Race Weekend Central

Amen & Thank You

2020 Daytona Ncs Chase Elliott Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

This may come as a shock to some, although not as much after Monday night, but racing is dangerous. Strapping into a conglomeration of metal and moving parts that hurtles down the track at speeds around 200 mph can sometimes lead to catastrophic failures. When those failures happen, the potential for injury is quite significant. …

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Fire on Fridays: The Highest Highs, the Lowest Lows

Olympus Digital Camera

(Photo: Rick Lunkenheimer)

I’d never felt the palpable energy on Sunday afternoon leading up to the Daytona 500. I’d also never felt the gut punch and fright I felt Monday after the checkered flag flew. The 36 hours from when the 500 began to when it ended, including the events that preceded and followed, had some of the …

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2-Headed Monster: Is It Time for Superspeedway Rule Changes Following Ryan Newman’s Wreck?

Daytona International Speedway Ckf250(2)

The 2020 Daytona 500 was a reminder that drivers can still get hurt in these race cars and we can never be too safe. Ryan Newman‘s accident was one of the scariest we’ve seen in this sport for a long time. Newman is currently recovering, having been released from Halifax Medical Center on Wednesday afternoon. …

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Frontstretch Podcast: Denny Hamlin Wins Daytona 500, Brendan Gaughan Reflects on Career

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

In this week’s edition of the Frontstretch Podcast, Dustin Albino and Mike Neff take on a more somber tone, with the incident involving Ryan Newman on the final lap of Monday’s Daytona 500. The duo discusses safety innovations that have come into play over the past two decades and break down the incident in detail. Denny Hamlin was victorious, …

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Did You Notice?: Ryan Newman Rewrites A NASCAR Nightmare… 19 Years Later

2018 Cup Richmond Ryan Newman Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Did You Notice? … It’s been 19 years since we lost Dale Earnhardt Sr. on February 18, 2001? Ryan Newman’s wreck in the 2020 Daytona 500 brought back the PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) of that nightmare across America. It’s easy to forget an entire generation of race fans never experienced Earnhardt’s death. But for those who …

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Ross Chastain Filling In for Ryan Newman in Cup Series

Ross Chastain prepares for a NASCAR race, 2019. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Ross Chastain will drive the No. 6 in the NASCAR Cup Series in place of Ryan Newman beginning this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Roush Fenway Racing announced Wednesday, Feb. 19. “First and foremost, our focus remains with Ryan and his family as he continues to recover,” Roush Fenway president Steve Newmark said in …

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Ryan Newman Released from Hospital Following Daytona Crash

2020 Daytona Ncs Ryan Newman Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Ryan Newman has been treated and released from Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla., Roush Fenway Racing announced Wednesday (Feb. 19). This news comes after an update earlier on Wednesday that Newman was fully alert and walking around Halifax. Roush’s tweet announcing the news included a photo of the driver walking away from the …

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Ryan Newman Walking at Hospital After Daytona Crash, RFR Shares Photo Update

2020 Daytona Ncs Ryan Blaney Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Ryan Newman continues to recover at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla., Roush Fenway Racing announced Wednesday (Feb. 19). Newman is “fully alert and walking around Halifax Medical Center,” the update reads. “True to his jovial nature, he has also been joking around with staff, friends and family while spending time playing with his …

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Holding A Pretty Wheel: Nothing but Gratitude and Hope for Brighter Days… and Racing

2019 Atlanta Cup Ryan Newman Nkp

(Photo:Nigel Kinrade Photography)

We’ve come a long, long way in NASCAR in terms of safety. But on the last lap of the Daytona 500 (and those words already have a loaded meaning, don’t they?) on Monday night (Feb. 17), the racing world witnessed a horrific reminder of both how far we’ve come and how not a day can …

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Couch Potato Wednesday: The Protocol for Covering Serious Incidents

Oh boy.  Daytona brings us plenty to talk about this week.  Given what happened Monday, we need to start there. As you all know by now, Ryan Newman is currently at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.  His injuries have not been made public, but as of this writing, he is awake, alert and …

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Power Rankings: Daytona 500 Edition 

2020 Daytona Ncs Denny Hamlin Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

I have been told I have the gift of snark, but I am still numb after this year’s Daytona 500. Does anyone really care who won the race? Does anyone really care which teams showed more strength than we expected? Does ANYONE care about anything except hearing better and better news about Ryan Newman? I …

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Ryan Newman Awake, Speaking Day After Daytona Crash

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Ryan Newman is awake and speaking to doctors at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla., following his last-lap crash in Monday’s (Feb. 17) Daytona 500, Roush Fenway Racing announced Tuesday, Feb. 18. The update is the first that confirms Newman is awake, after previous reports that he had been transported to the hospital in …

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