Ryan Newman walks out of hospital less than 2 days after terrifying wreck

Less than two days after his car careened across the finish line on its roof at the Daytona 500, Ryan Newman walked out of a Daytona hospital, holding the hands of his daughters.

Roush Fenway Racing posted the update on Twitter, saying Newman had been treated and released from Halifax Medical Center.

It’s a miraculous outcome after fans held their breath for hours Monday night following Newman’s violent final-lap wreck. Everyone wondered just how severely Newman had been injured after he was bumped from behind and careened into the wall. His car then went airborne and was struck in the driver’s side while upside down by Corey LaJoie.

The impact sent Newman skidding down the track, crossing the finish line on his roof with sparks flying.

He was taken from the track immediately to Halifax Medical Center and the sporting world waited more than two hours before NASCAR released a statement that Newman was seriously injured, but that his injuries weren’t life-threatening.

Since then, there had been almost no update on his condition, a silence reminiscent of the aftermath of Dale Earnhardt’s death at the Daytona 500 in 2001. Tuesday was the 19th anniversary of Earnhardt’s death on Feb. 18, 2001.

But Wednesday, Newman’s race team issued a statement saying Newman “continues to show great improvement” and posted a photo that showed him standing in the hospital with his two girls.

Hours later, he walked out of the hospital.