DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 17: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, poses with the trophy in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series 62nd Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Ryan Newman hospitalized after wreck
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – With the car of Ryan Newman sliding upside-down trailing sparks behind him, Denny Hamlin joined elite company on Monday night in the second-closest finish in Daytona 500 history.
Hamlin beat Ryan Blaney to the finish line at Daytona International Speedway by 0.014 seconds, and while the driver of the No. 11 celebrated with a burnout on the infield grass, the emergency crew worked to extricate Newman from his No. 6 Ford, which came to rest on its roof at the end of the tri-oval.
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 08: Ryan Newman, driver of the #6 Koch Industries Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series 62nd Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 08, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images
Updates on Roush Fenway Racing Driver Ryan Newman
Ryan Newman Has Been Treated and Released from Halifax Medical Center
Daytona Beach, Florida (February 19, 2020) — Ryan Newman has been treated and released from Halifax Medical Center.
Ryan Newman Continues Great Improvement
Daytona Beach, Florida (February 19, 2020) — Ryan Newman continues to show great improvement after Monday night’s last-lap accident at Daytona International Speedway.
The veteran driver is fully alert and walking around Halifax Medical Center. True to his jovial nature, he has also been joking around with staff, friends, and family while playing with his two daughters.
Ryan continues to express his appreciation for the outpouring of support from across the country, and he and his family are grateful for the immense level of support that has been provided by the NASCAR community and beyond.
We will continue to provide information as it becomes available.
Daytona Beach, Florida (February 18, 2020) — Ryan Newman remains under the care of doctors at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. He is awake and speaking with family and doctors.
Ryan and his family have expressed their appreciation for the concern and heartfelt messages from across the country. They are grateful for the unwavering support of the NASCAR community and beyond.
We will continue to provide information as it becomes available.
FORD PERFORMANCE STATEMENT ON DRIVER RYAN NEWMAN
“We’re grateful for the news about Ryan,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “We had been waiting for information just like everyone else, so to hear some positive news tonight is a relief. Ryan has been an important part of the Roush Fenway and Ford NASCAR program this past year, and he is so respected for being a great competitor by everyone in the sport. The entire Ford family is sending positive thoughts for his recovery, but our first thoughts remain with his family and his team.”
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 16: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the #47 Kroger Chevrolet, leads the field to the green flag, waved by former NASCAR driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to start the NASCAR Cup Series 62nd Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 16, 2020) – The completion of the 62nd annual DAYTONA 500 has been postponed until Monday at 4 p.m., due to rain Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.
The season-opening race for the NASCAR Cup Series season will be televised by FOX. The race was halted Sunday night after 20 of the scheduled 200 laps were run on the 2.5-mile tri-oval, with polesitter Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leading the event in the No. 47 Kroger Chevrolet.
Speedway parking lots open at 11 a.m. Monday. Gates and the UNOH Fanzone open at 1 p.m. with hospitality areas opening at 2.
DAYTONA 500 tickets, hospitality passes, and parking passes will be honored in all areas.
Editor’s Note: Fan4Racing writer Andy Laskey is the co-host for NASCAR Hot Topics Sound Off on Fan4Racing Radio every Monday and Thursday night at 10 pm ET. He’ll now offer a weekly blog of NASCAR Hot Topics to elaborate on subjects that – due to time constraints – we miss or short-change on the radio show. Please share your perspective of these hot topics in the comments section below.
Hot Topics 1 – Daniel Suarez Fails to Make Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 09: Daniel Suarez, driver of the #96 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series 62nd Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 09, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Arguably one of the biggest disappointments to start the 2020 NASCAR season has to be Daniel Saurez missing the season-opening Daytona 500. The driver of the Gaunt Brothers Racing No. 96 Toyota was involved in a crash in the Duel 1 race that sent him to an early exit from the race and subsequent DNQ from the 500.
This is incredibly disappointing for a team trying to gain traction and establish themselves in the NASCAR Cup Series. The deal between Saurez and Gaunt Brothers Racing came together fairly late in the off-season, which put the team in a position of hiring personnel and building cars barely in time for Daytona Speedweeks. Making the Daytona 500 would have helped this up and coming team in a major way, especially in terms of financial benefits by starting the event, with a good performance and showing the potential to win.
What ‘could have been’ was the chance to gain exposure and sponsorship for the team. Missing the biggest race of the season automatically puts this team in a deficit and it will be interesting to see how they can overcome this set-back in the coming weeks.
Hot Topics 2 – No Sophomore Slump for Gragson
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 15: Noah Gragson, driver of the #9 Bass Pro Shops/BRCC Chevrolet, celebrates with the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
A feel-good story to start the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season has to be Daytona winner Noah Gragson. Entering his sophomore season in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports, Gragson finds himself in a situation of opportunity to step up and establish himself as a title favorite and help secure his long term future in the sport.
There’s no better way to do that than start the season off by winning the biggest race of the year. Granted, winning a superspeedway race doesn’t guarantee success for the whole season but it certainly gives this team a lot of confidence moving forward. To start the weekend, Gragson exhibited a lot of confidence and optimism for the 2020 season, as do all teams this time of year. But you just get the feeling that this has the potential to be a big year for Gragson and certainly his win at Daytona helps establish himself as one of the favorites.
With last year’s Big Three drivers in Cole Custer, Christopher Bell, and Tyler Reddick moving to the Cup Series, it remains to be seen exactly who will fill that void, however, this weekend Noah Gragson certainly made his case that he’ll be a season-long contender.
