Ryan Newman reflects on his near-death experience at Daytona

Ryan Newman’s “luck ran out” in February on the final lap of the 2020 Daytona 500, when he was involved in a horrifying crash in the run to the finish line that sent him flipping through the air at nearly 200 miles per hour. Newman’s car skidded hundreds of feet upside down along the track and eventually came to rest, and the track safety and medical crew frantically worked to check on Newman’s condition and extract him from the car.

Newman was rushed to the hospital – and miraculously, Newman was able to walk out the hospital holding his daughters’ hands with only minor injuries two days later.

Newman returned to Daytona to race on the road course two weeks ago, but on Saturday night, Newman will test his luck again in a restrictor plate race at NASCAR’s most famous track. In an interview with Fox Sports, Newman said he never envisioned saying he felt happy to be alive before the accident occurred.

“I never thought I would sit here and say I was happy to be alive, because I’ve been so blessed in so many ways. I’ve been lucky. And my luck ran out one day. And I’m thankful that I had just enough luck to be saved.

…. The tough part is just knowing what could have happened that day. Right? I mean… I was close. I was close. I mean the hole punch was there. The ticket was in somebody’s hand. They either missed, or what, but my ticket is still here.