NASCAR
Ryan Newman Wins Tour Modified Race at North Wilkesboro
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. – In front of a sold out crowd, Ryan Newman took the first checkered flag in racing’s return to North Wilkesboro Speedway. The Indiana native and 18-time NASCAR Cup Series victor won a 50-lap Tour Modified show. Newman’s win kicks off a very busy few weeks in Wilkes County. North Wilkesboro will continue to host pavement racing all month long. Then in October, the famed short track will be turned to dirt, having a variety of different series.
“I drove past this place for years, just watching the trees grow up,” Newman said in victory lane. “I kept thinking ‘man that’s so depressing, because that’s a racetrack. It’s home to a lot of race fans.’ At one point, it was the pinnacle of NASCAR Cup racing in the area. I never thought that it would get resurrected the way it did. I even thought about it yesterday. This is literally the only thing you could ever thank COVID-19 for. If it wasn’t for COVID-19 and the funds that went into fixing all this back up, I don’t know if it ever would have happened. I don’t know many people or reasons to thank COVID-19, but this is sure one of them.”
“I’d say this is top-10,” Newman said on possibly ranking this victory against his past career accomplishments. “I haven’t won in a Modified in a really long time, so that was special itself. Being back at Wilkesboro, all the fans that were here tonight, I was shocked to see how many showed up. Just a really special night, can’t thank the Parsons family enough, I dedicate this win to them. They dedicated so much of their lives and time to this racetrack.”
The 50-lap feature saw Newman start fifth and only take over in the final six laps. He led Spencer Davis, Matt Hirschman, Ryan Preece, and Burt Myers to the checkered flag. A past NASCAR Rookie of the Year, Daytona 500 champion, and Brickyard 400 winner, Ryan Newman can now add his name to the legendary list of winners at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway will continue all month long, as a full schedule can be found at RaceXR.com.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Peter Stratta/TSJSports
