Ross Chastain to Fill in For No. 6 Team While Ryan Newman Recovers

Ryan Newman was released from the Halifax Medical Center on Wednesday following a spectacular crash in Monday’s Daytona 500, but he will not race this weekend in Las Vegas Motor Speedway as he continues to heal from injuries sustained in the crash.

Roush Fenway Racing has tabbed Ross Chastain to fill-in for Newman beginning this weekend at Las Vegas.

This officially ends a streak of 649 consecutive starts that Newman has made in the NASCAR Cup Series since 2002 — his rookie season.

“First and foremost, our focus remains with Ryan and his family as he continues to recover,” said Roush Fenway president Steve Newmark in a team statement. “We also want to express our sincere gratitude to all of those who have offered support and taken the time to send their thoughts and prayers to Ryan, his family and everyone at Roush Fenway Racing”.

“The NASCAR community has long prided itself on being a close-knit family,” added Newmark. “That is never more evident than during these types of moments, and we want to express our appreciation to everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing as well as Kaulig Racing for allowing Ross to fill in for Ryan in the No. 6 on such short notice.”

Chastain, 27, has won at LVMS in the past. His first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win in 2018 came at the 1.5-mile speedway in Sin City.

The Florida-native has one top-10 finish in 72 previous NASCAR Cup Series starts. Chastain competed in the Daytona 500 last week driving the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports through a partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Chastain also drives part-time for Niece Motorsports in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Series and he is running for the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in Kaulig Racing’s No. 10 entry.

Roush Fenway Racing states that no official timeline has been announced for Newman’s return and that additional information will be released when it becomes available.