Photo Credit: Noel Lanier
This weekend’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is like coming home for Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 31 Grainger Chevrolet, as he is a native of South Bend, Indiana.
“It’s just a great opportunity,” he said. “I look forward to being back home again in Indiana and having an opportunity to race or that Brickyard trophy and kiss those bricks.”
Newman, whose last win the The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series came back in 2013 at IMS for the Brickyard 400, will try to get a win at what is essentially his home track.
“This is a sport where only the strong survive,” he said. “The Strongest have the best change to get to Victory Lane. We will see how strong we are.”
It will have it’s challenges, though, as beyond the competition, this weekend the drivers will have to compete with extreme heat with temperatures predicted to be in the 90’s
“Go faster,” he laughed. “Just be hydrated is the most important thing, because if your body physically starts to lock up then your mind goes right behind it. So, being hydrated is super important and just getting the hot sorts off you.
“In other words making sure your feet don’t get hot, make sure your shifter handle is not hot, make sure the bottom of your seat is not hot, those type of things. Those hot spots can kind of distract your mind”
