Team: No. 6 Koch Industries Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman
Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 – Thursday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
Daytona 500 – Sunday, Feb. 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
ADVANCE NOTES
Newman in the Duels
· After qualifying 15th on speed in this past Sunday’s Daytona 500 qualifying, Ryan Newman will line up eighth in Duel 1 Thursday night. It will be Newman’s 19th Daytona 500 qualifying race all-time with a best finish of third (2008).
· In last season’s opening duel, Newman lined up 13th and went on to finish ninth. He has 12 all-time top-10 results in the Duels and has finished ninth or better in three straight Daytona qualifying races.
Newman at Daytona International Speedway
· Newman will make his 37th start at DIS on Sunday and 19th in the Daytona 500.
· He is a former winner of the Great American Race, driving his then-No. 12 to victory lane in 2008.
· Overall at DIS, Newman has 11 top-10s and six top-fives with an average result of 18.4.
· Newman drove to a 14th-place finish in last season’s kick-off race despite riding on the inner-liner of one of his tires. He has finished 14th or better in five-straight Daytona events with two fifth-place results.
· Newman also finished fifth in the 2013 Daytona 500 and third in the 2006 Great American Race.
Scott Graves at Daytona International Speedway
· Scott Graves – in his sophomore season with Newman – will be atop the pit box for his fourth Daytona 500 Sunday. Overall at DIS Graves has one top-five – fifth with Newman – in last July’s summer event.
· It will mark Graves’ eighth NCS race overall at Daytona, having served as crew chief for three events with Daniel Suarez (2017-18) and two with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2013).
· Graves also has six races under his belt in Xfinity Series action at Daytona, finishing second with Chris Buescher in 2015 and eighth with Suarez in 2016.
QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on the Daytona 500:
“We showed some good speed in our Fords last weekend with practice and The Clash and overall I was pleased with the car. We had a decent qualifying effort, so Thursday night our goal is to keep it clean in advance of Sunday. I am fortunate to have won this race before and know how much it means to our sport, and our goal is to park the Koch Industries Ford in victory lane come Sunday.”
On the Car
Koch Industries (pronounced ‘Coke’) made its official debut with Roush Fenway Racing and Ryan Newman in last weekend’s Busch Clash event, nearly making an early trip to victory lane. Koch is back on the car as the primary for the famed Daytona 500 this weekend.
About Koch Industries
Based in Wichita, Kansas, Koch Industries, Inc. is one of the largest private companies in America, with estimated annual revenues as high as $110 billion, according to Forbes. It owns a diverse group of companies involved in refining, chemicals, and biofuels; forest and consumer products; fertilizers; polymers and fibers; process and pollution control systems; electronics, software and data analytics; minerals; glass; automotive components; ranching; commodity trading; and investments. Since 2003, Koch companies have invested nearly $105 billion in growth and improvements. With a presence in 60 countries, Koch companies employ nearly 130,000 people worldwide, with about 67,000 of those in the United States. From January 2009 to present, Koch companies have earned more than 1,300 awards for safety, environmental excellence, community stewardship, innovation, and customer service. For more news and information, visit www.KOCHind.com.
