Daytona 500 Champ Denny Hamlin Has Message For Ryan Newman
Daytona 500 champ Denny Hamlin had a message for Ryan Newman on Monday evening.
That message involved apologies and well wishes.
Hamlin emerged victorious this week at Daytona for the third time in his career.
Unfortunately, the win was marred by how it happened and what transpired after the fact.
Newman held the lead on the final lap, but ultimately ended up crashing when Ran Blaney rammed into him.
As a result of the collision, Newman’s vehicle overturned, flipped upside down and then slid down the track. Flames could be seen erupting from the car as the wreckage was piling up.
Newman was immediately removed from the car and rushed to the hospital.
Late Monday night, NASCAR revealed that he was in “serious” condition, but that his injuries were not life-threatening.
First a foremost I want to give well wishes and prayers to @RyanJNewman. I had absolutely NO IDEA of the severity of the crash until I got to victory lane. There’s very little communication after the finish and i had already unhooked my radio. It’s not anyone’s fault. 🙏Rocket
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) February 18, 2020
“Doctors have indicated his injuries are not life threatening,” Newman’s team said in a statement.
“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 we will provide more information as it becomes available.”
Hamlin and his team celebrated their big victory, not realizing the severity of Newman’s injuries.
Upon learning what happened, Hamlin released an immediate, apologetic statement.
“First a foremost I want to give well wishes and prayers to Ryan Newman,” he said in a tweet.
“I had absolutely NO IDEA of the severity of the crash until I got to victory lane. There’s very little communication after the finish and I had already unhooked my radio. It’s not anyone’s fault.” he tweeted.
The team’s owner, Joe Gibbs, offered a similar statement.
“I knew that there was a (wreck), but I never even focused over there (by Newman’s car),” he said said.
“I was focused on our car, and everybody started celebrating it around us. So I said to everybody out there, some people may have saw us and said, ‘Well, these guys are celebrating when there’s this serious issue going on.’
“So I apologize to everybody, but we really didn’t know. We got in the winner’s circle, and that’s when people told us later.”
Another official update on Newman’s status is expected at some point early Tuesday.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
