DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. _ Denny Hamlin won the Daytona 500 in dramatic fashion, but the celebration was subdued after he learned Ryan Newman was being transported to the hospital after a major wreck.
"No. 1, we're praying for Ryan," Hamlin said during an interview on Fox after winning the race.
Following a last-second pass of Newman on the backstretch under the lights Monday night at Daytona International Speedway, Hamlin edged Ryan Blaney at the finish line by 0.14 seconds to capture the Great American Race for the second consecutive year.
The margin of victory was the second-closest in the event's 62nd history. Hamlin's win over Martin Truex Jr. in 2016 was the closest.
Hamlin's second Daytona 500 win a year ago resurrected the career of one the sport's biggest names. Sunday's win put him in rare air and solidified the 39-year-old's spot as one of the best drivers of his generation.
Hamlin joined Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough and Dale Jarrett as the only three-time winners of the Daytona 500. Hamlin became the first back-to-back winner since Sterling Marlin in 1994-94 and just the fourth overall, joining Marling, Petty and Yarborough.
Following the win, Hamlin did donuts on the infield in his No. 11 Toyota. But his celebration also soon became subdued as Hamlin exited his car.
During the final pus to the finish line, Newman's care became airborne. As the No. 6 Ford descended another driver hit Newman's car at high speed, putting it on his roof.
Newman was trapped in his car as emergency workers attended to the wreckage.
He was eventually removed from the vehicle and transported to the hospital by ambulance. NASCAR officials did not immediately provide any further information about his condition.
