NASCAR fans got a little more details behind the fiery accident that closed the Daytona 500 and led to Ryan Newman‘s hospitalization. While many have voiced their concerns and pointed blame following Newman’s release from the hospital, there is still a lot of mystery surrounding the incident.
During the conference on Saturday morning at Las Vegas Speedway, certain aspects of the wreck were discussed. No new details about Newman’s condition were released but the topic of the speed to get to the vehicle was addressed.
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Some questioned the ongoing secrecy around the crash but it was made clear from video and the press conference that paramedics were on the scene and treating Newman within 35 seconds.
Not that a couple seconds matter (or maybe it did), but from the moment the car stopped moving to the time medical was “hands-on” took about ~33s. Felt like an eternity at the time, but got there fast. pic.twitter.com/3MqINaH8Ix
— JJ (@TomcatNASCAR_2) February 22, 2020
“A paramedic entered Ryan Newman’s car at the 35-second mark to treat him. He was being treated inside the car the entire time,” Jenna Fryer reported following the press conference this morning.
Video shows medics crouching to enter the vehicle and help before the firefighter teams were finished putting out the small fire near the back of Newman’s vehicle.
Plenty of fans agreed with the initial reporting, noting that medics did not slow down despite possible fire risks for all involved.
“The value of the Medical Team can never be overstated. They train for worst-case scenarios and fortunately, due to safety improvements by NASCAR, incidents such as Ryan’s (high impact -low frequency) are managed expertly and quickly by the AMR Team… another great improvement.” one user wrote, praising the EMS and fire team.
Some fans have been critical of the emergency crew and their response time to the accident before video had been released and addressed by NASCAR officials.
As for why the accident happened and why Newman’s car went airborne, Dale Earnhardt Jr. placed the blame directly on the spoilers that NASCAR added to cars in 2019.
“[All the blocking we see in the races] is because of the giant spoiler on the car,” Earnhardt said. “I’m sorry. The spoiler creates such big runs from the guys behind them… The runs are so plentiful. The runs are so aggressive. The ability to push and shove because of the wake of the spoiler. You’re just running over the leader, really, and he’s doing everything he can to keep you behind him.”
Newman was released from the hospital on Wednesday to the delight of many. While there is no timetable for his return to racing, Newman is recovering and stable.
