As Ryan Newman begins his road to recovery in the hospital following a horrifying crash during the final lap of the Daytona 500 Monday, the NASCAR driver’s crew is back at Roush Fenway Racing trying to process the last 24 hours. In a new report from NASCAR on NBC’s Dave Burns, it was revealed that both “sadness” and “relief” are in the air as the crew returns from the big race.
“Sadness of course for what nearly happened, but relief for knowing that their guy, Ryan Newman, is on the road to recovery,” Burns explains, adding that getting back to the routine of their shop has been “therapeutic” for the crew as they met to discuss the race.
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“So they got together, talked about what happened, answered any questions that might be coming about, and made sure that everyone had that clear,” he continued, adding that the shuffling around of pit crew practice and other duties was “a little bit like a rainout day.”
Roush Fenway had plenty of support from the rest of the NASCAR family as well.
“As is always the case, the NASCAR family came together in a nice way around lunchtime,” Burns reports. “Charlotte Motor Speedways is just across the interstate from this campus, and they, along with the Motor Racing Outreach, came over, delivered lunch to the entire shop and also offered up one of their chaplains for anyone that wanted to sit down, have a little conversation — just make sure they were able to breathe freely and talk about what had occurred last night.”
One racing fan made sure to offer up a sweet gesture as well, leaving a flower and a note outside the Roush Fenway fountain reading simply, “Get well soon,” which Burns said “warmed their heart.”
Tuesday evening, Newman’s racing team revealed that he was now “awake and speaking” in the latest health update on the driver.
“Ryan Newman remains under the care of doctors at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. He is awake and speaking with family and doctors,” the statement read.
“Ryan and his family have expressed their appreciation for the concern and heartfelt messages from across the country. They are grateful for the unwavering support of the NASCAR community and beyond.”
Photo credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
