Almost one day after his terrifying car crash at the end of the Daytona 500, Roush Fenway has released another update regarding Ryan Newman‘s condition. According to their latest statement, which was released Tuesday afternoon via Twitter, they detailed that Newman is “awake and speaking with family and doctors” following the scary incident.
Update on Ryan Newman: pic.twitter.com/TdJHDZ3O7O
— Roush Fenway (@roushfenway) February 18, 2020
This update comes after Roush Fenway released an initial statement about Newman’s condition a couple of hours after the incident occurred.
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“Ryan Newman is being treated at Halifax Medical Center. He is in serious condition, but doctors have indicated that his injuries are not life threatening,” the statement read. “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.”
The President of Roush Fenway, Steve Newmark, also released a statement regarding Newman’s crash on Tuesday.
“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 began. “Ryan remains hospitalized at Halifax Medical Center and we will provide further updates on his condition as they become available.”
This statement was retweeted by the official NASCAR Twitter account.
Newman’s crash has left many in the racing industry reeling. Fellow Ford racer Ryan Blaney spoke to USA Today after the race and explained that bumping Newman’s car on the right side while pushing for first 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, according to 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.”
“Even though it’s unintentional, you don’t want to hurt anybody. I’m just waiting to see if he’s OK,” Blaney continued.
The Daytona 500 race, which was rescheduled to be on Monday after a rain delay, ended with a win by Denny Hamlin. Newman was in the lead in the final lap of the race, but his crash occurred mere moments before he could cross the finish line.
While NASCAR and Roush Fenway’s statements are good news for fans who initially feared the worst for Newman, the extent of the race car driver’s injuries is still unclear. Both NASCAR and Roush Fenway have noted that they will release updates regarding Newman’s condition as they become available.
