LOUDON, N.H. (August 2, 2020) – Despite 11 caution flags on the day, the final 83 laps of Sunday’s 301-lap race from New Hampshire Motor Speedway ran caution-free, as Ryan Newman and the Guaranteed Rate team finished 21st.
Newman – a three-time winner at ‘The Magic Mile’ – put himself inside the top-10 early in stage one, getting up to as high as ninth just 30 laps in. But, as the laps wound down, the handling on his machine faded with the final yellow coming out at lap 213.
Based off the random draw for starting positions, Newman rolled off 22nd for the 318-mile race. After an early yellow at lap 18 – with a competition caution scheduled for lap 30 – Newman went ahead and hit pit road for service early, putting him 19th on the restart. He ran 14th by lap 30 and would line up ninth after gaining track position with the differing pit calls throughout the field.
Newman maintained the top-10 position at lap 45 and was 14th by the next yellow at lap 62. With less than 10 laps to the end of the opening stage, Newman wound up 20th at lap 75, and set himself up 15th for the second segment. A brief rain shower hovered over Loudon at lap 92 to bring the caution out but had little effect as the race went back green at lap 100, with Newman in 20th.
From there, two cautions came out at lap 171 and 178, before Newman went on to finish the stage in 16th, reporting he was lacking grip early in a run. After lining up 14th for the final segment at lap 191, a string of three yellows were displayed within a 20-lap period, as Newman hit pit road one final time for service at lap 205. The final 83 laps ran all green, as Newman finished the day 21st.
Next up, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway for a doubleheader next weekend, for a pair of 312-mile races on Saturday and Sunday. Race coverage Saturday begins at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN, while Sunday’s coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. ET. Both races can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.
