CHARLOTTE, N.C. - NASCAR driver Ryan Newman was released from a Florida hospital Wednesday, about 42 hours after his frightening crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500.
Roush Fenway Racing released a photo of Newman leaving Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach while holding the hands of his two young daughters. The announcement came just a few hours after the team said he was fully alert and walking around the hospital.
The 42-year-old Indiana native was taken by ambulance directly from the track in serious condition after the crash Monday night. Doctors said two hours after the accident that Newman's injuries were not life-threatening, but no details have been released.
His release from the hospital was rapid. Roush Fenway Racing released a statement earlier Wednesday that said Newman "continues to show great improvement." The team added that "true to his jovial nature, he has also been joking around with staff, friends and family while playing with his two daughters" and included a photo of Newman standing in a hospital gown, smiling with his arms around the girls.
Two hours later, he was leaving the hospital in jeans, a T-shirt and socks, holding hands with his girls. The team released a third photo of Newman and his daughters with the staff members who treated him.
Roush Fenway Racing photo via AP / NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Newman and his daughters, Brooklyn Sage, left, and Ashlyn Olivia, pose at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. Newman was released from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon, about 42 hours after he was taken there to be treated after his frightening crash close to the finish line in the Daytona 500."First and foremost, our focus remains with Ryan and his family as he continues to recover," said RFR president Steve Newmark. "We also want to express our sincere gratitude to all of those who have offered support and taken the time to send their thoughts and prayers to Ryan, his family and everyone at Roush Fenway Racing."
"The NASCAR community has long prided itself on being a close-knit family. That is never more evident than during these types of moments."
RFR said Ross Chastain will drive the No. 6 Ford in Cup Series races beginning this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and that a timetable for Newman's return has yet to be determined. Chastain is running for the Xfinity Series championship this year for Kaulig Racing, but he drove in the Daytona 500 for Spire Motorsports in a car fielded by Chip Ganassi.
AP photo by Chris O'Meara / NASCAR driver Ross Chastain talks to a crew member before a practice session last Friday at Daytona International Speedway. Chastain will drive the Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford starting this weekend in Las Vegas, going behind the wheel in the Cup Series car as regular driver Ryan Newman recovers from Monday's crash in the Daytona 500."We want to express our appreciation to everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing as well as Kaulig Racing for allowing Ross to fill in for Ryan in the No. 6 on such short notice," Newmark said.
The 27-year-old Chastain, an eighth-generation watermelon farmer from Florida, is gradually trying to move into NASCAR's top-tier Cup Series. He has 72 career starts for small teams in Cup Series races, but he has been waiting for a break in competitive equipment.
Chastain has won three times in the third-tier Truck Series and twice in the second-tier Xfinity Series, including a win two years ago in Las Vegas.
"No one could ever take the place of Ryan Newman on the track, and I can't wait to have him back," Chastain wrote on Twitter. "As we continue to pray for a full and speedy recovery, I'll do my best to make him and everyone at Roush Fenway Racing proud."
AP photo by Terry Renna / NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Newman stands on pit road after Daytona 500 pole-position qualifying on Feb. 9 at Daytona International Speedway.Newman was injured when he crashed while leading NASCAR's Cup Series season opener, stock-car racing's most famous race. Contact from Ryan Blaney sent Newman spinning into the wall on the home stretch at Daytona, and his Ford went airborne, where it was then hit by Corey LaJoie in the driver-side door.
The car landed on its roof, slid across the track and came to a rest upside down and on fire, with gasoline pouring out of the vehicle. It took a safety team nearly 20 minutes to remove Newman, and he was taken directly to the hospital.
Blaney and LaJoie have stepped back from racing to process their roles in the crash. LaJoie climbed from his own burning car and dropped to his knees on the track, learning only after he was checked at the care center that Newman was injured.
Blaney seemed distraught as he paced beside his car after his second-place finish to Denny Hamlin. Fellow driver Bubba Wallace, one of Blaney's best friends, said he spent time with Blaney on Tuesday and advised him to stay off social media for a few days.
"He's holding up, of course devastated and bummed about the situation," Wallace posted on Twitter. "Had to sit there and explain to him could've happened to him or any of us in the field. IT'S RACING. Just unfortunate to be on either end of it."
Wallace also praised Blaney's attempt to push Newman to the win in a move of brand alliance for Ford. When Blaney tried to lock on to Newman's bumper to give him a shove, the cars didn't align properly and Newman was instead hooked into a spin.
"I know Ford should be proud to have him under their banner because he was so content on pushing his Ford teammate to win the biggest race of the year," Wallace wrote. "Which makes it worse (because) a simple selfless gesture went south in the blink of an eye."