MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Ryan Newman will pull double duty during the upcoming Bristol Motor Speedway dirt weekend by attempting to qualify for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on March 27.
Newman confirmed during a teleconference Wednesday that he’ll attempt to qualify a Truck owned by Brad Means at Bristol.
“It’s his first go-round in ownership and the dirt race at Bristol has a lot of opportunity, at least in my eyes, and obviously his to have some experience and start what potentially could be something bigger for him,” Newman said.
Means is no stranger to motorsports. He’s the son of veteran driver and team owner Jimmy Means and previously worked at Richard Childress Racing.
The Ford F-150 truck Newman will drive will carry the No. 39 with sponsorship from Coca-Cola and Aggressive Hydraulics.
“I’m really proud to announce that Coca-Cola and Aggressive Hydraulics, both have been long-term sponsors of mine, are on board the truck,” Newman said. “It is a Ford. The number is 39, so it’s kind of a retro throwback for me personally.”
Newman is one of several NASCAR Cup Series regulars who have announced plans to compete in the Truck Series race on March 27. He’ll be joined by Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Chase Briscoe and Kyle Larson.
Newman has previous experience racing on dirt in the Truck Series. He competed in two Truck Series events at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, earning a best finish of third in 2013.
“I think it’s gonna be a situation where there will be times the track has a lot of grip and there will be times where it slicks off, and there’s a chance that it might rubber up,” Newman said when asked what style of racing he expects from the half-mile dirt oval. “I’ve seen that in the past at the truck race at Eldora, so not knowing what the track prep is gonna be like, how the track is gonna take rubber, our conditions for sunlight and stuff like that that contribute to it taking rubber on Sunday are all factors. I don’t think there’s any divine knowledge of what it’s gonna be like, but I can guarantee you one thing, it will go through some significant transitions compared to what we’re normally experiencing on pavement.”