The last time Ryan Newman raced in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was on his way to his second consecutive title before starting a Cup Series career that has spanned eleven seasons, while Newman was in his eleventh year as a Cup full-timer. A decade later, now a part-time driver looking for occasional racing opportunities, he will enter the Xfinity race at Homestead-Miami Speedway for MBM Motorsports, driving the #66 Ford Mustang.
Newman’s most recent Xfinity start was a thirteenth at Texas in 2012, when the championship was still called the Nationwide Series. He has seven wins in the series, six of which came in a seven-start stretch in 2005 including the season finale at Homestead.
While he never won at Homestead at the Cup level, he has five top tens. The best was a runner-up in 2014 en route to a second-place championship finish despite going winless.
“Homestead is one of my favorite tracks on the schedule. From being able to rip the fence to having to manage tire wear, the track suits my driving style perfectly,” driver Ryan Newman said. “My goal is to give Carl (Long), MBM Motorsports and their partners a fantastic run and hopefully end the evening in Victory Lane.”
After departing what is now RFK Racing at the end of 2021, Newman has mostly focused on grassroots modified racing and the Superstar Racing Experience, winning the latter’s 2023 SRX title. He also returned to NASCAR and has run five Cup races for Rick Ware Racing.
MBM’s #66 is fortieth in owner points with Caesar Bacarella, Chad Finchum, Mason Filippi, Timmy Hill, Leland Honeyman Jr., Sage Karam, Cameron Lawrence, Mason Maggio, Will Rodgers, and Dexter Stacey having had seat time. However, the car has struggled as it failed to qualify in twelve of its twenty-three entries, often by the slimmest margins.
“I have known Ryan since his rookie season in the Cup Series and when the opportunity presented itself to have him join us in Miami, it was a no brainer to elevate our organisation,” added Long.
