NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney is speaking out after a scary Daytona 500 crash sent fellow Ford driver Ryan Newman to the hospital Monday, explaining that bumping Newman’s car on the right while pushing for first on the final lap was a completely unintentional move.
“I thought I was pretty square, but I just got him to the right,” Blaney told reporters after the race, as per USA Today. “I hope he’s all right. That looked really bad, and it’s not something I wanted to do. It definitely wasn’t intentional.”
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Visibly shaken by the race, Blaney continued. “Even though it’s unintentional, you don’t want to hurt anybody. I’m just waiting to see if he’s OK.”
Denny Hamlin ended up beating Blaney to the finish line by just 0.014 seconds, making it the second-closest victory in Daytona 500 history. Newman, meanwhile, was rushed to the hospital, where he was labelled as being “serious condition” with non life-threatening injuries.
“Ryan Newman is being treated at Halifax Medical Center. He is in serious condition, but doctors have indicated his injuries are not life threatening,” a NASCAR statement released Monday reads. “We appreciate your thoughts and prayers and ask that you respect the privacy of Ryan and his family during this time. We appreciate your patience and cooperation and we will provide more information as it becomes available.”
Tuesday, Steve Newmark, President of Roush Fenway Racing, said in a statement on behalf Newman’s family that the driver “remains hospitalized” and that “further updates on his condition” will be made “as they become available.”
“On behalf of Roush Fenway Racing and Ryan Newman’s family, we’d like to thank the NASCAR community for the incredible outpouring of support and compassion for Ryan. Your thoughts and prayers have comforted us all,” the statement added.
Photo credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
