Ryan Newman crossed the finish line of the Daytona 500 Monday night skidding on the tarmac upside down with his No. 6 engulfed in flames.
The scene was absolutely terrifying, as you can see here.
A terrible situation was made worse by the fact that Denny Hamlin was allowed to go about his business celebrating the victory as if nothing unusual had happened. He did the traditional celebratory spinouts, got out of his car and waved to the crowd…all while Newman’s situation had yet to resolve itself and safety crews attempted to extricate him from his vehicle.
In the end, he was not safe, and had to be taken to the hospital.
NASCAR drew scorn from fans and analysts watching the Daytona 500 for not putting a halt to the celebration while Newman’s situation was still unfolding.