Ever since Ryan Newman showed up on a fan’s Instagram feed today, his fans have flocked to social media to give the driver their well-wishes. Newman was injured in a crash seconds before crossing the finish line at the Daytona 500 Monday night and admitted to the hospital. While he was released Wednesday, he showed up in a couple of photos posted by Sunshine Staudt, which prompted many happy comments from fans.
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“That’s way too awesome, chimed in one fan. “So glad he is okay, that was super scary.”
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“How cool is that,” asked another. “So happy to see him escape that near-death experience!”
“The next biggest question besides being in great health and with family and friends: is he wearing any shoes,” joked another, referring to the now-infamous photo of Newman leaving the hospital with his daughters while barefoot. His lack of footwear has definitely turned heads on social media a few times already, including the one belonging to Corey LaJoie, who raced against Newman on Monday night.
Staudt himself referred to Newman as a “walking miracle” in the caption to his post.
Although Newman has been able to get out and about, there’s still no definitive timeline on his return to the driver’s seat. Steve Newmark, the president of Newman’s team, Roush Fenway, stated on Wednesday that “first and foremost, our focus remains with Ryan and his family as he continues to recover.”
In the meantime, Ross Chastain will race in place of Newman at the Pennzoil 400 this Sunday.
“We also want to express our sincere gratitude to all of those who have offered support and taken the time to send their thoughts and prayers to Ryan, his family and everyone at Roush Fenway Racing. The NASCAR community has long prided itself on being a close-knit family. That is never more evident than during these types of moments.”
FOX Sports anchor Mike Joy, who was covering the Daytona 500 Monday night with Jeff Gordon, tweeted on Wednesday that Newman’s crash should be a “wakeup call” to the racing community at large.
“We’ve become so accustomed to cars flipping, sliding in a shower of sparks at these big tracks, then the drivers climb out and wave to the crowd… because THEY ALWAYS CAN. Monday’s finish was a jarring wakeup call to everyone who loves the sport.”
