After his fiery crash, NASCAR driver Ryan Newman is awake and speaking with family

CNN ^ | February 18, 2020 | Allen Kim

[rdl6989]

NASCAR driver Ryan Newman is awake and speaking with family and doctors, a day after a fiery crash near the finish line of Daytona 500. Newman's racing team, Roush Fenway Racing, offered up the update Tuesday and said it will continue to provide details as they become available. "Ryan Newman remains under the care of doctors at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. He is awake and speaking with family and doctors," the statement read.

[Moonman62]

“And if anything, Newman was aggressively blocking the car behind him. Some may be of the opinion that he caused the wreck.”

The guy behind him was his teammate, who said he was trying to push Newman to victory but their bumpers got locked and that is what caused the accident.

...

Then I can’t figure out why Newman went so far down to the inside. I think that was a big factor in his losing control.

[BubbaBasher]

Me too. I didn’t see any way he could survive that. I pray he does make a full recovery.

[jimtorr]

Apparently you never watch British Touring Car racing. They routinely trade paint and also sometimes have terrible accidents. Same with Australian Super Cars.

[RummyChick]

this is newman a couple of years after Earnhardt died

[rdl6989]

I also have to agree on this point, but I’m no expert.

[McGruff]

These high tech driver seats, roll cages and related equipment are what saved his life. Credit NASCAR for mandating them.

But they need to lower the speed on super speedways again even if it makes the race boring for some. Take away the extra horsepower they gave them this year would be a quick temporary fix for now.

[RummyChick]

this story has Newman’s barrel roll from 2003. bad crash but not as bad as the one on monday..if that happened in 2003 he would be dead.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2020/02/18/ryan-newman-crash-daytona-500-2003/4797911002/

[RummyChick]

Newman..with an engineering degree.. who has been very vocal..and been fined for it...does not think Nascar does enough.

[noiseman]

The biggest problem in my opinion is not the tactics the drivers use, but rather the restrictor plate mandated in this race. The reduction in horsepower causes the field to constantly be locked into one big mass because no one can pass unless they get several cars together and use the draft. That encourages (necessitates, actually) the use of tactics like “bump drafting.” This race is always just an accident waiting to happen because no one can get away from the rest of the pack, and near the end of the race, all of the jockeying for position to try to win inevitably causes a big wreck. Get rid of the restrictor plates.

Also, they might as well just draw straws to determine who wins the Daytona 500, because it always comes down to sheer luck. That’s why if you look back through its history, you’ll see a number of winners who never really did much else in their careers. They simply got lucky and ended up being the highest positioned survivor of the carnage..

[WinMod70]

It is very unlikely his helmet came off. Do a search on HANS to see how the restraint system works. I don’t think that you find any instances of helmets coming off when a HANS or similar device is used ever.

[TTFlyer]

Yeah the parade of F-1 is real effing exciting. Watching grass grow is more interesting.

[RummyChick]

so what you think you are seeing in the pic that looks like a wrapped face without a helmet

[WinMod70]

I agree. Several years ago there was around 100 wrecked cars and trucks at Daytona in a week. This has become the norm and is an injustice to the sport of racing.

[WinMod70]

I don’t see what you describe. You may be correct but I don’t see it or think it’s possible.

[Alberta's Child]

Right. I think it's physically impossible.

With a HANS device, having a guy in the hospital recovering from injuries after his helmet came off is like having him loaded into the ambulance on a stretcher, fully clothed, while his underwear is lying on the track.

[caww]

As I saw it Newman ‘lost control’ of his car while trying to block the other car behind him.

But I have to wonder that his speration from his wife just four days prior, and whatever led up to that would have likely had an effect on him just before this race.

[mewzilla]

Unless the anchors failed...?

[RummyChick]

everyone is seeing something different..and now that i see the face I cant unsee

take the law of physics out of the equation. the flesh colored part of the face staring straight at the camera with fire retardant wrap around most of the face.

you cant see it because your brain is thinking physics and the hans device.

you have to size up the photo to really see it.

but then use physics...and the hans device..where is the helmet. it should be in that red circle

[VTenigma]

F1 is a parade.

[VTenigma]

It’s highly unlikely his helmet came off. The helmet is attached to a HAN device that is strapped to his torso.