Ryan Newman survives crash thanks to NASCAR safety innovation

While anxiously awaiting word on Ryan Newman’s fate, his fellow drivers spent two excruciating hours hoping the new safety measures NASCAR put in place the past two decades would be enough to save him.

It turned out those changes, however unpopular at the time to the drivers, did their job at Monday’s Daytona 500 and may have prevented the first on-track death in the sport since Dale Earnhardt 19 years earlier on the same speedway.

“The No. 1 thing that NASCAR always does is put safety -- before competition, you’ve got to have a car that’s safe,” race winner Denny Hamlin said. “You’ve got to have all your equipment that’s safe, and the sport has been very fortunate to not have anything freak or weird happen for many, many years.

“But a lot of that is because of the development and the constant strive to make things better and safer. I thank my lucky stars every day that I came in the sport when I did.”

Newman, who team officials said was awake Tuesday and talking with his family while getting treatment at a Daytona Beach hospital for non-life threatening injuries, surely would agree.

During the final push for the checkered flag Monday night, Newman lost control of his vehicle, slammed into the outer wall and became airborne after Ryan Blaney bumped the left rear panel of Newman’s car. As the No. 6 Ford began its descent, Corey LaJoie hit the driver’s side of Newman’s car to send it airborne again, spinning it into multiple rolls before it eventually skidded down the track on its roof and caught fire.

Newman’s horrific crash tested every step NASCAR’s governing body has taken to enhance driver safety.

The 39-year-old Hamlin joined the Cup Series in 2006. The 42-year-old Newman arrived four years earlier, in 2002 -- the season after Earnhardt’s death during the Great American Race.

Earnhardt’s tragic ending was the 28th death in the sport while driving or as a result of injuries sustained during a crash. The list of fatalities included stock-car racing legend Fireball Roberts in 1964 and Neil Bonnett 30 years later during a practice session for the Daytona 500.

The death of Earnhardt, a fan favorite and seven-time Cup Series champion, highlighted the need for improved driver safety and accelerate NASCAR’s efforts to minimize the risks in an inherently dangerous sport.

NASCAR mandated driver’s use the HANS device -- a head-and-neck restraint system designed to minimize head injuries -- despite the fact drivers, including Earnhardt, found it to be cumbersome and uncomfortable.

The Car of Tomorrow was introduced in 2008 with safety in mind following five years of research, construction and testing. In order to mitigate the impact a driver would experience, designers moved the driver’s seat four inches toward the center, shifted the roll cage three inches to the rear and made the car two inches taller and four inches wider.

Crush panels or crumple zones in the cars absorbed the energy of high-speed impacts, while tracks added energy-absorbing walls. In addition to the HANS device, full face masks on driver helmets and additional padding around his head once in the car are aimed to prevent head injuries.

Criticized for its bulky look and poor handling, the car was updated in 2013. In 2021, NASCAR will introduce the Next Gen car, featuring further improvements to handling and safety.

The technological advances during the past two decades likely prevented more severe injuries and even the loss of life. At the same time, concussions still forced the early retirement of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, two of NASCAR’s best drivers and biggest stars.

During Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway, drivers strapped into their cars like astronauts ready for take-off at nearby Cape Canaveral, yet they are still able to minimize risk only so much when reaching speeds of 200 mph in tight packs while trading paint.

Newman’s crash drove home the grim reality that even though NASCAR is much safer, it is not necessarily safe -- and in fact might be the most dangerous among major American sports.

Hamlin wonder if drivers routinely walking away from multi-car pile-ups and high-speed collisions into walls may have desensitized the public to the potential perils of the sport.

“We take for granted how safe these cars are,” he said.

Monday night was a reminder how fragile the cars can be, too.

While crashes are common and even celebrated by fans, it was clear this one was different, with the driver’s side of Newman’s car taking a direct hit from an oncoming car amid many other blows.

Workers eventually lifted Newman’s car onto its wheels and extricated him from the wreckage. There was no thumbs up from the driver, no radio communication with his spotter, no track-side confirmation from reporters he was OK.

Newman immediately was rushed by ambulance to a hospital less than a mile away.

A palpable anxiety hung over the iconic track as everyone awaited news on Newman’s condition. Stunned viewers begged for information on social media and offered prayers.

While waiting like everyone else, Gordon, now a color analyst for Fox, appeared to tear up as he discussed what had just occurred.

“Safety has come a lot way in this sport,” the 48-year-old said. “But sometimes we are reminded that it is a very dangerous sport.”

Newman’s crash also reminded drivers there are things more important than winning races, even the biggest one in the sport.

“It’s a weird balance of excitement and happiness for yourself,” Hamlin said. “Obviously someone’s health and their family is bigger than any win in any sport.”

This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com.

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