Daytona 500 Driver Ryan Newman In Horrific Crash, Rushed To Hospital

Daytona 500 driver Ryan Newman was rushed to a hospital Monday night after a fiery crash in the Florida race.

Newman was in the last lap of the NASCAR series race when a following car caught his back bumper , The Associated Press reported. Newman’s car flipped, then was struck again and skidded on its roof in flames for several yards.

He’s in serious condition, but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening , according to NASCAR officials. Twitter erupted in “Pray for Newman” messages.

Newman, 42, a native of South Bend, Indiana, is a 19-year NASCAR veteran who won the 2008 Daytona 500.

Driver Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash in the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001.

Racer Denny Hamlin won his second Daytona 500 on Monday just seconds after Newman’s crash.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misspelled the winner’s name. It’s Hamlin.