NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman traded his firesuit for a baseball uniform on Tuesday evening at Kauffman Stadium. Newman had the special opportunity to promote the upcoming races at Kansas Speedway by throwing out the first pitch and taking batting practice before the Royals game.
Newman, shown in the video below, threw a pretty good first pitch for a racecar driver! Though we hope he doesn’t quit his job as a racer!
He’s got speed & a great arm! ? First pitch from @RyanJNewman. pic.twitter.com/CsQIDjiTYD
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) September 27, 2016
Royals manager Ned Yost is a huge fan of NASCAR. Yost and Dale Earnhardt Sr. had a very close friendship growing up as the two would take numerous hunting trips and would occasionally hang out at the races. Yost holds some incredible stories involving he and Earnhardt over the years.
The night was a very special night for the Royals as they celebrated Ewing Kauffman’s 100th birthday. Kauffman, the founder of the Royals, died on August 1, 1993 due to bone cancer. The special night got even better as the Royals went on to beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 in extras. The game ended when Billy Burns hit a sacrifice fly that scored Raul Mondesi in the bottom of the 11th.
Newman goes into Dover International Speedway looking to play spoiler as he just missed the Chase. The Indiana native enters the weekend with one top five and eight top 10 finishes. His last Sprint Cup Series victory came at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2013.
About Me: Brett has been following the sport of NASCAR since the beginning of the 2006 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Since Brett was 13, he has had a passion of chasing a job in sports that not many get the opportunity of doing. He has been in the NASCAR media since the middle of the 2010 season. Since then, he has been a part of many racing podcast shows to improve his talents. He has written for racingonfuel.com and theracingwheel.com. Currently, Brett writes for motorsportsnat.com and TracksideChatter.com. You can find him on twitter @NASCAR_Brett.
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