Ryan Newman is able to return to racing when NASCAR resumes
.JPG "Ryan Newman stands on pit road after his run during NASCAR auto race qualifying at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)")
The NASCAR season started off with a terrifying bang when No. 6 driver Ryan Newman was involved in a violent crash at the Daytona 500. Following Newman’s miraculous recovery, the coronavirus pandemic worsened, forcing NASCAR to postpone its season through at least mid-May.
Now, Newman is able to return to the sport only having missed three races. When asked by FOX Sports broadcaster Mike Joy during Sunday’s virtual Talladega race, Newman confirmed his plan to return to racing when the sport resumes, which could be as early as May 17.
“That’s the absolute plan for sure, yeah,” Newman said. “I’m healthy. I’ve been blessed with another layer of this situation giving me more time to heal and looking forward to being back in the seat for sure.”
Newman said in March that he was knocked unconscious during the crash, and suffered a head injury that was “basically like a bruised brain.” On Monday, NASCAR announced Newman was medically cleared to resume all racing activities, meaning he can return to full-time racing as soon as the sport does.
Many speculated that Ross Chastain, who was driving the No. 6 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing in place of Newman, would move to Chip Ganassi Racing after the team terminated its relationship with No. 42 driver Kyle Larson a few weeks ago.
On Monday, however, CGR announced that former Cup champion and retired driver Matt Kenseth, 48, will run the No. 42 car when the season resumes. The simultaneous return of both Newman and Kenseth will generate some hype around NASCAR’s restart.
This story was originally published April 26, 2020 at 1:43 PM.
