Ryan Newman remembers 'emotional' SRX win ahead of 2023 season
Summer is upon us and that means the Superstar Racing Experience is almost here. Ryan Newman is suited up once again for it. The NASCAR star isn’t a stranger to SRX. In fact, one of his most emotional wins ever in stock car racing came at Stafford Speedway just a year or so ago.
When Tony Stewart and Ray Evernham got together to put on the Superstar Racing Experience, they wanted a couple of things out of it. They wanted the cars to be unique, but more or less evenly matched. They also wanted to put the best drivers in the world in those cars and race head-to-head.
A year ago, Ryan Newman raced to a win at Stafford Speedway. He had to get it over eventually series champion Marco Andretti. Not an easy task.
“On an emotional level, it was one of the best and highest,” Newman said, via SRX. “I kind of equate that, almost to the brickyard. Going through the emotions of losing my ride the previous week, then winning the pole, winning the race, being the big race that it was. Then Daytona was obviously special but it had been a long time since I had won.
“After all the things that I had been through with my accident and stuff, and not being back in Victory Lane in a Cup car, and getting back in Victory Lane amongst the greatest drivers on a track I’d never raced with some of my friends was really special. To have my family there, my daughters, my girlfriend just an amazing feeling to have them in Victory Lane with me. That was the most special part of it.”
Can Ryan Newman get another memorable victory at Stafford this July?
Ryan Newman has more Cup Series races coming up
Not only is Rocket Man suiting up in the Superstar Racing Experience again, but Newman also has Cup Series races on his schedule as well. It was announced earlier this season that Newman would return to the Cup Series to race select dates with Rick Ware Racing.
Ryan Newman, who was injured at Daytona in 2020, is sticking to the smaller tracks. He made his return at Darlington this year. However, that isn’t all that is on his schedule. The NASCAR star is going to race at Richmond, Bristol, and Martinsville as well this season.
There is a concern for safety in the Next Gen car, especially for a guy like Newman. Older drivers, ones with injury history, are not as keen to suit up in the Next Gen. The issues are apparent and while NASCAR has worked on it, there are still scary moments.
Let’s not forget that Noah Gragson just had a hard hit at Gateway that kept him out of Sonoma with concussion-like symptoms. Ryan Newman is doing his best to avoid any of that.