Daytona 500: Ryan Newman Hospitalization News Stuns NASCAR Driver Corey Lajoie During On-Camera Interview

NASCAR driver Corey LaJoie is wishing the best for Ryan Newman, who was hospitalized Monday night after a fiery crash in the final lap of the Daytona 500. Video footage surfaced of LaJoie, 28, learning and reacting to the news that Newman, 42, was taken directly to the hospital after he had to be removed from his car and transferred to an ambulance via a stretcher.

In a video clip shared by FOX Sports’ NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass on Twitter, LaJoie is visibly shaken to learn of the severity of Newman’s crash, which LaJoie was also involved in.

“Oh, what?” he said before gathering his thoughts for a moment.

“Well, the narrative kind of changed a little bit. Like Bob said, he went straight to the hospital, that’s obviously scary. I got a big push there … I don’t know who was pushing me and I kind of stalled out and I don’t know who hooked Newman,” LaJoie continued. “I was hoping he’d kind of bounce off the fence to the left but he didn’t and I hit him. I don’t know where exactly I hit him, I didn’t see the replay.”

On Twitter Monday night, the No. 32 Ford driver wrote, “Dang I hope Newman is ok. That is worst case scenario and I had nowhere to go but smoke.”

Tuesday morning, LaJoie recalled to Good Morning America the “scary crash” in a brief interview. “It was wild,” he said. “I didn’t even know who I hit.”

“Nobody realized how fast 200 mph is or how light or how uncontrollable these cars are when they get out of shape,” he continued.

The crash happened during the final lap of overtime in the race, with Newman in the lead. Newman lost control of his car after his car was bumped from behind by Ryan Blaney. Newman’s car then went head-first into the outside wall, flipped in the air and was hit on the driver’s side window area by LaJoie’s oncoming vehicle. That impact sent Newman’s car skidding down the track on its roof before it came to rest past the end of pit road. The car briefly caught fire before track crews extinguished the flames.

Safety crews raced to free Newman from the vehicle, and he was immediately transported to the Halifax Medical Center, where NASCAR announced he was in serious condition with “non life-threatening injuries.”

NASCAR said it will continue to provide health updates on Newman as they become available.

Denny Hamlin went on to win the race, making it his third career Daytona 500 win.

Photo credit: Sean Gardner / Stringer / Getty