As you may have heard, the Daytona 500 ended with a terrifying crash for driver Ryan Newman. Newman, who had been in the lead in the final lap, crashed moments before he was able to cross the finish line, causing his car to catch fire after it flipped several times. The athlete was subsequently taken to the hospital. And now, new details have emerged regarding Newman’s condition following the incident.
According to WESH 2 news reporter Claire Metz, Newman is in stable condition following the crash. Metz noted that she received the news from sources from Daytona International Speedway. Metz’s update comes over an hour after the crash initially occurred.
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Following Metz’s report that Newman was stable, NASCAR released a statement about the driver in which they detailed that while he was in “serious condition,” his injuries were “not life threatening.”
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 18, 2020
Newman, who has been nicknamed “Rocket Man,” has been in the racing industry for almost two decades, per NASCAR. He has nabbed 18 Cup wins throughout his career, including the Daytona 500 back in 2008.
Newman shares two daughters, Brooklyn and Ashlyn, with his wife, Krissie Newman. Days before the Daytona 500, Newman and his wife announced that they had amicably separated.
“After 16 years of marriage, Krissie and I have decided to amicably separate. We will continue to jointly raise our girls, while remaining friends and continuing to work together supporting Rescue Ranch,” Newman noted on Twitter on Feb. 13. “Thank you for the years of support and friendship. We ask that our daughters’ privacy be respected at this time.”
A few weeks before the Daytona 500, Newman opened up about the event to NASCAR.com. At the time, Roush Fenway Racing announced that Koch Industries would be the primary partner for Newman during the 62nd annual Daytona 500.
“We are looking forward to teaming up with Koch Industries and having them on the car for one of the most celebrated races of the season,” Newman said, noting that he won the Daytona 500 previously in 2008. “Winning the 500 is one of the biggest accomplishments of my racing career. We have really fast superspeedway cars at Roush Fenway and we’d like nothing better than to kick off our season by driving the Koch Industries Ford into Victory Lane at Daytona.”
Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
