Car Racing Icon Ryan Newman was involved in a fiery crash Monday on the Daytona International Speedway at this year's Daytona 500.
Newman in his No. 6 Ford, held the lead as the field took the white flag. He got turned while racing for the win, slammed into the wall then flipped up and over landing on its roof. The No. 6 Ford flipped once again when Corey LaJoie’s Ford slammed into it.
He was unresponsive on his radio as medics removed him from his mangled car. Race personnel held up large black screens to block the crowd's view as he was stretchered into an ambulance.
Newman is recovering at Halifax Medical Center. Doctors say he is serious condition but not life threatening.
Ryan Blaney who's car bumped into Newman's before the crash seemed distraught in an interview. Describing the final moments of the race, he said “Yeah, we pushed Newman there to the lead and then we got a push from the 11 and made a move. Newman blocked it, I kind of went low and he blocked that.”
Blaney continued, “I was committed to pushing him to the win, try to have a ford win it and I don’t know, we got bumpers hooked up wrong and turned him. I hope he’s all right. That looked pretty bad.”
Denny Hamlin who won the race celebrated in Victory lane, unaware of the severity of Newman's crash.
Hamlin later tweeted
First a foremost I want to give well wishes and prayers to @RyanJNewman. I had absolutely NO IDEA of the severity of the crash until I got to victory lane. There’s very little communication after the finish and i had already unhooked my radio. It’s not anyone’s fault. 🙏Rocket.