Newman returns to Daytona, thanks those who saved him
DAYTONA BEACH — This wasn’t just an historic day at Daytona International Speedway; it was a euphoric day.
Historic because Chase Elliott won the first NASCAR Cup race on the road course upon the iconic asphalt of Daytona.
Euphoric because Ryan Newman rose from the near-dead to somehow, someway make his return to a track where his life flashed before a nation’s eyes back in February.
Newman was never really in contention on Sunday and finished 19th, but that didn’t matter in the least. Put this one in the history books as the most miraculous 19th-place finish in the history of motor sports. The fact that Ryan Newman was even in the race is a marvel of modern
medicine and structural engineering.
Who will ever forget Newman’s horrific crash at the Daytona 500 when the Great American Race nearly became the Great American Tragedy?
It was on the final, frenzied overtime lap when it appeared that Newman was on the verge of winning NASCAR’s Super Bowl. As Newman tried to hold off eventual racewinner Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney for the victory, Blaney’s bumper made contact with Newman, whose car turned, crashed head-on into the wall, flipped onto its roof and got nailed on the driver’s side by Corey LaJoie’s car. Newman’s mangled car skidded across the finish line in flames.
As I wrote at the time, “The mood on the race track immediately turned somber, and Hamlin’s historic third overall Daytona 500 victory suddenly seemed meaningless. Initially unaware of the seriousness of Newman’s accident, Hamlin’s car owner, the legendary Joe Gibbs, apologized for the team’s raucous celebration after the victory.
“As fellow drivers said prayers on the track and Newman crew members cried, NASCAR officials blocked the public view of Newman’s car with black screens as track workers and paramedics turned the car upright, cut Newman from the car and rushed him to Halifax Medical Center.”
Before Sunday’s race on the road course, Newman felt the need to use the track’s public-address system to give his heartfelt thanks to all of the Daytona track workers and paramedics for helping to save his life six months ago.
“Hey everyone, just want to say a big thank you,” Newman said to the workers. “This is a special day for me. I owe a lot of it because of all the things that you guys did back in February. It has enabled me to come back to this racetrack and do what I love. Thank you for your support, not only for me personally but for all the things you do for all of us drivers. It goes a long way and I want to say thank you from the deepest of my heart. Thank you.”
Newman has been thankful every single day since waking up in the hospital after being put into a medically induced coma following the terrifying crash in February. It’s still amazing to everyone, including Newman himself, that he was able walk out of the hospital with his two young daughters just two days after the accident.
“I guess after February, I’m pretty emotional every day,” Newman said heading into Sunday’s race. “I’m just thankful for the opportunity to continue on. I get to hit the reset button in a roundabout way, not with my life, but the reality is just to continue to play on.”
The fact that Newman was back at Daytona Sunday is not only a testament to his own toughness and courage but to the the ingenuity of NASCAR engineers. In the two decades since Dale Earnhardt died during the 2001 Daytona 500 and NASCAR quickly instituted an assortment of safety measures, there has not been a single on-track death of a
NASCAR Cup driver.
Newman’s resilience has mirrored the resilience of NASCAR during a global pandemic. Give the drivers and the leaders of the sport some credit. NASCAR was the first mainstream sport to return during the pandemic and has navigated its return about as deftly as any sport could. Yes, there have been a couple of drivers (Jimmie Johnson a few weeks ago and Austin Dillon on Sunday) who have missed races after testing positive for COVID-19, there has been a national controversy over the banning of the Confederate flag, there have been some schedule changes (Sunday’s Daytona race was originally scheduled for Watkins Glen, N.Y.), but NASCAR has adjusted and advanced.
“Everybody in the sport realizes that this has to work and there can’t be any mistakes,” said NASCAR legend and NBC commentator Dale Earnhardt Jr. “This can’t fail because so many people’s livelihoods depend on it.”
Ryan Newman can certainly vouch for that.
His near-death experience has undoubtedly given him a new lease on his life and his livelihood.