Dale Earnhardt Jr. burned after crash

Yahoo ^ | 7/18/04 | AP - Sonoma

[NormsRevenge]

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 The team has withdrawn the car from the race.

FRom Nascar.com

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 The team has withdrawn the car from the race.

2 posted on 07/18/2004 1:57:30 PM EDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi Mac ... Godspeed x40 ... Support Our Troops!!! ......Become a FR Monthly Donor ...)

[NormsRevenge]

FRom Nascar.com

[TexasCajun]

Did I miss a NASCAR race yesterday? Where and What time?

[NormsRevenge]

Here's an update from Nascar.com.

Earnhardt Jr. burned in ALMS practice crash, Resting comfortably

By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive
July 19, 2004
10:19 AM EDT (14:19 GMT)

SONOMA, Calif. -- -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be held overnight for observation after suffering minor second degree burns on the inner sides of both legs and on his chin. His injuries were sustained during a Sunday morning accident while practicing for the American Le Mans Series at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.

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.

A hospital spokesman said that Earnhardt was "resting comfortably" at University of California-Davis Medical Center and would be examined again Monday morning.

According to an American Le Mans 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.

"We had an unfortunate incident in morning warmup today with our No. 8 Corvette," Doug Fehan, program manager for Corvette Racing, said. "The accident was caused by a combination of many factors, including a slick race track, cold tires and a full tank of fuel. The hit was so hard that it broke the filler neck off the fuel cell and caused a fire. We know Dale Jr. wishes he could be back here at the race with us and we're going to try to win this one for him."

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.

"I'm bummed out and disappointed I couldn't run the race," Earnhardt said through a team spokesman. "I hope Corvette gets the victory."

---

Emergency crews work to extinguish Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car after he crashed into a barrier during practice in Sonoma. Credit: AP

[ChefKeith]

It must take a pretty intense fire to get burned, given todays fire suits and helmets.

What causes the burns is the sweat trapped in the firesuit and the the heat steam burns the body, only if the driver is trapped does the fire actually do the burning- most are steam burns.

[ChefKeith]

The 69% burn information came on air by a CBS reporter at the end of the televised portion of the race.

SPEEDNEWS said it is 6.9%

The Commie Broadcasting Co was stupid/looking to spin the story.

[ChefKeith]

Jr is a single "wild man" but just lately has some Lady vying for Him.

WCG - need details please, I believe that You know her blood type;)

[ChefKeith]

Jr and the NASCAR Winston Cup cars race 2 road races every season(Sears Point and Watkins Glen) and have for years.

Jr has also driven the 24 Hours of Daytona several times.

He is by no means a novice road racer.

He was teamed up with Boris Said for this weekend, do You really thing that Boris would have a novice for a teammate?

I'll bet He can outdrive You (and Me too)

[ChefKeith]

Great info...

With the incorrectness of the "NNCS" it is WINSTON CUP during the period You refer to;)

[Wolfstar]

I wonder if someone forgot to tighten a hose clamp on the filler tube when they changed the cell...

You know, that's a brilliant insight. Something caused the car to spin out. It was only a practice session and it didn't look to me as though the cars were up to speed, yet. (Can't be sure of this from the short clip I saw.)

Yesterday the owners, people from that car's crew, and the race announcers were speculating that maybe it was cold tires. But what if it was fuel leaking and getting on the tires? In any case, as I said earlier on this thread, I hope Junior never participates in one of these second-rate series again.

[ChefKeith]

Nope, NASCAR at New Hampshire next weekend, they were off this week.

You want to be on the PING List?

[TexasCajun]

Sure, put me on the NASCAR Ping List.

[STFrancis]

Anyone got a link to the video?

[Wolfstar]

I still miss him very much.

Anyone who enjoys NASCAR racing misses him very much. I know this must be double true for his loyal fans.

Senior started out on dirt tracks, wearing nothing but jeans, a T shirt and a helmet.

As I mentioned in an earlier response, Rusty Wallace admitted that it's hard for the older drivers to accept some new ways of doing things. After his win this year, Rusty said that he finally decided to try some of the newer concepts in setups, even though it was uncomfortable for him.

Same thing with safety equipment. When a guy gets through hundreds of races doing things a certain way, it's hard to convince him to change. That's not a criticism of the older drivers, or of Senior. It's just an acknowledgement of human nature. We like and trust the familiar, while change is often stressful. That's why I'm glad NASCAR mandated full-face helmets, head-and-neck restraints, and other safety features after Dale died.

The sad thing is that had they done it sooner, maybe Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin and Senior might still be alive.

You know who I miss the most? Adam. He was a terrific young talent with a smile that would light up a whole room. He was just a kid. Just getting started in life.

[SheLion]

You know who I miss the most? Adam. He was a terrific young talent with a smile that would light up a whole room. He was just a kid. Just getting started in life.

That was rough. I was watching the qualifying that day and after it happened, I had to call hubby at work to let him know. Very very sad.

[Lori675]

Were they minor burns? Looking at that crash. I doubt that.

[WestCoastGal]

As usual we got many conflicting stories fom the media yesterday.

In my estimation they were not minor if they kept him overnight for observation.

There may be more news today.

[NormsRevenge]

I don't but it should be out there somewhere..

If you have TrackPass, it's on Nascar.com.

---

Earnhardt Jr. will race at New Hampshire

Excerpt follows FRom Mike Harris/AP article last night ..

The accident came at the start of the 30-minute morning practice. Earnhardt lost control of his Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, spun and slid backward into a concrete barrier in turn eight of the road racing track.

Officials said the crash broke the fuel filler neck, where the gas is poured into the car, briefly turning the Corvette into a fireball after it came to a stop in the middle of the track.

Earnhardt quickly got out of the car on his own before being assisted by safety crews. The car continued to burn and was a total loss.

Earnhardt was to have driven in Sunday's ALMS race with veteran road racing driver Boris Said. The team withdrew the entry from the race after Earnhardt's crash.

[NormsRevenge]

I'll update the list. Thanks and Welcome Aboard!

[Bobby Chang]

If the "pneumatiques" were cold, why wasn't Dale Jr informed of them?

Also, for media purposes, CBS did NOT produce this race at all or do anything. IMSA produced the race, hired the crew, and the entire race broadcast was under the authority of IMSA, not CBS. This broadcast was a "paid program" on CBS provided by IMSA. That IMSA crew feeds information to Speednews, and an IMSA official was the one who forgot the decimal.

Also if the fuel pump is electronic, the fuel pumps should have shut themselves off. That's common sense on a modern sportscar with electronics. A good race car fuel pump should shut itself off within seconds of the impact.

The corner workers come from the California region of the SCCA and they worked the Nextel Cup / AutoZone Elite Southwest / Trans-Am weekend last month. IMSA also has a rule similar to F1 where the only car allowed to pick up the driver is their "chase" car, a Porsche Cayenne.

Bruton will have some work to do with the track safety for 2005.

And yes, Johnny O'Connell and Ron Fellows won again at Infineon, so the team did "win one for Dale".

But the switch to Michelin for 2004 from Goodyear to please the ACO has been costly because of this one crash.

[WestCoastGal]

Yep, no wife yet.

But the rest is top secret and I'll never tell.

If it's the slightly older lady with O-Neg she already has a guy she loves madly. Jr is only a daydream.

The "K" option may be in question based on her past history.

[NormsRevenge]

Burns were described as 2nd degree on small areas of inner thighs and chin ..