In the wake of the horrid crash by Ryan Newman during the completion of the Daytona 500 on Monday, a developing story has emerged with his estranged wife, Krissie. The two ended their marriage just days before the race and the ensuring accident. She shared the news on her Instagram.
“After 16 years of marriage, Ryan and I have decided to amicably separate,” the post on Feb. 13 read. “We will continue to jointly raise our girls, while remaining friends and continuing to work together supporting Rescue Ranch. Thank you for the years of support and friendship. We ask that our daughters’ privacy be respected during this time.”
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A few days later, and a day before the Daytona 500, Krissie posted another photo. This one was of a beach with the phrase, “It’s an a— in the sand, drink in my hand kinda day.” She captioned the photo, “#HappyPlace.”
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The two share two daughters together, Brooklyn Sage Newman, 10, and Ashlyn Olivia Newman, 7. They walked down the aisle back in 2004. Krissie has been very active in charitable work around the racing community and was frequently seen alongside Newman on race days.
When the crash initially happened, Krissie put out a post on her Twitter with just three letters, “Omg.” She hasn’t directly commented on her husband since the crash, but the tweet appeared to line up with the timing of the scene unfolding.
On Tuesday, Newman’s status received an update as he remains in “serious condition” but is awake and talking with his doctors.
Many in the sport have reached out to Newman on social media expressing their thoughts and prayers as he recovers. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was quick to send his prayers in a post shortly after the crash occurred.
He has since further spoken on the matter after learning of Newman’s current condition.
“I just can’t stop thinking about Ryan,” Earnhardt told NBC. “Just waiting on more news, more information… when can we see him? When can we physically talk to Ryan? When can we put our own eyes on him and get a chance to see how he’s doing.”
Newman found himself in the lead just prior to his horrific crash. Denny Hamlin would go on to win his third Daytona 500 title and put out a tweet clarifying that he was not aware of Newman’s condition during his celebration.
