On Monday, Feb. 17, Ryan Newman, who has participated in racing for 27 years, was involved in one of the worst crashes in NASCAR history.
Newman, 42 was racing in the Daytona 500 in Florida at the International Speedway. On the final lap, he bumped into the wall close to the finish line. Newman’s Ford flipped through the air several times and scraped the track, filling the air with sparks.
Another longtime driver, Corey LaJoie, was blinded by smoke from the accident and slammed into Newman’s car at full speed, launching his vehicle over the finish line on its roof.
Denny Hamlin took home the trophy by a .014 second margin.
The accident caused no fatalities. Newman was brought to the Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach where his injuries were not life threatening.
Newman was released from the hospital early Wednesday morning. His racing team, Roush Fenway, posted a picture of Newman holding his daughters hands walking out of the hospital. They said that he was showing “great improvement” and “fully alert and walking around.”
This was the first major crash since 2001, which took Dale Earnhardst’s life on the same track exactly 19 years ago.
The crash raised new safety concerns and led to installation of a new system which will hold the driver’s head in place to reduce the likelihood of injuries. An upgraded harness with stronger straps to reduce side to side movement will now be required as well.
The next race to the cup is, The Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube. The race will be held on Sunday at 3:30pm at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
