During his time in the NASCAR Cup Series, Ryan Newman managed to take home a grandfather clock from Martinsville Speedway once, doing so in 2012 after capitalizing on a late restart crash involving Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer.
Newman is set to pursue another grandfather clock at Martinsville on Thursday evening, this time piloting the iconic No. 4 Mystic Missile Modified.
The season-ending Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET on FloRacing) will be Newman’s fourth start this year in the Mystic Missile, which is now owned by veteran driver Tim Connolly. Although he has not yet placed inside the top 10 with Connolly, Newman is confident he will be competitive against the title contenders and series regulars.
Mods at Martinsville: How to watch | Entry list | Championship scenarios“I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” Newman said. “We’ve had good speed at times with the No. 4 car, but we have zero results to prove for any of it. Our goal is to end the season on a good note. Martinsville [Speedway] is a good track for Modified racing, so we’ll see what we can pull off.”
When Newman made his first Modified Tour start in 2008 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, it did not take long for him to fit into the series’ competitive culture. He led 28 laps that day before a crash took him out of the race with 14 laps remaining.
Since then, Newman has continued to make infrequent appearances on the Modified Tour nearly every year, earning four victories during that stretch that includes a clean sweep of the three races he entered in 2010. Newman’s commitment to Modified competition also extends to the southeast, where he now races full-time.
[caption id="attachment_492566" align="alignnone" width="1300"]Newman's passion for Modifieds stems from the simplicity and competitive nature of the discipline. Modified events always pose fun challenges for Newman, who said the cars perfectly represent everything he enjoys about motorsports in general.
“I just like the cars,” Newman said. “I think they are really fun to drive. There’s a lot of really good, quality racing, and nobody complains about being aero tight, track position, horsepower or whatever else. It’s the right design, and it has been the right design for a really long time. The recipe is close to ideal for the performance of a racing car.”
Being around so many figures within the Modified community has allowed Newman to familiarize himself with the discipline’s lore. This includes the history of the Mystic Missile, a car that won championships with Donny Lia and Bobby Santos III while under the ownership of Robert Garbarino.
The current owner of the Mystic Missile, Connolly, won in the car seven times during his career and piloted it to a second-place points finish in the 1997 Modified Tour campaign. Newman’s own journey into the Mystic Missile started when he reached out to Connolly about running his car at Stafford, which blossomed into a part-time effort.
In his three Modified Tour races with Connolly so far, Newman believes the speed has been prevalent in the Mystic Missile despite poor showings. Two strong runs at North Wilkesboro Speedway and Richmond Raceway were undone due to crashes, while a tire issue hindered Newman at New York's Lancaster Motorplex.
Newman is determined to put together a strong showing in the Mystic Missile at Martinsville, a track where he knows how to win. Just like with the Cup Series, Newman said the key to finding success around Martinsville starts with a solid qualifying effort and figuring out how to maintain track position until the checkered flag.
[caption id="attachment_492565" align="alignnone" width="1300"]One variable different from Newman’s Martinsville Cup Series win is that he will be racing amidst the ongoing NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship battle between Austin Beers and Justin Bonsignore. Having participated in many Cup Series playoff races at Martinsville, Newman knows how to find a balance between being respectful and aggressive.
“We have to be considerate of the guys who are racing for a championship,” Newman said. “There’s some guys who are going to be racing hard and have the potential to drive over their heads to try and make something to win a championship. It doesn’t really matter where you’re at; you just have to be mindful of where everyone else is at the same time.”
Newman feels the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 presents one of his best opportunities to win a Modified Tour race in recent years. Along with having many crew members from the south accompanying him to Martinsville, the Mystic Missile is also fully sponsored courtesy of Bobcat, USNE, Finzer Roller, Montrose Molders, Keydisplay and Ellery’s Pub.
If Newman does prevail Thursday night, it would be his first Modified Tour victory since 2011 at Bristol Motor Speedway. He wants to join the elite list of winners in the Mystic Missile and prove to everyone the iconic car can still triumph on such a big stage.
“[A win would] be pretty special because of the lack of success this year even though we’ve had speed at times,” Newman said. “Ultimately, this is about going up [to Martinsville] with another opportunity with a good car and good everything else. We’ll see how it shakes out.”
Much has changed for Newman since he grabbed his lone Martinsville win of any kind more than a decade ago, but the seasoned veteran has found a home in the Modified discipline. He is ready to notch another Modified Tour victory not just for himself, but for one of the series’ most cherished cars.