002, Newman has won 18 races as well as 51 poles, which is more than any active driver and the genesis of the nickname “Rocket Man.”
Newman is one of a handful of drivers in the field with experience on the speedway’s road course. He had four runs in Daytona during the old IROC series, including a win in 2004 and a fifth-place finish in 2006.
NASCAR will return to the track on Aug. 29 for the Coke Zero Sugar 400, ending the regular season on the 2.5-mile oval. The event will be the last chance for many drivers to slip into the 16-driver playoff field.
Newman would rather not wait. After all, Daytona International Speedway owes him one.
“I’d obviously like to win it,” Newman said. “That’s a nobrainer. Not only to get a playoff berth but to get into Victory Lane in any form, any fashion, would be spectacular for me.
“Obviously, there would be some bitter-sweetness being in Daytona after February.”