JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The racing community is sharing their own experiences with crashes after one of their own was involved in a horrific crash at the end of Monday's Daytona 500.
NASCAR driver Ryan Newman remains in serious condition at a Daytona Beach hospital.
No stranger to dangerous situations, David Tuaty has been racing cars for 25 years.
“As a race car driver, I’m just looking to pass the car ahead of me," says Tuaty. "I’m really not thinking about the safety because all that has been engineered. What I do make sure is before, in my preparation that all my equipment is up to snuff.”
As a professional racing driver and coach for TLM Racing, Tuaty says he drives a Porsche GT3 Cup Car. Part of the reason for that is because of all the safety features. It's built specifically for racing with the roll cage and six-point harnesses.
“I love racing. I don’t know what I would be without it. I am happy and privileged to make a living racing," he said.
Just last month, Tuaty was in a horrible crash.
“I got turned around similarly to what Ryan did and I went 90 degrees into the inside wall at Homestead speedway," he said. "I did not flip, the car did hit the front and the back and it came to an abrupt stop.”
He walked away with a mild concussion. He also couldn't race for six weeks.
“You know we accept the dangers," he said. "We just have to make sure that all drivers are aware of each other to make sure we don’t put each other in a dangerous situation just for a win. Because at the end of the day, that win is meaningless if you’re not alive to enjoy it.”