DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – One day after saying he was ready to get back in a race car, Ryan Newman has been cleared for a return to competition by NASCAR.
The driver of the No. 6 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing announced during Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series broadcast that he was healthy and ready to return to competition following a violent wreck on the final lap of the Daytona 500 in February.
However, NASCAR responded with a statement indicating Newman had not yet been cleared for competition.
That changed late Monday afternoon when NASCAR announced Newman was officially cleared to return to action whenever NASCAR is able to resume its season. The NASCAR season has been on hold since early March due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Ryan Newman has been medically cleared to resume all racing activities,” a NASCAR spokesperson confirmed Monday afternoon.
Newman missed three races as a result of the crash at Daytona Int’l Speedway, with Ross Chastain piloting the No. 6 Ford in events at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., and Arizona’s Phoenix Raceway.