Ryan Blaney Talks About His ‘Push’ That Led to Awful Daytona Crash Involving Ryan Newman

Ryan Blaney was driving the car behind Ryan Newman in the last lap of Monday’s night’s Daytona 500 race. As Blaney’s car  bumped into Newman’s car in the front of the pack, it led to a massive crash that sent his fellow driver to the hospital.

Blaney seemed somewhat distraught in a post-Daytona 500 interview when asked to walk viewers through the final laps.

“Yeah, we pushed Newman there to the lead and then we got a push from the 11 and made a move,” Blaney described the very end of the race, adding, “Newman blocked it, I kind of went low and he blocked that.”

“I was committed to pushing him to the win, try to have a ford win it and I don’t know, we got bumpers hooked up wrong and turned him. I hope he’s all right. That looked pretty bad.”

Blaney ended by adding “I feel really bad about it. Close one but I hope Ryan’s all right.”

Newman’s injuries from the fiery crash are serious, but not life-threatening, according to NASCAR officials. While some may see Blaney as responsible for Newman’s crash, local TV anchor Emerson Lehmann sums up the take from most racing enthusiasts:

Anyone blaming Ryan Blaney for that wreck is clueless. You’re 200 yards from the finish line at Daytona with a shot at the win. Any driver in that position isn’t lifting because the guy in front of them blocks.

— Emerson Lehmann (@ELehmannTV) February 18, 2020

Watch above via Fox Sports.