The driver who collided with Ryan Newman in the horrific Daytona 500 crash found out on camera that Newman had been taken to the hospital

• NASCAR driver Ryan Newman was hospitalized and left in a "serious condition" Monday night following a devastating wreck during the final lap of the Daytona 500.
• The 42-year-old driver crashed into multiple other cars at 190 miles per hour before his car flipped into the air, landed on its roof, and erupted into flames.
• Corey LaJoie, the driver who unavoidably slammed into the back of Newman's car and sent it hurtling into the air, found out on camera that his opponent had been immediately sent to the hospital.
• In an interview on "Good Morning America," LaJoie told Michael Strahan that he "didn't even know who I hit" during the chaotic final lap.
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NASCAR driver Ryan Newman was hospitalized and left in a "serious condition" Monday night following a devastating wreck during the final lap of the Daytona 500.

And despite his direct involvement in the scary scene, Corey LaJoie - the American driver who unavoidably slammed into the back of Newman's car and sent it hurtling into the air - had no idea how severe the crash was until he spoke with reporters.

A video shared by Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass shows LaJoie first learning that Newman was immediately transported to the nearby Halifax Medical Center. While rescue crews extinguished the flames and pulled Newman from the wreck, LaJoie was receiving medical care of his own.

LaJoie's shock and concern at the hearing of Newman's situation were apparent despite the chaos of the media scrum surrounding him.

"Oh! What?" he said. "Well the narrative kind of changed a little bit now that Bob said [Newman] went straight to the hospital. That's obviously scary."

Shortly after the race, LaJoie shared his concern for Newman on Twitter.

In an interview on "Good Morning America" Tuesday morning, LaJoie - who finished the race in eighth place - told Michael Strahan that he "didn't even know who I hit" during the chaotic final lap of the year's most high-profile NASCAR race.

"It was wild, man," LaJoie said. "I didn't even know who I hit because you're concentrating on trying to get a good finish and nobody realizes how fast 200 miles per hour is or how uncontrollable these cars are when you get out of shape.

"I didn't even know who I hit or what the extent of the crash was until I got out of the infield care center - until somebody told me that they took [Newman] straight to the hospital," he added. "I was obviously nervous. I still haven't seen the replay beyond what was shown right there. It was obviously a very scary crash."

The 28-year-old also took a moment to credit the NASCAR research and development group for working to develop the safest possible race cars.

"The fact that he's still with us and he can hopefully make a full recovery is just a testament to the NASCAR R&D group and how safe they're trying to make these race cars," LaJoie said.

As is common practice after a serious accident, NASCAR has taken both Newman's and LaJoie's cars to its Research & Development Center to examine the vehicles, per Fox 46's Brett Baldeck.

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