Safe at any speed?(Feature Story)

Ryan Newman was cruising along at 200 miles per hour during last year's Daytona 500 stock-car race in Florida when another car scraped against Newman's No. 12 Dodge Intrepid.

Newman lost control of his car slamming into the outside retaining wall at Daytona International Speedway.

As Newman's car skidded and swerved, the Intrepid's right rear wheel spun off, sending the vehicle sliding backward across the asphalt track as other cars zoomed by.

When Newman's car reached the grass infield, it began to cartwheel end over end. A series of dizzying barrel rolls hurled car parts and chunks of turf everywhere. Somehow, Newman stayed strapped in his seat.

When the tangled mess finally came to rest upside down, there was stunned silence from the 225,000 spectators. Several minutes later, a dazed Newman crawled out from the heap of twisted metal. As rescue workers helped Newman, the driver waved to the relieved crowd. He was sore but not injured. …