WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (August 8, 2021) – Ryan Newman overcame an early spin Sunday afternoon at Watkins Glen International to finish 25th in the Socios Ford Mustang.
Newman – a 2005 winner at WGI in the Xfinity Series – began the day from the 28th position in NASCAR’s first race back from the two-week Olympic break. With no practice or qualifying for Sunday’s race, a competition caution was set for lap 10, with the stages running in two segments of 20 laps followed by the 50-lap finale.
Newman went for a spin early in the afternoon, but began fighting his way back through the field as he finished the first stage in 35th. The team short-pitted that stage break to set him up for the remainder of the second stage where he fought his way to just outside the top-10, and ultimately finished in 16th.
With solid track position in the Socios machine, Newman pitted one final time at lap 56 under green flag conditions, but was credited with a 25th-place finish after being forced to pit in the closing laps.
NASCAR returns to action next weekend at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with the Cup cars set to tackle the road course for the first time. The race is set for 1 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and can also be heard on MRN and SIriusXM Channel 90.