Team: No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman
Pocono 400 – Sunday, June 2 at 2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
ADVANCE NOTES
Newman at Pocono Raceway
· Newman will make his 35th Cup start at the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway this weekend. In 34 prior events, Newman has 15 top-10s, nine top fives and one win at ‘The Tricky Triangle.’
· Newman’s win at the 2.5-mile track came back in 2003, winning the event from the pole. He also finished runner-up in the spring of 2007 after starting from the pole.
· Newman is coming off an eighth-place finish at Pocono in the July event in 2018 after starting ninth. In the previous five events he’s started 10th or better four times.
· His overall starting position is 11.1 with 19 top-10 starts all-time, 10 of which were inside the top five.
Scott Graves at Pocono Raceway
· Graves will be atop the pit box for his seventh MENCS race at Pocono this weekend. In six prior events – two with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and four with Daniel Suarez – Graves has two top-10s and one top five.
· Graves most recently finished runner-up with Suarez at the 2.5-mile triangle in last season’s July event after starting from the pole. He also finished seventh with the former Joe Gibbs Racing driver in the 2017 July race.
· Graves also called one Xfinity Series event at ‘The Tricky Triangle’ with Suarez in 2016, finishing ninth after starting third.
QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on racing at Pocono:
“Pocono is an interesting but challenging track that can be fun if you get the setup just right. Carrying speed down the long straightaways is very important, but also the three turns are so unique and require a different approach to each in the handling. Pocono has always been a driver’s track and that’s why I’m a fan of the racing there, so we’re looking forward to the weekend in our Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang.
Recapping the Coca-Cola 600
Newman restarted second for a shootout in the closing laps of last Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, but eventually fell to 16th after a two-tire strategy call.
