NASCAR driver Eric McClure was transported to a local hospital for evaluation on Saturday after a vicious crash in the Nationwide Series race at Talladega.
With five laps to go, Michael Annett (in the car that says Pilot on the hood in the video below) tried to make a daring move up the middle and squeeze into a small bit of daylight.
It didn't work. Annett triggered a multi-car wreck, which sent McClure's orange Hefty-sponsored car head-on into the SAFER barrier on the inside wall.
McClure's radio was silent after the crash and he did not climb from the car, giving spectators a sinking feeling. ABC's broadcast did not show a replay and did not show a close-up shot of the car, which added to fears McClure was seriously injured or worse.
As McClure's crewmen gathered at a nearby pit box to try and watch the TV feed (their own pit box had no monitors), track safety workers cut the roof off the car and carefully pulled McClure out.
The driver was placed on a stretcher and taken via ambulance to the helicopter pad, where he was immediately airlifted to the University of Alabama-Birmingham Medical Center, about 50 miles away.
NASCAR said McClure was conscious, alert and talking to attendants in the helicopter en route to the hospital. We'll update this with further reports of McClure's condition as we get them.
UPDATE (8 p.m. ET Saturday): McClure's public relations Twitter account tweeted this:
@ericmcclure is alert and taking to family members. He is being kept overnight 4 further observation. #nascar
— Emily Brandt (@HeftyReynolds14) May 6, 2012
Here's the video of McClure's crash:
There are 0 Comments. Add Yours.
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.
C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read
R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next
Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read
Comment Settings
Live comment alert: Hide it!
Comments for this post are closed.