This Week’s Liberty National Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Ryan Newman will make his 597th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start when he competes in the longest race of the season, the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night. In total at CMS, Newman has recorded runner-up finishes two times (fall, 2003; Coke 600, 2009) along with nine pole awards, five top-five, 15 top-10 finishes. The “Rocketman” has led 278 laps in competition. The South Bend, Indiana native has an average start of 9.5 and average finish of 17.7. When calculating points earned in the last 10 events at Charlotte, Newman ranks seventh in most points accumulated.
600 Miles of Remembrance … The No. 31 team will be honoring U.S. Navy HM1 Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman Ryan Lohrey. Lohrey, like Newman, was a native of Indiana and entered basic training in 2007. He deployed with 2d Reconnaissance Battalion and later with the 2d Raider Battalion and served in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq. Lohrey lost his life on July 10, 2017, along with his Marine Raider teammates in a place crash in Mississippi.
Liberty National … Ryan Newman, a Liberty National Life Insurance Company policyholder, will be behind the wheel of a Memorial Day themed Liberty National Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Liberty National has been in the insurance industry since 1900 and offers affordable life and supplemental health insurance to middle-income Americans through in-home and workplace sales. With local offices throughout the United States, Liberty National’s Agency Owners will be featured on the hood of the No. 31 car in each of its primary races. Liberty National, Ryan Newman, and Richard Childress Racing share an admiration and appreciation for veterans who have served to protect our country. Liberty National hires former military and is proud to have many veterans call Liberty National their career homes today. Visit LNLCareers.com/Atlanta to learn more about career opportunities with Liberty National.
Pole to Pole … Want to go fishing with Newman and then watch him compete Labor Day weekend? Register for your chance to win a fishing trip with the Cat® Racing driver along with a VIP experience in Darlington, S.C. Enter the Pole to Pole with Ryan Newman Sweepstakes: http://bit.ly/2GliiVw.
Meet Newman … On Wednesday, May 23, Newman will sign autographs at RCR’s Fan Appreciation Day at the RCR Museum in Welcome, N.C. at 11.a.m. with crew chief Luke Lambert. Thursday Newman is scheduled to sign autographs along with Austin and Ty Dillon and Richard Childress at Bass Pro Shops at 11 a.m. Bass Pro Shops is located at the Concord Mills Mall by the Speedway Blvd. exit off Interstate 85. If you are at the track on Sunday, Newman is scheduled to participate in a question and answer session on behalf of Coca-Cola Racing at the Pit Party Stage starting at 2:20 p.m. inside Turn 1. Fans will need to upgrade their race ticket to receive a Pit Party pass to attend. To upgrade, visit: http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/tickets/coca-cola-600/. At 2:45 p.m., he’ll stop by the Chevy Stage to greet fans as well.
Rescue Ranch Founder’s Dinner … Tickets are available now for the Rescue Ranch Founder’s Dinner. Join Krissie on June 7th for a fun evening highlighting the importance of agriculture in Iredell County and featuring fresh local food. To purchase tickets, visit: http://bit.ly/2KKbjc7.
RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:
What is the most important thing to get right for a chance to win the Coca-Cola 600?
“A lot about this race is speed and durability. It’s the longest race of the year, and everyone knows that. The track typically goes through a lot of changes over the course of the night. Keeping yourself in the game is really what it is all about. The last thing you want is a bad pit stop under green. Things like that that will put you a lap down and pretty much out of the race. It’s really similar to how you race the Daytona 500. It’s all about keeping all the simple things in check, but you also must have a fast race car to be there in the end.”
What is the most challenging aspect of this race?
“The challenge for the Coca-Cola 600 is predicting how the track well change, how the temperature fluctuations, how will the grip move around. It’s a crap shoot so-to-speak on predicting what changes are going to happen throughout the night and the team that’s able to anticipate and stay ahead of the curve best will be tough to beat.”
How hard is it to stay focused for 600 miles?
“The stages definitely help break things up. It’s a long race both physically and mentally. It’s the toughest race we have. Physically you must be hydrated properly because if it is hot out, it tough to have that much fluid to be that warm for that long. When your physical parts start to fail, your mental well-being shortly follows because you start worrying about things and losing focus is not what you want to happen when you are going 200 miles-per-hour.”