Ryan Newman was involved in a crash during the final lap of the Daytona 500 on Monday, sending his car flipping into the air. Newman was taken to Halifax Medical Center and is in serious condition, but with non life-threatening injuries, his racing team said in a statement.
Newman was leading the race when he was hit from behind by Ryan Blaney. The impact sent Newman’s Ford into the outer wall, causing it to flip over and skid along the track on its roof for some distance. The vehicle was then struck by another car, sending it up into the air. Newman eventually skidded over the finish line while sparks, smoke and flames could be seen coming from the vehicle.
It took emergency crews several minutes to get the car upright and remove Newman. He was wheeled into an ambulance and immediately taken to a local hospital, Fox NASCAR analysts Jeff Gordon and Mike Joy said.
“Dang I hope Newman is ok,” Corey LaJoie, the driver whose vehicle struck Newman’s after the initial crash, said on Twitter. “That is worst case scenerio and I had nowhere to go but smoke.”
Denny Hamlin ended up winning the race, which was originally scheduled to take place Sunday, but was postponed due to rain.
