LINCOLN, Ala. (June 22, 2020) – Ryan Newman stayed true to his typical superspeedway strategy Sunday afternoon at Talladega, inserting himself into the conversation late in the race after running safely in the back of the pack for much of the race. The strategy appeared to be about to pay dividends before Newman ran out of fuel in his Castrol Ford just prior to the final restart and ultimately finished 23rd.
With a late caution with three laps to go in the 188-lap race, Newman ran 11th as fuel strategy ultimately played a huge factor in the final outcome. After staying out under yellow, Newman was set to fire off seventh for the NASCAR overtime attempt but reported he was out of fuel and was forced to pit, relegating him to 23rd for the overtime finish.
The race faced a weather delay for the second consecutive day, this time with rain impacting the East Alabama area near the end of stage one. After a rain shower and 58-minute delay, Newman ended the opening stage 21st after riding around near the tail end of the pack for the opening 60 laps.
As weather in the area ultimately passed over Talladega, teams began to strategize a race to the end, instead of to the halfway point at lap 94. Newman went on to finish 23rd in stage two, continuing his strategy.
His upward climb through the field began with around 25 to go, as he crept up to 22nd by lap 165, then 18th with 10 to go. The final yellow was displayed on lap 185, when Newman stayed out, but ultimately ran out of fuel forcing the final stop as the race ran green on track.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono, Pennsylvania, this weekend for the series’ first-ever doubleheader, with the first 325-lap race set for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX. It will be followed by a 350-mile event on Sunday at 4 p.m. on FS1. Both races can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.
