DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) – Ryan Newman is “fully alert and walking around” a Florida hospital just two days after a horrific crash in the final lap of the Daytona 500.
The NASCAR driver’s team, Roush Fenway, posted a new statement on Newman’s condition Wednesday along with a photo of the driver and his two young daughters in the hospital.
“The veteran driver is fully alert and walking around Halifax Medical Center,” the statement says. “True to his jovial nature, he has also been joking around with staff, friends and family while spending time playing with his two daughters.”
Newman was in the lead in the last lap of overtime on Monday night when his car slammed into the wall and flipped onto its roof. Another car then hit Newman’s in the driver’s side, sending it skidding upside-down along the track.
After medics removed him from his car, Newman was rushed to Halifax Medical Center.
Anxious fans received word late Monday night that Newman was in serious condition but was expected to survive.
Since then, the Roush Fenway team has posted updates on the racer’s “great improvement” as he recovers in the hospital.
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