Will Ryan Newman Be Competitive with RWR?

Ryan Newman’s first NASCAR Cup Series race with Rick Ware Racing is at Darlington Raceway. Will he be competitive or will RWR continue to struggle?

Andrew Stoddard: RWR will benefit greatly from having a successful and seasoned veteran like Ryan Newman behind the wheel. He will contribute his decades of experience to help RWR improve and get more out of its equipment. With that said, even with Newman in the driver’s seat, RWR will continue to lag in the back half of the field. Newman has not raced since the end of the 2021 season, and his inexperience with the Next Gen car will show in the race’s early laps. Newman will do the best he can in an RWR Ford, finishing somewhere in the 20s at Darlington.

Taylor Kornhoff: RWR is at a considerable equipment deficiency, so I do not think Newman will do much of note. That said, I think he will bring a lot more to the ride and outrun the equipment more than Cody Ware, JJ Yeley or Brennan Poole could ever dream of doing. Beyond that, he will make lapping him a chore. The car will without a doubt perform better.

Mike Neff: It is RWR, it is not a competitive team, at least for wins. Newman will get the most out of the car and will still be difficult to pass, but he isn’t winning the race.

What is your favorite NASCAR throwback paint scheme?

Luken Glover: My favorite throwback is simple yet still a beauty. That would be Chase Elliott‘s throwback honoring his dad with the fire engine red No. 9. While it is throwing back to Bill Elliott, Kasey Kahne ran some races with the same scheme when the Ram logo and stripes weren’t on the car. As a little boy, it was that scheme that got me into NASCAR simply because I loved the color red. Seeing that Evernham-styled “flying 9” brings back some great memories. Behind that, my honorable mentions are William Byron‘s throwback to Jeff Gordon and Daniel Suarez‘s Quaker State throwback to Ricky Rudd.

Stoddard: When I first became a NASCAR fan in the early 2000s, one of the cars that stood out to me the most was that iconic Bill Elliott No. 9 Evernham Motorsports Dodge. It will be awesome to see Chase Elliott adorn his dad’s vintage red livery this weekend at Darlington. Kudos to Hendrick Motorsports for its attention to detail in this scheme, even getting the style of the car number right. Honorable mention to the throwback scheme on Aric Almirola’s No. 10 Ford honoring Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s noteworthy win in the 2001 Pepsi…