NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Newman continues to improve as he remains at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla., after being injured in a last-lap crash on the final lap of the 2020 Daytona 500 on Monday night.
“Ryan Newman continues to show great improvement after Monday night’s last-lap accident at Daytona International Speedway,” the latest statement from Newman’s Roush Fenway Racing team read. “The veteran driver is fully alert and walking around Halifax Medical Center. True to his jovial nature, he has also been joking around with staff, friends and family while playing with his two daughters.
“Ryan continues to express his appreciation for the outpouring of support from across the country, and he and his family are grateful for the immense level of support that has been provided by the NASCAR community and beyond.
“We will continue to provide information as it becomes available.”
The most recent update from the race team also included a photo of Newman with his two daughters.
Newman was leading on the final lap of the 2020 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Monday night when he received a push from Ryan Blaney. Newman’s car slammed into the wall and got airborne, flipped and landed on its roof. As other cars were collected in the crash, Corey LaJoie, unable to see where he was going, hit Newman’s car in the driver-side window. Track safety personnel turned Newman’s car upright, removed him from the car, and he was transported to Halifax Medical Center. Approximately a couple of hours after the incident, the first update of Newman’s status was released, stating he was in serious condition, and his injuries were not life-threatening.
Newman’s car and LaJoie’s car were transported to NASCAR’s Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C., for research purposes.
Denny Hamlin won the 2020 Daytona 500, his second-straight win of the race and his third-career Daytona 500 victory.
