Daytona 500

Ryan Newman Awake, Speaking After Horrific Daytona 500 Crash

Bump drafting at 200 mph is a delicate maneuver, and a few inches can turn victory into chaos

Ryan Newman (6) goes airborne after crashing with Corey LaJoie (32) during the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race Monday, Feb. 17, 2020, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. A statement from NASCAR said Newman's injuries, although serious, was not life threatening.
Chris O'Meara/AP

NASCAR driver Ryan Newman is awake and speaking with family and doctors a day after his horrific crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500.

Roush Fenway Racing released an update on its driver Tuesday, about 20 hours after 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.

Everyone watching feared the worst Monday night and had to wait nearly two hours to learn that Newman's injuries were not considered life-threatening. The latest update was more good news for the 42-year driver and 2008 Daytona 500 champion.

In this Feb. 17, 2020, file photo, Ryan Newman, driver of the #6 Koch Industries Ford, flips over as he crashes during the NASCAR Cup Series 62nd Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Ryan Newman, driver of the #6 Koch Industries Ford, flips over as he crashes during the NASCAR Cup Series 62nd Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Newman turned hard into the wall after getting bumped from behind by Ryan Blaney a few hundred feet from the finish line. Newman's No. 6 Ford then flipped onto its roof, where he was helpless as he was walloped in the driver's side by another car at 190 mph.

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 Newman loose. It took about 8 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. 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.

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Nineteen years later, it's clear that Earnhardt's death probably saved Newman's life. 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.

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