The only things Ryan Newman remembers about his crash in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17 and hospitalization afterward are seeing his children and walking out of Halifax Health Medical Center two days later. Only 48 hours after there was genuine concern he had been killed in the wreck, Newman left the hospital holding the hands of his two daughters.
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“That tells me God was involved,” Newman, 42, said on Thursday. “I was blessed in more ways than one. I feel like a walking miracle.”
When he arrived at the hospital, Newman said he was put into a medically-induced coma. Some doctors diagnosed the 21-year NASCAR veteran and 18-time Cup Series race winner with a concussion, as others disagreed.
I’ve gotten though the majority of cards and want to thank everyone for their prayers after my crash in Daytona. I know I’ve been blessed in so many ways.
— Ryan Newman (@RyanJNewman) March 23, 2020
While talking to the media, Newman referred to the head injury he suffered as a “bruised brain” and acknowledged just how improbable his recovery was.
“Everything aligned perfectly for me to be alive and here with you today,” he said. “There were multiple miracles that aligned for me to walk out days later with my arms around my daughters.”
Newman returns to the track on Sunday for the Darlington 400, exactly three months after the crash at Daytona. It is NASCAR’s first race since the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic on March 13.
The race is scheduled to begin at 3:30 ET and will be broadcast on FOX.
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