Ryan Newman bruised his brain in his last-lap crash in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17, the sidelined driver of the #6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford revealed during an interview on the Today Show on NBC on Wednesday.
“It takes time for it to heal. I was knocked out,” Newman said. “There was a point where I don’t remember a part of the race. Realistically, I feel so lucky. On so many levels, I feel so lucky. You look at the crash and you think that is spectacular in a bad way. You look at the car afterwards, you think about all the things that happened right for me to be sitting here.”
Newman was leading the race on the final lap when his car was pushed by Ryan Blaney’s car. The contact from Blaney sent Newman’s car into the wall and airborne. After landing upside down, Newman’s car was, then, struck by Corey LaJoie’s car, sending Newman’s car airborne, again.
Newman was treated by at-the-track medical personnel while still in the race car. When his car was turned upright, Newman was removed from the car and transported to Halifax medical center in Daytona Beach, Fla. He was released from the hospital fewer than 48 hours later.
A timetable has not been established for Newman’s return to the #6 car.
“I don’t know yet,” Newman said when asked about his return. We’re working on it. Soon as I possibly can.”
Ross Chastain has been the substitute driver since Newman’s wreck. The NASCAR Cup Series was scheduled to race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday and Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 22, but those races have been postponed due to COVID-19, or the coronavirus. NASCAR has not announced specific plans regarding the resumption of the 2020 season.
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