Corey LaJoie said he and Ryan Newman joked laughed about this go-kart story Wednesday night.
NASCAR driver Cory LaJoie didn’t even know who he hit when he smashed into Ryan Newman at the end of the last lap of the 2020 Daytona 500.
And, like so many other people at the track, he didn’t realize the severity of Newman’s situation until he was evaluated and released from the infield care center. He was just excited about the idea of finishing eighth in NASCAR’s biggest race because it was only his third top-10 finish.
But after being cleared by the care center, LaJoie said he learned about the seriousness of Newman’s wreck.
“My stomach dropped, and I thought I was going to puke,” LaJoie told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Thursday.
Racing for the win on the last lap, Newman and his No. 6 Ford was out front with Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 Ford behind him. Blaney said their bumpers got “hooked up wrong,” and Newman’s car turned and hit the wall before LaJoie’s No. 32 Ford collided with him. LaJoie said it “was the hardest hit I’ve had.”
Newman’s car flew through the air before landing upside down and sliding off the track. He was taken to a nearby hospital and was in “serious condition” Monday night, but his injuries were not life threatening, according to his team, Roush Fenway Racing.
And then miraculously, Newman was released from the hospital Wednesday afternoon, not even 48 hours after the wreck.
LaJoie said it’s been a “very emotional week” for him, Blaney and, of course, Newman. “It seems like all three of us are doing well for the circumstances,” he said.
He also mentioned that he and Newman texted Wednesday night and explained Newman is still in Florida at fellow NASCAR driver (and <a href=" https://twitter.com/SiriusXMNASCAR/status/1230569542948139008 On SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, LaJoie said they joked about a gathering for Ford drivers near Pocono Raceway, which included indoor go-karts:
“We texted last night. We shared a couple laughs we went to that little slick track in Pocono called S&S . And for whatever reason, Newman and I always found each other, and his big ass looked like Bowser in that little go-kart. We’re sliding around and smashing into each other, and his head is so big he had to hold the roof up because his head was smashing into it.“So we shared a laugh over . I said, ‘Man, it was almost like we were back at that slick track in Pocono, but unfortunately, we were going 200 miles an hour instead of seven.’ And he thought that was funny. He’s down there still I guess in Martin’s house in Florida. What a blessing to be able to share a laugh with Ryan not even almost 48 hours after everybody assumed the worst.”
LaJoie also explained a little about what it feels like to be in a wreck going about 200 miles an hour. He said hit Newman at basically full speed and got the wind knocked out of him, which is why, when he got out of the car, he fell to his knees.
The photo quickly circulated around NASCAR social media, and LaJoie clarified what exactly what was happening in that moment because, again, he didn’t even realize Newman was injured at that point. He told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio:
“I really didn’t have a grip on what happened until probably Wednesday afternoon. when it finally sunk in, and I was able to digest everything feelings wise and just the whole situation because I’ve never really been in a situation like that. I’ve never really been in a big superspeedway crash to that point. So it’s crazy how fast it happens, crazy how people don’t realize how much it hurts when you hit something that hard or that fast.
“If anybody’s gotten in a wreck on the road at 40 miles an hour, they know how much that hurts, and we’re going 190, 200 miles an hour. It definitely makes your body do a lot of funky things it’s not used to. That’s why that little picture that was kind of going viral there on Twitter and Facebook there. I was on my knees. I kind of addressed it on my Instagram.
“People assumed or speculated that I got out because I was in a praying position. I honestly was on my knees because I was in pain. The wind was knocked out of me. Granted, I said a thank you for protection prayer up to the big guy because I knew it was a nasty wreck, but at that point in time, I had no idea who I hit or the severity of it.”
