SRX: Newman schools Marco Andretti at Stafford Springs

After biding his time and making his way up to third in the closing laps, Ryan Newman passed Marco Andretti for the lead with six laps to go and drove away to win at Stafford Motor Speedway. Newman’s win was not only his first SRX victory, but it also marked his first win in a major race since his last NASCAR Cup Series win at Phoenix in March 2017.

Newman’s victory was an emotional one for both the 44-year old from South Bend, Ind., and his two daughters at his side.

“To have these two girls right here, nobody knows what that means to me,” Newman told CBS Sports. “I got choked up the last couple of laps, and then seeing the smile on their faces kind of took the tears away. But they’re still there. It’s so special.

“So proud to be a part of driving with the best drivers in the world, and to be victorious is extremely special.”

Newman spent much of the 75-lap main event lurking toward the front of the field as much of the race turned into a battle between Marco Andretti and Tony Stewart. Finally getting an opportunity to restart on the inside row for the final 10-lap run to the finish, Newman made his way past Stewart on the final restart before making a power move to the inside of Andretti for the lead, holding his ground even as Andretti tried to pinch the bottom groove away.

For Andretti, it marked the second week in a row that he came up short despite contending for the win. However, the third-generation Andretti’s performances both at South Boston and Stafford have left him feeling confident about the second half of the season.

“I’m just learning so much from these Cup guys. They’re just too good in these types of cars,” Andretti told CBS Sports. “I’m slowly learning, slowly putting it together. I think if I can just keep finishing where I’m at in the heats, it gives me good enough track position to run at the front in these races.

“Hopefully, I can put one together before the end of the year and try to win the championship.”

SRX at Stafford results