The Daytona 500 will take place as scheduled Sunday despite a jaw-dropping crash a day earlier that flung debris into the stands at the Daytona International Speedway.
At least 28 fans were
injured, including two critically, when more than a dozen cars piled up
in the final curve of the Nationwide Series Drive4COPD 300 in Daytona
Beach, Florida, on Saturday. The Daytona 500 will run on the same track.
"First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with our race fans," the speedway said in a statement released Saturday. "We are in the process of repairing the facility, and we will be ready to go racing tomorrow."
Saturday's race had to be
restarted after an earlier wreck put driver Michael Annett in the
hospital with a bruised chest, according to Richard Petty Motorsports.
The second wreck occurred
when several closely-packed cars were jostling for position at top
speeds of about 175 mph. They got tangled up, setting off a dangerous
chain reaction that ensnared a number of vehicles.
Reigning Sprint Cup champ
Brad Keselowski Said he and others were simply "going
for the win" -- was among those involved, while Tony Stewart somehow
emerged unscathed and finished by winning the race.
Driver Kyle Larson's
vehicle ended up flying into a fence that separates the track from
spectators. It broke into pieces -- including tires and a fiery engine.
Larson walked away from
the crash, even after the front part of his No. 32 car was completely
gone. He and the other nine drivers involved told reporters that they
were checked at a medical tent on the Daytona infield and released.
Some pieces of the
shredded debris flew into the barrier, while others got into the stands
-- some of it reaching the second level about 20 feet up.
A video posted on YouTube
shows a cloud of debris flying into stands and one man gasping, "Oh, my
God." A tire rests on one seat, as a man frantically waves and yells to
get the attention of paramedics.
Afterward, several
spectators could be seen lying down after apparently suffering injuries.
A line of about 10 ambulances lined up on the track, with some first
responders carrying stretchers.
Fourteen fans were
treated at an on-site medical facility, while 14 others were transported
to area hospitals, speedway president Joie Chitwood told reporters.
"I'm just hoping everyone is OK," said Keselowski. "As drivers, we assume the risk. But fans do not."
NASCAR president Mike
Helton earlier told ESPN, which was broadcasting the race, some people
were taken to Halifax Health Medical Center. He said the protective
fence did its job in preventing potentially more injuries and possibly
deaths.
Byron Cogdell, a
spokesman for the hospital, Said that his facility was treating 12
patients. Two of those -- one of them a child -- are in critical but
stable condition.
"Everybody appears to be in stable condition," Cogdell said.
Staff at Florida
Hospital Memorial Medical Center were treating one person and expecting
three more, spokeswoman Lindsay Rew said Saturday evening.
The injured include
Eddie Huckaby, a 53-year-old Krum, Texas, resident who suffered a leg
gash when a large piece of metal hit him as he was watching the race,
his brother Terry Huckaby said He described the motor landing in the stands, as well as a wheel "and everything flying over your head and debris everywhere."
"He's doing fine," Terry
Huckaby said of his brother, who underwent surgery at Halifax Health
Medical Center. "The first thing he said, 'I don't want to miss that
(Daytona 500) race, but I have to watch on TV.'"
Accidents are nothing
new to NASCAR, where cars often cruise at speeds topping 190 mph, nor to
the Daytona track. One of the sport's most horrific, and well-known,
wrecks happened in the 2001 Daytona 500, when famed driver Dale
Earnhardt Sr. was killed -- also, on that race's final lap.
Still, injuries and fatalities to spectators are much rarer.
With the stands having
been quickly evacuated, crews worked to repair the damaged fence.
Chitwood expressed confidence the 55th edition of the Daytona 500 would
go on as planned, with spectators even sitting in the same seats struck
by debris Saturday.
"With the fence being prepared tonight to our safety protocols, we expect to go racing tomorrow with no changes," Chitwood said.
