Posted on 07/18/2004 10:54:47 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Edited on 07/18/2004 11:16:00 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
SONOMA, Calif. (AP) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. was treated for minor burns on his face and legs and hospitalized after an accident Sunday during practice for the American Le Mans Series Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma.
Medical officials at Infineon Raceway described the injuries as ``moderate-sized burns of moderate intensity.'' Earnhardt was flown to the University of California-Davis Medical Center in Sacramento for precautionary reasons.
During a 30-minute practice, Earnhardt's Chevrolet Corvette C5-R spun and hit a barrier in turn eight of the road racing track, catching fire. Earnhardt quickly got out of the car on his own before being assisted by safety crews.
Earnhardt, who regularly competes in the Nextel Cup Series, was to have driven in Sunday's ALMS race with veteran road racing driver Boris Said. The team has withdrawn the car from the race.
Earnhardt Jr. burned in Grand Am practice crash
By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive July 18, 2004
1:25 PM EDT (1725 GMT)
SONOMA, Calif. - Dale Earnhardt Jr. suffered moderate burns to his facial and lower extremities Sunday morning in an accident during American LeMans Series practice at Infineon Raceway.
Track spokesman John Cardinale said Earnhardt was transported to the University of California-Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Infineon's designated hospital for burn treatment.
According to an American LeMans Series statement, Earnhardt was driving a Chevrolet Corvette C5-R in a 30-minute practice session when the accident occurred. The car spun and impacted a barrier in the Turn 8 section of the road-racing track, then caught fire. Earnhardt quickly exited the car on his own, and was then assisted by safety crews.
Earnhardt, who regularly competes in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series, was scheduled to co-drive in today's Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma with veteran road racing driver Boris Said. The team has withdrawn the car from the race.
Dale Sr "was" wearing his belts correctly. The belt was frayed. Simpson pulled out of the business after Dale got killed.
Hey Norm, could it be that the all powerful admin mod is a NASCAR fan? In other words, "one of us"? Cool!
;)
<< During a 30-minute practice, Earnhardt's Chevrolet Corvette C5-R spun and hit a barrier in turn eight of the road racing track ... >>
Must've been a Right-hand Turn, eh?
Simpson is still in the racing safety business. Impact Racing Products is his new company
Dale Sr "was" wearing his belts correctly. The belt was frayed. Simpson pulled out of the business after Dale got killed.
Actually, it was a left hander.
Looks like he'll be sore for awhile. .. no close dancing I reckun ;-)
If ya didn't see the Craftsman Truck race finish last night,, check out the replay this week on Speed channel.
I haven't seen that many cars trucks flying thru the air since the daredevils were in town. *-)
You're welcome. Thanks for the update too.
Irony defined.
Oh my gosh, that bottom photo with the helmet admidst the flames is really disturbing. Thank God he's alive.
Thanks for the shots. :-)
I was out all afternoon.
Correcting myself:
According to David Poole of the Charlotte Observer, these Corvettes do have fire extinguishers.
But, they need to be deployed by the driver. Since Jr definitely appeared stunned he didn't pull the pin.
Gotta be tough for his wife and family...
No, he hasn't driven in this series before. He drove in the Daytona 500, which is also a series owned by the same folks who own NASCAR. It's sort of the same type of racing, but not exactly the same.
Yes, it was very bad. I've never seen a car go up in flames like that before. The corner workers got there as quickly as they could - they actually ran into burning fuel on the track to pull him out. They did a very good job, especially considering that they are not even safety workers. The first people who got to him really went above and beyond the call of duty.
It is a testament to the good design of the Corvette, and to Earnhardt himself (he took a pretty good hit, then had his car practically explode) that he was able to get out of the car so quickly. It's amazing that he was able to keep his wits about him. He's a remarkable fellow, and I'm very glad that he's going to be okay. I'm sorry that he wasn't able to race - he really seemed to be having a good time this weekend.
These guys can't drive. Take them off the that boring oval circuit and put them on a real race track and they wreck in a minute.
Formula 1 rules!!!
Good grief. I just read what I wrote to you previously and realized that I made two errors. One, the word "also" should be "a race in" (don't know what I was thinking) and "Daytona 500" should be "Daytona 24 Hours" (yes, I do know the difference). Sorry for my confusing reply - I've been awake for a really long time today.
As others on here may or may not know, I'm a loyal Jeff Gordon fan. But I truly enjoy many of the NASCAR drivers and wish them all good, safe trips each race. Junior is a terrific guy who's important to all of us fans (or should be), even if our favorite driver is someone else.
He's also important to the sport. That's why I hope he never drives in another one of these side series again.
Just as I said up higher in the thread — and as these photos prove — he was sitting strapped in that racecar surrounded by fire for several long seconds with no safety crew helping him.
Also, the team had to change the fuel cell just the night before because it was delaiminating. The owner was very hasty in saying there couldn't be a problem with the fuel cell because they changed it. Whatever broke on that car, fuel was just pouring out like a river all over the hot underside of that car. There clearly was no fire extinguisher on board the car, like in NASCAR. In my opinion the car was a death trap, and everyone involved is just damned, damned lucky Junior didn't die in it.
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