By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Ryan Newman had an adventurous day Sunday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. It was a day that started with optimism and ended with a costly mistake that ended his championship chase hard and fast.
Racing playoff contender Aric Almirola in the closing laps of the Bank of America Roval 400, Newman overcooked the backstretch chicane, hopping the curbs warranting a penalty from NASCAR for cutting the course.
The mistake threw Newman and his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford out of the top 12 advancement in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
“It was not the only mistake I made,” Newman said. “I felt like I made a lot of mistakes trying too hard. We did not have the racecar today, that’s what I had to do.”
Falling to a 32nd-place finish, Newman had an up-and-down day far before the final laps. Starting 24th, Newman fell behind on points at the end of Stage 1 when he failed to score a point.
And in the third and final stage, he was caught in a multi-car wreck in Turn 6. Suffering minor damage to set up the run to the end and the eventual playoffs-ending error.
“I felt like we were in position at one point and then I got to trying too hard to keep the No. 10 [Almirola] behind us and jumped the curbs,” he said. “That was unfortunate. No matter what, we’re still going to fight for fifth.”
Newman was also involved in an incident with Daniel Suarez with two laps to go, causing Suarez to crash with Daniel Hemric in the final corner.
“I missed the curbs there in the chicane and I was under the impression I had to do a stop-and-go [in Turn 17],” he said. “But then they said I had to do a pass-through because I didn’t get it that lap. I zigged, then zagged and I guess got him turned around. It was not intentional by any means. Whether he thought it was or didn’t, I didn’t really care.”
Following the tough day, Newman was thankful for the grit shown by his Roush team, as well as the family support on site in Charlotte in the form of his daughters Brooklyn and Ashlyn.
“I’m proud of everyone at Roush Fenway for the fight and opportunity they gave me,” he said. “We’re not done, we’re just out of it at this point.
“I didn’t carry the team on my back, we worked together. They carried me, I carried them at times. It was a team effort.
“It’s awesome to have [Brooklyn] here. That’s special to me to have her come out and be a part of this. It doesn’t make it all better, but it surely makes it better.”
At the thought of family, Newman was concerned about the high temperatures at Charlotte on Sunday, calling out the Speedway for the poor scheduling of the event.
“I wish NASCAR would take notice of the farmer’s almanac,” he said. “There isn’t going to be anybody sitting in the grandstands when it’s 95 degrees out. Re-schedule the races for when it’s seasonal. It’s not rocket science. Loudon, it was probably 65 degrees up there, people would’ve packed the stands. It’s an SMI track, it doesn’t make any sense.
“I would not bring my family to sit out here in 95-degree weather and bake in aluminum bleachers. I would not do it.”