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| The Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr. slammed into the wall on the first lap of the Dura Lube 400. The 26-year-old son of the late racing legend was disappointed, but otherwise OK following the crash at Rockingham, N.C.
Associated Press |
Associated Press
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — In a wreck frighteningly similar to the one that killed his father last week, Dale Earnhardt Jr. slammed into the wall on the first lap of the Dura Lube 400 yesterday.
He was bruised but not seriously injured, limping away from the accident to an ambulance that took him to the track medical center.
"Somebody got into me," Earnhardt Jr. told his team over the radio. "I was really ready to go racing. We’ll be all right, guys."
On a rainy day filled with tributes to Dale Earnhardt, his son was tapped from behind and slammed into the wall between turns 3 and 4 shortly after a moment of silence to remember The Intimidator. The elder Earnhardt was killed when he hit the wall on the final turn of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18.
In his second full season driving on the Winston Cup circuit, 26-year-old Earnhardt Jr. started 25th in the 43-car field. The race was delayed 1 hour, 33 minutes by rain, and later was postponed until 11 a.m. today because of the weather. Drivers completed 52 of 393 laps.
Incredibly, Earnhardt Jr. wrecked on the first lap of racing since his 49-year-old father died, stunning just about everyone watching the race.
He was in a tightly bunched pack of cars heading into the third turn on the 1.017-mile North Carolina Speedway oval. Robby Gordon swerved down the banked track in front of Earnhardt Jr., who slowed slightly.
Rookie Ron Hornaday Jr. then bumped the rear of Earnhardt’s Chevrolet, sending it into the car driven by Kenny Wallace and into the concrete wall at an angle.
In the crash that killed the elder Earnhardt in the season-opening race, the seven-time champion bumped with Sterling Marlin, bounced into Kenny Schrader and hit the wall at 180 mph. He died instantly of head injuries.
Earnhardt Jr. was racing at about 150 mph when he crashed. Asked if he was injured, he smiled and said, "The lap belt was a little too tight. So, I’m a little bruised up. I’ll be OK."
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