On one hand, a trio of NASCAR Cup Series stars is set to kick off the 2026 racing season under the lights in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, and Ty Gibbs returning to the Tulsa Shootout feels like business as usual for an event that has long blurred the line between grassroots racing and elite stardom. But on the other hand, Tulsa has also become something else entirely.

It’s a proving ground, a rite of passage, and sometimes, a deeply personal milestone for a lot of newcomers. That’s where this story shifts gears. Behind the headlines and horsepower, a NASCAR icon has revealed that his daughter’s long-awaited Tulsa debut came with one firm, non-negotiable condition.

A father’s promise turns into a Tulsa moment

For NASCAR legend Ryan Newman, Tulsa isn’t just another race on the calendar. It’s the payoff of a deal made at home, built on work ethic, patience, and trust. Speaking about how his daughter earned her spot at one of dirt racing’s most intimidating events, Newman laid it out plainly:

“Worked really hard and she was like ‘Dad, I want to go to Tulsa.’ I said we have a good year. I’ll take you to Tulsa, so here we are in Tulsa and it’s the end of the year. So we’ll see how we finish up.”

That condition – have a good year first – says everything about how Newman views racing, especially when it comes to family. This wasn’t a favor or a shortcut. It was a reward.

Brooklyn Newman has been steadily building her résumé long before Tulsa entered the picture. Behind the wheel of the No. 52 car, she competes across multiple disciplines, including Outlaw Dirt Intermediate, Winged Micro, and 602 Modified classes. Known for her fearless approach and adaptability, she’s drawn attention for how quickly she reads track conditions and responds mid-race. These are traits that don’t come easily, especially at her age.

Her momentum carried into July 2025, when she raced at Lancaster Speedway during the Nitro to NASCAR Weekend. Sharing the stage with her father, Brooklyn made her debut in the Sportsman A Feature for the Insinger Performance/VP Race Fuels Sportsman A class, finishing a respectable 11th against seasoned competition. It was another checkpoint passed, another sign that her development wasn’t theoretical. Rather, it was real.

Now, the spotlight shifts indoors. Brooklyn is set to make her Tulsa Shootout debut in Race 67 of the Outlaw micro sprint class. Confidence is already building. “We had a pretty fast car. I’m excited,” she said ahead of the event. For Ryan Newman, the nerves aren’t the story. The journey is. And for Brooklyn, Tulsa isn’t a gift; it’s the next step she earned.

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A measuring stick waiting in eight laps

That perspective carried straight into the way Ryan Newman framed Brooklyn’s first real Tulsa test. For him, the debut in the heat race wasn’t about trophies or headlines. It was about context. About lining up next to the right names and understanding what the bar actually looks like inside the Expo Center.

“Daison Pursley’s in her heat race, right? So, like, if you can beat him, you’ve done something right. No matter if he starts last, you’ve done something still in eight laps. So hopefully, that race goes well for her.”

That isn’t casual praise. Pursley has quietly become one of the most reliable benchmarks in the building. Over his last five Tulsa Shootout appearances, he’s qualified for 14 feature events, stacked up five top-five finishes, and hovered painfully close to the top step more times than he’d like to admit. The Golden Driller (the prize every dirt racer circles on the calendar) has remained just out of reach.

That sting followed him from the Tulsa Shootout to the Chili Bowl Nationals, where he finished runner-up to Kyle Larson last year. For an Oklahoma native, it only sharpened the hunger. Winning a Golden Driller at the Expo Center has now become personal. This week, with CB Industries backing him, he’s chasing that moment again.

For Brooklyn Newman, that makes the assignment clear. She isn’t racing the building, the noise, or the history. She’s racing a driver who represents exactly where elite dirt competition lives right now. And in Tulsa, even eight laps against that kind of standard can tell you everything about where a young racer truly stands.