Ryan Blaney has been replaying the final lap of Monday’s Daytona 500 in his head ever since a routine bump of Ryan Newman‘s car sent the Ford driver spiralling into a crash that would ultimately result in his hospitalization. While Newman was released from the hospital Wednesday with no major injuries, Blaney has been struggling to come to terms with a normal racing move gone wrong, he revealed in a note to his followers shared to Twitter Thursday.
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) February 21, 2020
“I don’t think you will ever see someone as tough as Ryan Newman, to see him walk out of that hospital with his girls brought a tear to my eye,” Blaney, 26, began. “I was lucky enough to speak with him last night briefly about what happened Monday, it was just good to hear his voice to be honest. His Ryan Newman humor was at large and brought a smile to my face. The recovery he has made the past few days have been remarkable. I look forward to seeing him soon to talk about it more.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
Reflecting on the moment things turned south for Newman in the Daytona 500, Blaney wrote, “We are all competitors racing for wins every weekend but at the same time are one big family, and you never want to see family get hurt. Have been replaying the events in my head over and over about what I could’ve done differently ever since.”
“I’m very lucky to have a great family, friends, team and incredible fans that have helped me out this week. I can’t thank everyone enough for that,” he concluded. “I can’t wait to have Rocketman Ryan Newman back at the track racing as hard as ever.
Upon Newman’s release from the hospital Wednesday, Roush Fenway Racing shared a photo of himself and his two daughters leaving the hospital together hand-in-hand. Newman will not race this weekend as originally planned, and Roush Fenway Racing has said there is no planned timeline for his return to the track.
Photo credit: Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images
