Stewart-Haas Racing's Ryan Newman receives outpouring of support after Talladega crash
Ryan Newman's Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet (39) begins to leave the track as JTG Daugherty Racing's Marcos Ambrose (47) and Richard Childress Racing's Kevin Harvick slide by Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. // Mark Sluder, NASCAR Scene
Stewart-Haas Racing's Ryan Nemwan is sore and has a couple of chipped teeth, but he’s ready to return to action in his No. 39 Chevrolet for this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Newman was involved in a horrific crash at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday where his car flipped on its roof, slammed the outside wall and then tumbled in the grass in Turn 3 at the 2.66-mile track.
Newman was treated and released from the Talladega infield care center after the wreck.
“I was pretty sore after the crash,” he said. “I actually chipped a couple of teeth, but other than that, I’m OK. I’m still sore, but I feel better every day. I’ve really kind of just taken it easy this week. I’ve done all the normal things that I would do – go to the race shop for debrief, spend time on my farm and at home doing the things I do every week when I have time off.”
Newman said he was glad his seat and chassis held up well under the intense forces of the Talladega crash.
“Unfortunately, we were the victims of a bad wreck at Talladega,” Newman said. “On the bright side of things, everything worked the way it was supposed to, and I was able to walk away from a bad crash just being sore. There are a lot of people I have to say thanks to for that. I want to thank ButlerBuilt [seats], Simpson Race Products and all the guys at the shop and Hendrick Chassis for what they do to make the cars safer.
“I obviously tested everything last week. I also want to thank all the NASCAR fans and the people who work in the sport for their outpouring of concern. I’ve gotten more calls, texts, emails and notes than I could have imagined. I know people have reached out to [wife] Krissie and people at Stewart-Haas Racing, and it has just really been amazing. So, I want to say thanks to everybody for that.”
Crew chief Tony Gibson spoke with Newman after the wreck on Sunday and then saw him at the SHR shop on Monday. In reviewing the crash, Gibson said the interior of the car held up perfectly, even though NASCAR and safety officials cut the top of the roll cage off to get Newman out.
Gibson also said that three weeks before the accident, the team had begun exploring ways to get Newman lower in his seat in the car, originally to help with center of gravity. But now the team realizes that getting Newman lower is a benefit to safety, too.
“For us, it was kind of ironic – the timing of the wreck and everything that happened with Ryan after the wreck,” Gibson said. “He said he couldn’t get his helmet off because of where the roll cage ended up after he slid down the track on his roof. Well, we had already been in the process of moving his seats down in the car back at the race shop. That just gets his head further down and gets his whole body lower in the car.
“It’s just weird that three weeks ago we started looking at how to get his weight lower in the car. At the time, we weren’t really thinking about the head, but just getting his weight lower in the car. The wreck on Sunday makes us look at other areas, too. We can see why it’s an advantage and safer to get his body lower in the car.”
Gibson said there are two safety benefits to getting Newman’s seat lower: First, his neck and shoulders have more side protection, and second, his head is lower than the upper roll bars.
“We had already had a car rigged up with the lower seat for Ryan to try out on Monday,” Gibson said. “Timing-wise, it was ironic because we had planned all along for him to come in on Monday and sit in that car to see what he thought. It was just kind of strange. We had him get in the car and try it out, and it’s something we’re going to continue working on.
“We spent all day Monday looking at the car from Talladega and studying it. NASCAR came over to the shop, too. We looked at the interior, and everything really looked great. It wasn’t compromised. Nothing moved at all.”
