Ryan Newman: Corey LaJoie Pokes Fun at Photo of NASCAR Driver Leaving the Hospital Following Daytona 500 Crash

NASCAR driver Ryan Newman was released from Halifax Medical Center on Wednesday afternoon, less than 48 hours after he wrecked during the Daytona 500. The photo of his release was heartwarming for fans and fellow drivers, but Newman’s feet also caught their attention. As Corey LaJoie joked, “Hey Ryan, you forgot your shoes” in reference to Newman wearing only socks on his feet as he left the hospital.

LaJoie was not the only figure pointing the lack of shoes out on Twitter following Newman’s release. Several fans took the opportunity to express their relief about his recovery while also making some jokes about his fashion choices.

“Ryan says, f%#* shoes. I’m made of steel,” one user joked on Wednesday afternoon. Another said that Newman doesn’t need to wear shoes following his time spent in the hospital. He is too busy walking on air.

LaJoie had some first-hand experience with Newman’s wreck on Monday night. His car collided with Newman’s midway through the incident, striking it on the driver’s side and launching it into the air. Everything happened so fast that LaJoie barely had time to register the entire incident.

“It was wild,” LaJoie explained to Michael Strahan of Good Morning America on Tuesday morning. “I didn’t even know who I hit because you are concentrating on getting a good finish. Nobody realized how fast 200 mph is or how light or how uncontrollable these cars are when they get out of shape.”

The day after their vehicles collided, LaJoie still hadn’t watched the replay of the incident until he saw a few seconds during his interview with Strahan. He knew that he had hit Newman’s car but didn’t exactly know where the hit had happened.

Nearly two days after the incident, LaJoie is excited that Newman is recovering and has been released from the hospital. This provides him with the opportunity to tease his fellow driver about his lack of shoes.

For the fans, however, they are thinking about ways to improve Newman’s image. They view the veteran driver as indestructible and want his racing team to recognize this belief.

“If Newman’s car doesnt have a Superman or Man of Steel reference whenever he returns, its a huge miss by Roush Fenway……. This is insanely great news,” one NASCAR fan wrote on Wednesday. They think it’s the perfect time for NASCAR to recognize Newman’s ability to survive these wrecks.

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