Ryan Newman is brash, big-hearted, controversial and a NASCAR mainstay

Trackside, Ryan Newman is often seen doting on his two young daughters, one propped in one arm, the other holding his hand. His heart is kind. Newman is an animal lover who devotes his spare time to rescuing dogs and snakes and goats in danger. 

He earned the nickname "Rocket Man," a nod to his speed and having graduated with an engineering degree from Purdue, a school which also produced more than 20 U.S. astronauts.

He's controversial. The South Bend, Indiana, native questioned whether man really landed on the moon last year at a NASCAR Cup Series auto race practice. He was asked about the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.

“Is it really the 50th anniversary? Or is it the 49th?" Newman said to USA Today. “I’m not a denier, I just don’t know, I don’t believe it’s true. I don’t have proof to believe it’s true. I can’t go off a picture or a video or whatever stage they were on. They were just trying to beat the Russians to a good photo opp.”

He's also well known for being bold and brash. After he was blamed for a three-car accident that included Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth in 2013, Newman wasn't apologetic. He lashed out at Busch.

“We know he’s not very bright,” Newman said after the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “I’m sure if I rearrange his face, I might fix it."

And, as most of the world knows, Newman is an intense competitor and a mainstay of his sport. He has under his belt a Daytona 500 win in 2008, Brickyard 400 in 2013 and a NASCAR All-Star Race victory, formerly called The Winston when he won it in 2002.

When Newman crashed in the final laps of the Daytona 500 Monday, the racing world held its breath as it waited to hear his condition. Shortly after, NASCAR announced Newman's injuries were serious but not life threatening. He was awake and speaking Tuesday afternoon.

 Now everyone waits again to see if this brash, big-hearted athlete will ever be the same.

A true champ

Racing has been Newman's life since he was 4 years old, when he got his start driving quarter midgets. 

Newman made his racing debut in 1993, at age 16, in the United Midget Auto Racing Association and the All-American Midget Series, winning both Rookie of the Year and the championship.

By the time he was 23, he had won 100 quarter midget races and two titles, earning him a spot in the Quarter Midget Hall of Fame. In his first 18 months as a stock car driver, Newman won seven poles and four races.

Newman was going for his second Daytona 500 win Monday when the crash happened. Ryan Blaney nudged Newman, who was leading on the final lap, and Newman's car hit the wall. His car was struck by a trailing car, flipped and skidded along the track. Denny Hamlin passed Blaney at the finish line for the victory. Newman was credited with ninth place. 

NASCAR officials did not specify Newman's injuries late Monday, saying only that he was in serious but stable condition. Newman was taken directly to a Daytona Beach-area hospital after being removed from his car. 

'Praying for a safe race'

Just days before Monday's crash, Newman and his wife of 16 years, Krissie, had announced their separation.

"After 16 years of marriage, Ryan and I have decided to amicably separate. We will continue to jointly raise our girls, while remaining friends and continuing to work together supporting Rescue Ranch. Thank you for the years of support and friendship. We ask that our daughters’ privacy be respected during this time."

Krissie Newman graduated from Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, with a degree in criminal science. She was working as a clerk for a judge in North Carolina when a church friend set her and Newman up on a blind date.

They immediately discovered a shared love: animals.

"I always joke with people that when I met her dog, I met her," Newman told USA Today. Three years later, in 2004, the two married.  In 2012, the couple founded a non-profit in North Carolina called Rescue Ranch, 87 acres focused on the humane rescue and treatment of animals.

Krissie would often go there in the morning to feed the animals then hop on a plane to make it to Newman's race that same day.

At the time of her husband's crash, Krissie tweeted, "Omg." She also tweeted that she was "praying for a safe race" just hours before Newman crashed.

A follower had asked Krissie if she would be watching the race and she replied: "I am," she said. "Would love to see my girls in (Victory Lane) but always praying for a safe race."

Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.