In similar fashion to his first Camping World SRX Series victory at Stafford Motor Speedway in 2022, Ryan Newman didn’t make his presence known at the front of the field until the closing stages of Thursday’s 80-lap feature race.
Driving the No. 39 South Point-sponsored entry, Newman was able to take advantage of the misfortune of 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan on a late-race restart, to put himself in the perfect position to score his second win in the Superstar Racing Experience.
However, after Kanaan lost brakes on the No. 66 Purdue University entry heading into the first corner, causing him to slam into the outside wall, the late-race restart left the part-time NASCAR Cup Series driver to duel with Daniel Suarez.
The South Bend, Indiana-native was able to quickly grab the lead on the restart, and slowly began to move himself away from the remainder of the pack, to score the victory in the series’ second event of the 2023 season at the half-mile Connecticut facility.
At the end of the 80-lap feature, Newman was able to have a lead of three-quarters of a second established over fellow Cup Series competitor Daniel Suarez, who had an excellent run on debut in the Camping World SRX Series.
Marco Andretti rebounded from a difficult start to the 80-lap feature to round out the podium, while Ken Schrader and Greg Biffle completed the top five. Biffle made the rebound from starting 13th in the event, after crashing in the first heat and going to a backup car.
Bobby Labonte was sixth, while Tony Stewart, Hailie Deegan, Kenny Wallace, and Brad Keselowski completed the top-10. Paul Tracy, Tony Kanaan, and Ryan Preece all failed to finish the race, scoring results of 11th through 13th.
Preece, who was a last-minute addition to the Superstar Racing Experience field for Thursday’s second of six events on the schedule, earned the pole for the feature race as a result of top-five finishes in both heat races.
The NASCAR Cup Series driver used his home track advantage to set the pace throughout the event, leading the vast majority of laps ahead of drivers like Daniel Suarez, and Tony Kanaan.
However, while leading, the brakes on Preece’s No. 41 Haas Automation-sponsored entry vanished, causing the Xfinity and Truck Series winner to miss the corner, losing the lead, and hitting the outside wall. Preece would be forced to park his bright orange entry after only 65 of 80 scheduled laps and handed the lead to Tony Kanaan.
Leaving Stafford Motor Speedway (hopefully for the final time in 2023), Ryan Newman surges to the lead in the Camping World SRX Series point standings, holding a 14-point lead over second-place driver Marco Andretti, the series’ defending champion.
Paul Tracy sits third in points, while Ken Schrader and Bobby Labonte occupy the top-five positions. Of the full-time drivers, Tony Stewart, Hailie Deegan, and Brad Keselowski sit sixth through eighth place.
Up next for the Camping World SRX Series is a trip to Motor Mile Speedway, which will take place on Thursday, July 27th, 2023. Coverage for the event will take place as part of ESPN’s Thursday Night Thunder at 9:00PM ET.
