NASCAR driver Ryan Newman in serious condition after crash on final lap of Daytona 500
Ryan Newman remains hospitalized after disaster struck his Mustang in wild finish to the Daytona 500; Phil Keating reports from Miami.
NASCAR driver Ryan Newman survived a horrific crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500 Monday night.
Newman’s car slammed into the wall at nearly 200 mph, flipped, got T-boned by another car, flipped several more times and skidded to a halt in flames.
Here is more about the 42-year-old driver and 2008 Daytona 500 champion.
DENNY HAMLIN WINS THIRD DAYTONA 500; RYAN NEWMAN HOSPITALIZED IN FIERY WRECK AT FINISH
SURVIVAL
Newman’s car continued to skid upside down along the speedway and crossed the finish line in flames as safety crews hurried to snuff out the fire and cut “Rocketman” loose. It took about eight minutes for workers to roll his car right-side up, and medical personnel used black screens to block spectator views as Newman was placed in a waiting ambulance and taken to Halifax Medical Center.
A sense of relief spread across Daytona International Speedway after the crash Monday night.
There has not been a fatality in NASCAR’s elite Cup Series since Dale Earnhardt died in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
Nineteen years later, it’s clear that Earnhardt’s death probably saved Newman’s life.
Ryan Newman makes adjustments in his car during a NASCAR auto race practice at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
NASCAR spent the last two decades working to improve safety regulations by installing energy-absorbing walls around tracks, mandating the use of head-and-neck restraints attached to helmets and continuing to make improvements to the cars.
NASCAR has declined in popularity since the safety changes that followed Earnhardt’s death, almost falling back to its roots as a regional sport.
Newman’s crash surely will elicit calls for NASCAR to do even more.
CONTROVERSY
Newman, an Indiana native who graduated with an engineering degree from Purdue, has been a harsh critic of NASCAR’s struggles to keep cars on the racing surface, even getting fined for public comments the sanctioning body considered negative.
In 2010, he said fans shouldn’t even go to the track to see races at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
Ryan Newman climbs in his car during a NASCAR auto race practice at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Newman had escaped several scary wrecks at Daytona and Talladega over the years. His car went airborne, flipped repeatedly and landed on its roof in the 2003 Daytona 500. He had a similar crash-landing at Talladega in 2009.
His latest one will go down in Daytona history along with Austin Dillon’s memorable crash into the catch fence on the final lap of the 2015 July race at Daytona. His car went airborne and tore down part of the fence and injured several fans. The car, with its engine already resting on another part of the track, ended up on its roof and then was smashed into by Brad Keselowski’s car. Dillon remarkably walked away unscathed.
FAMILY
The father of two daughters recently announced his separation from wife Krissie after 16 years of marriage.
"We will continue to jointly raise our girls, while remaining friends and continuing to work together supporting Rescue Ranch," he wrote just four days before the fiery crash, mentioning his animal welfare work. "Thank you for the years of support and friendship. We ask that (our) daughters' privacy be respected at this time."
Right before the race Monday night, his estranged wife tweeted about the family affair: "I am," she said about watching the race. "Would love to see my girls in [Victory Lane] but always praying for a safe race."
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.