NASCAR retiree, Ryan Newman, is coming back to the racetrack in a few weeks. The return of Newman will feature the Daytona 500 winner stepping into the RAM/Kaulig Racing No. 25 ‘Free Agent’ truck at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The race Newman will run is the NASCAR Truck Series’ FaithFest 250, presented by Mercer Transportation. They will go green on Friday, July 18.
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Newman will make his first start in any NASCAR race since 2023, which he last ran for Rick Ware Racing. Newman will make his first Truck Series start since 2018, which he raced at Eldora Speedway for Jordan Anderson Racing.
Ryan Newman Returns to NASCAR
Ryan Newman in the Truck Series at Eldora Speedway. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
Newman has never formally retired from NASCAR, but he has largely stepped away. In 2020, Newman endured a brutal wreck at the Daytona 500 in which he was leading on the final lap. Ryan Blaney was the man who went into the rear of Newman upon tight superspeedway racing. The non-malicious act caused Newman to turn a hard right into the SAFER barrier. Newman’s car flipped, and while it was on its roof, he was struck again by Corey LaJoie.
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The accident caused Newman to miss about 3 months of racing. He returned in May of 2020 at Darlington Raceway. Much of this delay of return was due to COVID-19 restrictions on racing, which put the season on hold.
Newman’s 2020 season ended with 33 races run and only 2 top-10 finishes. Fast forward to 2021, Newman would exit Roush-Fenway Racing at the end of the season. Newman returned for 8 races with Rick Ware Racing in 2023, and that has been all that has been seen of Newman in NASCAR since.
The veteran has remained heavily involved in racing, recently competing in the Whelen and SMART Modified Tours.
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Recently, Newman’s Daytona 500-winning paint scheme was honored by Ryan Blaney, who raced the scheme at Pocono Raceway on June 14.
RAM Trucks Gives Newman a Shot at Victory Lane
Newman will be the latest driver to step into the RAM No. 25 ‘Free Agent’ truck. In promotion of RAM’s return to NASCAR, they have rotated drivers week by week in this truck.
The best finish that any driver has had in the No. 25 was AJ Allmendinger, who finished in 6th place at Watkins Glen. The only other top-10 finish was at the hands of Colin Braun at St. Petersburg. The best oval finish for the ‘Free Agent’ Truck was 11th place, achieved by Ty Dillon at Atlanta and Parker Kligerman at Texas.
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Over the past 4 months, an array of big-name drivers have taken to the role. Tony Stewart drove at Daytona, finishing in 36th after a wreck. Clint Bowyer drove at Dover, finishing in 29th. Travis Pastrana ran at Charlotte, finishing 21st, and Jamie McMurray attempted a good result last week at San Diego, finishing in 34th.
Newman will have his hands full at North Wilkesboro. A win is a long shot, given the team’s results to date. Nonetheless, a top-10 finish is not out of the question as RAM hopes to give this truck its first oval top-10 of the season.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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