A day after his scary wreck in Monday’s Daytona 500, Ryan Newman is confirmed to be awake and speaking at the hospital. His Roush Fenway Racing team released an update on his health on Tuesday.
“Ryan Newman remains under the care of doctors at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida,” the statement read. “He is awake and speaking with family and doctors.
“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.
“We will continue to provide information as it becomes available. “
Newman remains hospitalised after being involved in a chaotic final lap in the Daytona 500 that sent him airborne and flipping after contact with Ryan Blaney and Corey LaJoie. He led fifteen laps in the race and officially finished ninth. He was taken to Halifax Medical Center afterward, while his #6 Ford Mustang and LaJoie’s #32 Ford—which impacted Newman’s driver’s side—were taken to NASCAR’s Research and Development Center in North Carolina for further inspection.
The eighteen-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner received support from the NASCAR community on social media. Roger Penske, who fielded a car for him from the start of his premier series career in 2000 to 2008 as part of Team Penske, issued the following statement:
“Our thoughts are with Ryan Newman and his family following Monday night’s accident in the Daytona 500. During his nine seasons with Team Penske, Ryan was such an important part of our NASCAR program and he earned our team’s first Daytona 500 win in 2008. Ryan is a true racer and one of the toughest competitors I have ever seen. We thank the NASCAR safety team and all the medical personnel for their work following the accident and we are here to support Ryan in any way that we can.”
“On behalf of Roush Fenway Racing and Ryan Newman’s family, we’d like to thank the NASCAR community for the incredible outpouring of support and compassion for Ryan,” RFR president Steve Newmark said. “Your thoughts and prayers have comforted us all.”
The initial entry list for Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway lists Newman’s #6 car as TBA. Further updates on the car’s driver and Newman’s health will come throughout the week.
