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Newman in fiery crash at Daytona
Newman hospitalized after wreck on final lap as 2019 winner crosses first
DAYTONA BEACH — Denny Hamlin won the Daytona 500 in dramatic fashion but the celebration was subdued after he learned Ryan Newman was being transported to a hospital after a major wreck.
“No. 1, we’re praying for Ryan,” Hamlin said.
“I don’t even know what to say. It’s so unexpected.”
Following a last-second pass of Newman on the backstretch under the lights Monday night at Daytona International Speedway, Hamlin edged Ryan Blaney at the finish line by 0.14 seconds to capture the Great American Race for the second consecutive year.
The margin of victory was the second-closest during the event’s 62nd history. Hamlin’s win over Martin Truex Jr. in 2016 was the closest.
At about 10 p.m., Newman’s team released a statement that read: “Ryan Newman is being treated at Halifax Medical Center. He’s in serious condition.
But doctors have indicated his injuries are non-life threatening. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers and ask that you respect the privacy of Ryan and his family during this time. We appreciate your patience and cooperation and will provide more information as it becomes available.”
Hamlin’s victory came during overtime that extended the 200-lap race to 209 trips around the 2.5-mile oval at the iconic speedway.
Following the win, Hamlin did donuts on the track’s infield in his No. 11 Toyota. But his joy soon evaporated when he realized Newman was trapped in his car, upside down in a pile of twisted metal.
During the final run to the finish line, Blaney drove his car aggressively and soon bumped the left rear of Newman’s car. Newman lost control of his No. 6 Ford and slammed into the wall before becoming airborne. As Newman’s car descended,
the car No. 32 car of Corey LaJoie hit the driver’s side of Newman’s car at top speed, sending it airborne again and into multiple rolls.
Newman’s car came to rest on the track as an eerie silence fell over the track.
“Definitely was trying to push him to a win,” Blaney said. “I don’t want to say, ‘Those things happen.’ I feel really bad about it. Man, but close one. I hope Ryan is all right.”
Workers eventually lifted Newman’s car onto its wheels. The 42-year-old and 2008 Daytona 500 winner eventually was extricated from the wreckage and transported to a local hospital.
NASCAR officials did not immediately provide any further information about Newman’s condition.
Meanwhile, Hamlin was left with mixed emotions after further solidifying his spot as one of the best drivers of his generation.
Hamlin’s second Daytona 500 win a year ago resurrected the career of one the sport’s biggest names. Sunday’s win put the 39-year-old in rare company.
Hamlin joined Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough and Dale Jarrett as the only three-time winners of the Daytona 500. Hamlin became the first backto-back winner since Sterling Marlin in 1994-95 and just the fourth overall, joining Marlin, Petty and Yarborough.
“Great to have the team celebrating back-to-back,” Hamlin said. “I can’t even tell you what it means to me.”
A calm day under brilliant skies fell into chaos with three wrecks in the final 16 laps of regulation.
A 19-car pile-up on Lap 184 began to whittle down the 40-car field and eliminated some of the race’s top contenders, including two-time winner Jimmie Johnson during his final appearance in the race as a full-time driver.
The day’s first big crash was triggered by Joey Logano, who pushed Aric Almirola’s No. 10 Ford from behind and into teammate Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford, which went into the wall and spit flames from underneath the chassis before heading to the garage.
A five-time champion at Talladega and winner of the 2016 summer race at Daytona, Keselowski is among the sport’s best superspeedway drivers but rarely has been in the mix during the 500.
Logano, the 2015 winner, and Keselowski already had tangled during the Feb. 9 Busch Clash, leading Keselowski to crash and later criticize Logano’s racing style.
This time, Johnson took Logano to task.
“That’s No. 22 [Logano] had been pretty aggressive all day long,” Johnson said. “I just felt like it was a matter of time before his pushes were a little much and it looks like that was the case there.”
Following the restart, Newman grabbed the lead and held on for 15 laps. But after another a caution flag, this time from Lap 194-96, Newman found himself with Hamlin hot on his tail.
Newman’s No. 6 Ford and Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota soon put distance between themselves and the field.
But another crash, this one collecting nine cars, came on the heels of a timely aggressive pass by Hamlin that gave him the lead with two laps to go.
Following the final caution of the day, 18 cars were on the lead lap as the race went into overtime, setting the stage for a wild green-white-checkered flag finish.
Hamlin faced long odds at the start, with his Toyota ahead of a long line of Ford drivers led by Newman and Blaney. Newman used the advantage to pass Hamlin on the final lap but could not hold onto the lead as the race descended into a mayhem to cast a pall over the day.
Team owner Job Gibbs, known for his deep religious faith, even apologized for his team celebrating Hamlin’s win — the fourth for Joe Gibbs Racing.
“We’re all just praying now for the outcome of this,” Gibbs said. “It’s a time that we’re all searching deep and praying, and we’re all praying for the right outcome.”