Daytona 500: Ryan Newman Wrecks, Involved in Massive Pileup 1 Year After Infamous Crash

Ryan Newman, the driver of the No. 6 Roush Fenway Ford Mustang, entered the Daytona 500 on Sunday with the goal of winning and reaching the postseason. However, his day came to an early end after a massive pile-up on the 14th lap of the season-opening race, which fans can watch online with a trial. This incident occurred one year after a wreck at the end of the 2020 Daytona 500 that sent him to the hospital.

The chaos began when Kyle Busch gave teammate Christopher Bell a push from behind. The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry then hit Aric Almirola from behind and sent him sideways. This collision kicked off a chain reaction that collected several cars and sent them into the wall or into the dirt. Newman was one of 16 cars involved, several of which were unable to continue.

“Really aggressive push from Kyle into Jones,” one racing fan commented on social media. Several others chimed in and tried to determine who caused the massive pile-up. The comments continued as fans realized that the race would have an extensive delay due to lightning in the area.

While the crash ruined Newman’s stock car and removed him from the remainder of the race, it did not cause any noticeable injuries. He was able to climb out of the No. 6 Ford Mustang and survey the damage. He then walked over to the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Camaro in order to check on Kurt Buch.

Fox Sports posted a video online that showed the wreck from Newman’s perspective. He saw the incident unfolding and immediately steered to the left. It appeared that both he and Joey Logano were able to avoid the chaos, but a car hit Newman from behind and sent him spinning.

Newman later went to the infield care center along with Daniel Suarez to determine if they had any injuries. Medical professionals examined both men and later released them. For Suarez, the wreck ended a promising new day in which he made his Trackhouse Racing debut.

Following the massive crash, questions remained about which drivers would be able to compete once the lightning delay came to an end. Alex Bowman, the man who secured the pole position during Wednesday’s qualifying session, was also involved in the wreck. His car took massive damage and had to be towed to the garage. Similarly, Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney sustained damage after the wreck sent him into the mud and damaged the front end.