FORT WORTH (Oct. 28, 2020) – After a weather delay lasting more than 72 hours, the NASCAR Cup Series was able to return to the track for a rare Wednesday night finish in Texas. With the teams finally able to complete the scheduled 500-mile event, Ryan Newman navigated the Guaranteed Rate Ford to a solid 19th-place finish.
The race got underway just past 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday afternoon in its scheduled slot. However, following 52 laps of green flag racing, a light mist set in that postponed the rest of the action for the day. Despite multiple attempts to restart Monday and Tuesday the mist never left the Fort Worth area, ultimately pushing the resumption of the race to Wednesday when the field took the green again just after 5 p.m. ET.
Newman fired off 25th in his Ford Mustang on Sunday, but quickly improved, getting up to 18th after the competition caution at lap 21. Roughly 10 laps later, the mist began, resulting in multiple cars spinning out on track, before NASCAR threw the yellow at lap 43, and eventual red at lap 52.
Once the action picked back up on Wednesday, Newman stayed on track for the immediate yellow that was displayed, setting him up 19th for the restart at lap 56. A pair of quick cautions followed just after, before Newman finished the stage 22nd.
Battling unstable handling conditions, Newman restarted 20th for the second 105-lap stage before the yellow came out 23 laps into the run, with the veteran running 23rd. After a solid stop on pit road, Newman gained five positions to set him up 18th for the ensuing restart.
After a strategy call well into the stage for two left-side tires, Newman went on to finish 23rd for the second stage and was the recipient of the free pass to get back on the lead lap. He would pit for two right-side tires prior to the start of the final stage at lap 213, lining up 23rd at lap 216.
With varying strategies in play, Newman hit pit road one final time at lap 276 for one final fill-up on fuel and tires, with the rest of the race going green, as he finished 19th.
Newman and the No. 6 team return to the track in just a few days at Martinsville Speedway. Race coverage on Sunday begins at 2 p.m. ET on NBC. Coverage can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.
