NASCAR driver Ryan Newman released from hospital after Daytona 500 crash

Two days after his horrible Daytona 500 crash, NASCAR driver Ryan Newman is out of the hospital.

Newman was hospitalized on Monday after being nudged out of control at the end of the Daytona 500, with NASCAR at the time saying he was in "serious condition" but that his injuries were "not life threatening." It took almost 20 minutes for Newman to be removed from the car after the crash, ESPN reports.

Roush Fenway Racing announced earlier Wednesday that Newman was "fully alert and walking around" while continuing to "show great improvement," which The Washington Post described as an "almost inconceivable update after the fiery wreck." Just a few hours after this great news, Roush Fenway shared a photo of Newman, accompanied by his two daughters, being released.

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USA Today in an article Wednesday explored how Newman could have survived such a scary crash, noting numerous safety improvements have been made at NASCAR races in recent years. Racing safety consultant consultant Terry Trammell told the outlet, "It's been amazing. They've turned this whole thing around over time." Racer Kurt Busch made a similar observation Wednesday, tweeting that "there will always be risk involved in our sport" but "the safety advancements NASCAR has made are incredible."