Daytona 500: Austin Dillon Sends Well Wishes to Ryan Newman Following Scary Crash

Austin Dillon is sending his support to fellow NASCAR driver Ryan Newman, who suffered serious injuries in a crash at Monday's Daytona 500. Taking to Twitter just hours after fans and fellow drivers were left in shock by the accident, Dillon, who himself was involved in a terrifying crash at the race several years prior, wrote that he was sending a prayer up for Newman.

Saying a prayer for @RyanJNewman

— Austin Dillon (@austindillon3) February 18, 2020

Newman's crash drew plenty of comparisons to Dillon's 2015 crash on the same speedway. During that race, Dillon's vehicle went airborne and tore down part of the fence, injuring several fans, according to the Associated Press. The vehicle landed on its roof, the engine resting further down the track, before it was slammed into by Brad Keselowski's car. He miraculously walked away unharmed.

"God please let ryan newman be okay," wrote one fan. "I havent been this worried for somebody's safety in nascar since austin dillon's crash at the daytona night race a few years ago."

"I can heavily compare Ryan Newman's crash from last night to Austin Dillon's crash at Daytona in July 2015," tweeted another.

"I'm praying for Newman," commented a third. "I'm so scared. I haven't seen a crash this bad since Austin Dillon's 2015 crash. I'm left speechless, shaking, quivering. Just hoping he's ok."

"Ryan Newman's crash is really reminding me of Austin dillon's bad crash a couple years back," added another. "My prayers are with him and his family."

Although Dillon miraculously walked away from that July 2015 crash unharmed, Newman wasn't as lucky. Horrified fans and drivers watched as blinders were put up around the severely damaged vehicle as rescue crews worked to remove Newman from it. He was then transported via ambulance to Halifax Medical Center, where he is said to be in serious condition and is now "awake and speaking." He did not suffer any life-threatening injuries.

The badly damaged No. 6 Ford Mustang that Newman was driving was transported to NASCAR's Research and Development facility in Concord, North Carolina, where an investigation will be launched to determine ways to improve safety. It is believed that Newman, who has long lobbied for stricter safety measures and even had a safety bar nicknamed after him, will have a role in the investigation.