Ross Chastain is revving up for his first race in the No. 6 car as Ryan Newman‘s replacement. On Friday, Chastain embarked on a practice run in the vehicle and Roush Fenway Racing documented the 27-year-old racer pulling out of the garage at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and onto the track. The clip has already been watched 28,400 times since it was shared on Twitter.
The @WyndhamRewards Mustang heads out for its first laps with @RossChastain behind the wheel pic.twitter.com/g5W1HcHTcH
— Roush Fenway (@roushfenway) February 21, 2020
The replies to the video are a filled with excited comments and well wishes for Newman, is recovering at home in the wake of a rough crash during the last lap of the Daytona 500 Monday night.
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“Be safe out there,” one fan wrote. “I have loved that # 6 since I was young and Mark Martin drove it. Pretty car!”
“Awesome! I cant wait to see what a great job hes (sic) going to do!” a second Twitter user wrote. “I also cant wait see when not if [Ryan Newman] is back in a car.”
“Good luck this weekend guys!” a third wrote. “The car is in good hands with [Ross Chastain]
behind the wheel.”
“Still has Ryan’s name on there…awesome!” another wrote.
“Love the sound of compression and camshaft overlap, can almost smell the racing fuel from the sound,” a fifth wrote.
Chastain’s position as the No. 6 car seems to be temporary, but there is “no timetable” for Newman’s return. The young driver is filling the spot after Roush Fenway struck a deal with the other teams Chastain currently has racing agreements with.
“First and foremost, our focus remains with Ryan and his family as he continues to recover,” said Steve Newmark, Roush Fenway’s president, in a release. “We also want to express our sincere gratitude to all of those who have offered support and taken the time to send their thoughts and prayers to Ryan, his family and everyone at Roush Fenway Racing.
“The NASCAR community has long prided itself on being a close-knit family. That is never more evident than during these types of moments, and we want to express our appreciation to everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing as well as Kaulig Racing for allowing Ross to fill in for Ryan in the No. 6 on such short notice.”
On Twitter, Chastain, himself, added, “No one could ever take the place of Ryan Newman on the track, and I can’t wait to have him back,” Chastain wrote. “As we continue to pray for a full and speedy recovery, I’ll do my best to make him and everyone at Roush Fenway Racing proud.”
