One of the wildest Daytona 500's in history, the 62nd Great American Race started on Sunday and finished Monday night due to rain. The Daytona & Talladega aero package were at its peak during this time, and it made for unbelievable racing through the entire race. However, all of that was glossed over after what happened off of turn 4 on the final lap. Ryan Blaney, going for his first Daytona 500 win, looks for a way around Newman. Knowing this is his best chance to win a race in almost three years, Ryan Newman blocks any advance Ryan tries to make, until he can't. Blaney hooks Newman's right rear and sends him head-first into the outside wall at over 200mph. No amount of safety advances NASCAR had ever made could've stopped Newman from getting airborne in this specific situation. Newman goes up and over, right as he's landing back onto the racing surface he's hit just above his window net by Corey Lajoie. There was nothing Corey could've done to prevent this. Newman slides down the frontstretch as fire erupts from sparks igniting the fuel that's rushing out of his car. Still upside down, Denny Hamlin is in victory lane with his team after edging out Ryan Blaney in the second closest Daytona 500 finish ever. As the AMR Safety team surrounds his car, Ryan Newman has the entire NASCAR world by his side. I remember staring at my TV nervously waiting for any info whatsoever on his condition, it was such a surreal and awful feeling and I hope to never witness such an event again. Newman was taken to a local hospital where he was treated and released in just a few short days. He was able to race again later that season.
Here are all the crashes from the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500. Enjoy!
Audiovisual content credit: NASCAR and FOX Sports
Full race upload credit: Benediktus Pungky Aditama
