Ryan Newman released from hospital days after Daytona 500 crash, racing team says

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - NASCAR driver Ryan Newman has been released from the hospital just days after he was injured during a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500.

The news came Wednesday afternoon, not long after his team, Roush Fenway Racing, released a statement saying Newman was continuing to show "great improvement."

"The veteran driver is fully alert and walking around Halifax Medical Center. True to his jovial nature, he has also been joking around with staff, friends and family while spending time playing with his two daughters," the team wrote on Twitter.

Credit: Roush Fenway Racing via Twitter

Just hours later, they posted a photo showing Newman walking out of the hospital -- apparently under his own power -- with his daughters by his side.

Newman's wife Krissie then shared a short video of them walking hand-in-hand to Twitter, with the caption, "Best sight ever!"

The extent of his injuries has not been made public.

During Monday's postponed Daytona 500 race, Newman was leading in the final lap when he was caught in the back by another racer's bumper, sending him right into a wall. His car flipped, rolled, and was hit on the driver's side by another car before finally skidding across the finish line with his roof engulfed in flames. 

Ryan Newman, driver of the #6 Koch Industries Ford, crashes and flips during the NASCAR Cup Series 62nd Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Newman was reportedly extracted from his car and taken directly to a local hospital by ambulance to Halifax Health Medical Center, a Level II Trauma Center which serves Volusia County.

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