Ryan Blaney said in a social media post Thursday night that he’s “replaying” the incident with Ryan Newman “over and over” and that he is thankful for family, friends and fans that have supported him since the accident.
Blaney also said he spoke with Newman on Wednesday night and “it was just good to hear his voice to be honest. His Ryan Newman humor was at large and brought a smile to my face. The recovery he has made the past few days have been remarkable. I look forward to seeing him soon to talk about it more.”
Blaney pushed Newman into the lead past Denny Hamlin on the backstretch of the final lap of Monday’s Daytona 500. As they came down the frontstretch, Blaney tired to pass but Newman blocked.
Blaney later said that at that point, he was focused on pushing Newman to the win to ensure a Ford was victorious. But one of Blaney’s pushes unsettled Newman’s car, turning Newman into the wall and the path of Corey LaJoie, who slammed into the driver side area of Newman’s upside down car. The contact sent Newman’s car in the air. It landed on its roof and slid down the frontstretch, coming to rest beyond the end of pit road. It took safety workers more than 10 minutes to extricate Newman. He was immediately transported to Halifax Medical Center and released Wednesday afternoon.
Newman will not race this weekend. Ross Chastain will drive Newman’s No. 6 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“We are all competitors racing for wins every weekend but at the same time are one big family, and you never want to see family get hurt,” Blaney wrote. “Have been replaying the events in my head over and over about what I could’ve done differently ever since.
“I’m very lucky to have a great family, friends, team and incredible fans that have helped me out this week. I can’t thank everyone enough for that.
“I can’t wait to have Rocketman Ryan Newman back at the track racing as hard as ever.”
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) February 21, 2020