NASCAR: Ryan Newman ready to ‘get back on the horse’

Ryan Newman, who survived an ugly crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500, was upbeat and jovial during a video press conference offered Thursday afternoon by his race team, Roush Fenway Racing.

Newman said his only memory of his Daytona Beach hospital stay was walking out of the facility holding the hands of his two daughters.

“I was lights-out after the crash,” Newman said. “I don’t know if it was the injury or medication that went along with it. I don’t really a recollection of the last lap or anything after that.”

[RELATED STORY: Newman cleared by NASCAR to compete.]

The race at Daytona International Speedway started on Feb. 16 but was postponed after 20 laps to the next day because of persistent rain showers.

Newman was in the lead on the last lap battling Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin for the victory. Blaney’s front bumper hooked Newman’s rear bumper, sending him into a violent crash into the retaining wall.

That allowed Hamlin to come from third place for the win.

Meanwhile, Newman’s car flipped then was punted on the driver’s side door by Corey LaJoie’s No. 32 Ford. Newman was extracted from his stock car and rushed to Halifax Health Medical Center by ambulance.

“I have seen the replays and I am disappointed that I was that close to a second Daytona 500 win,” he said. “That’s the way it works in this sport.

“Win you win a race one way, you eventually lose a race that way. So now I’ve lost a race that way and hopefully I can win a race that way.”

[RELATED STORY: Newman crashes hard in Daytona 500.]

Reviewing the crash, Newman said his window net was latched but not latched correctly.

“It was not ready for the next (second) shot, so to speak,” he said. “We will continue on to make NASCAR safer and hopefully other sports safer.”

Newman missed the next three Cup Series races because of a brain injury. He was cleared two weeks ago for competition.

Newman said doctors could find no specific injury.

“I had nothing that was wrong with me,” he said. “Medically I was just treated so that I could be calm so that they would kind of numb my brain, so to speak, so that I could just sit there and rest.”

[GALLERY: Photos of Ryan Newman through the years.]

As part of his recovery, he ran test laps at Darlington Raceway, which will host NASCAR’s 400-mile return to action Sunday.

Newman said teams and drivers understand the importance of Sunday’s race. The Cup Series came to a halt after running at Phoenix Raceway on March 8 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s great how (everybody in the industry) has all grouped together to make this their play, so to speak,” he said. “Sunday at Darlington is going to be an opportunity for us to connect with millions of people in ways we haven’t had since 1979.”

The 1979 Daytona 500 was the first NASCAR race broadcast live, flag to flag, by a network (CBS). It just so happened a massive snow storm had most people along the East Coast in their homes that day. The race recorded a double-digit rating.

Most people have been isolating in their homes for almost two months as a way to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“This is a big opportunity,” Newman said. “We are all going to make the best of it. This is a unique opportunity for us to shine and for me personally, to get back on the horse at the same time.”