Ryan Newman released from hospital after Daytona 500 crash

20 February 2020 - 06:36
By Reuters
Ryan Newman, driver of the #6 Roush Fenway Racing Koch Industries Ford Mustang, crashes as Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing FedEx Express Toyota Camry, and Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Team Penske Menards/Peak Ford Mustang, race to the checkered flag during the Daytona 500 on February 17 2020 at Daytona International Speedway in Florida.
Image: David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Ryan Newman, driver of the #6 Roush Fenway Racing Koch Industries Ford Mustang, crashes as Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing FedEx Express Toyota Camry, and Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Team Penske Menards/Peak Ford Mustang, race to the checkered flag during the Daytona 500 on February 17 2020 at Daytona International Speedway in Florida.

Driver Ryan Newman was released from hospital on Wednesday, two days after a spectacular crash during the last lap of the Daytona 500 saw him carted off the track with injuries.

According to his Roush Fenway Racing team, the 42-year-old Newman has been in good spirits since the crash, which saw his vehicle career into a wall and flip into the air before being hit by another car on the driver's side.

“The veteran driver is fully alert and walking,” Roush Fenway said in a statement on social media on Wednesday.

“True to his jovial nature, he has also been joking around with staff, friends and family, while spending time playing with his two daughters.”

A statement released by Roush Fenway in the hours after the crash said Newman was initially in a “serious condition”, but did not elaborate on the specific nature of his injuries.

The incident stunned onlookers and fans, including US president Donald Trump, who was the race's grand marshal and later tweeted his support for the 2008 champion.