By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com

CONCORD, N.C. –When Jordan Anderson asked Ryan Newman if he would drive his truck in the NASCAR Camping World Series event at Eldora Speedway, the Indiana native agreed on one condition: He could come to the shop and work on his entry.

Anderson gladly obliged.

“To have him in the shop with us has been really cool,” Anderson said Tuesday. “I was a little nervous at first, but he’s a super laid back guy. He’s super smart. He knows a lot more than I could have ever imagined. So to have him helping us out and wrenching on the truck is really cool.”

It’s the first time Newman has competed at the half-mile dirt track since finishing third in NASCAR’s inaugural truck race in 2013. Newman said he hadn’t competed in the event since then because he just “never put a deal together to go back.”

“There are a lot of things that have happened in the sport since then with the spec motor deal and all of that stuff,” Newman said. “So I think we’ll have as good a shot as anybody to go up there and have a shot at the win.”

Anderson, who was a Newman fan as a youngster, said preparing for the July 18 Eldora race was an opportunity for him to learn.

“We’re a six-month-old team and we’re still in the growing stages,” Anderson continued. “He’s (Newman) offered me a lot of wisdom that I think is going to help us in the long run. He’s been super humble about the whole deal.”

Anderson noted an Eldora victory by Newman would put his young team into the Camping World Truck Series owner playoffs.

“For a first-year team, that would be pretty cool,” said Anderson, who owns four trucks.

The truck’s primary sponsor is VRX, a virtual reality experience that Newman said would provide everyone with a better understanding of what drivers experience in a race car.

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