Martin Truex Jr., a good friend of Ryan Newman‘s, joked that the driver’s “big hard head” helped him recover so fast from his Daytona 500 crash. Back on Monday, Newman was in a dangerous crash at the end of the Daytona 500, which sent his car into the air and spinning. The extent of his injuries remain unknown, but Newman was out of the hospital by Wednesday afternoon.
“He’s got no neck and a big hard head, so that helps for sure,” Newman told reporters at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, reports USA Today. “I told him this week he’s lucky he’s such a hard-headed son of a gun.”
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Truex is close friends with Newman and shared a photo with his friend on Wednesday. In the photo, the two drivers are seen giving a thumbs up.
“Very happy to see my fishing buddy and that he hasn’t lost his sense of humor,” Truex wrote in the caption.
On Saturday, Truex said he made sure Newman understood he would be there to help out with whatever he needed.
“I just wanted him to know we were there for him if he needed anything,” Truex said. “It was cool. It was good to see the good shape he was in. It was a little surprising as well. We’re planning fishing trips already, so it was a fun visit to hang out.”
The specifics behind Newman’s injuries have yet to be revealed publicly, but one of the doctors who worked on his case explained how he was able to get out of Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida so quickly.
“He went from serious, critical to walking out of the hospital because of the care he got,” the doctor told Fox News Now. “Also, [he’s a] strong young man and he got support from family and from friends, from us. And I think the entire nation was praying for him.”
There is no timetable for Newman’s return. Ross Chastain will drive for Roush Fenway Racing in his place at the Pennzoil 400 on Sunday.
“All of us at Fenway Sports Group are thankful for the wonderful news about Ryan’s progress, and his release from the hospital,” Roush Fenway Racing owner John Henry said in a statement Thursday. “Ryan is one tough hombre and we wish him a full recovery. We look forward to seeing Ryan and his family at the track again soon.”
Photo credit: Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
