LAS VEGAS -- Ryan Newman announced on Twitter that he will not return to Richard Childress Racing after this season.
Newman, who did not make the playoffs this season, is in his fifth season at RCR. He has one victory (March 19, 2017 at Phoenix) and three playoff appearances ('14, ’15, ’17) in the No. 31 Chevrolet. Despite going winless, he finished runner-up to champion Kevin Harvick in the playoffs four years ago.
Newman posted in a tweet: “I’m not ready to announce my future plans at this time, but it is my full intention to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time in 2019 and beyond. We are currently working through the options for next season, and hopefully we will be able to announce those plans in the very near future.”
Car owner Richard Childress told NBC Sports he was not ready to name who would drive the No. 31 next year but said “he won’t be our driver next year. We’ll announce who our driver is in the near future.”
Newman, who is in his 17th full-time season, has 18 career Cup victories, including the 2008 Daytona 500.
He joins the expanding list of drivers with uncertain futures beyond 2018.
— Ryan Newman (@RyanJNewman) September 15, 2018