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Kyle Larson, No. 32, was thrown into the fence after a crash with Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 22 car, at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As many as 28 spectators at Daytona International Speedway were injured Saturday when debris from a crash at the end of a Nascar Nationwide Series race flew into the stands.
The exact number of injuries was not immediately known, but multiple stretchers were seen removing injured spectators from the stands. Joie Chitwood, the president of Daytona International Speedway, said in a news conference that 14 spectators were treated on site and 14 were taken to area hospitals.
Earlier, the Volusia County Fire Department said in a statement that at least 15 people were injured. A spokesman at Halifax Medical Center, where 11 of the injured were being treated, said that one person had sustained life-threatening injuries. A spokeswoman at Florida Hospital Oceanside, where the other patients were being treated, would give no information on the extent of the injuries.
The crash occurred in the Nationwide race, a prelude to Sunday’s Daytona 500, Nascar’s season opener and traditionally among the sport’s most prestigious races.
Steve O’Donnell, the Nascar senior vice president of racing operations, said the 500 would continue as scheduled.
“We’re very confident we’ll be ready for tomorrow’s event,” he said.
The injuries occurred after a 12-car crash as racecars approached the checkered flag at the end of the race won by Tony Stewart. The No. 32 car driven by the rookie Kyle Larson went airborne during the wreck. His racecar hit the catch fence that surrounds the track and is designed to protect fans. Debris from the car, including two tires and the engine, went into the stands.
“What we know right now is there obviously was some intrusion into the fence,” Nascar’s president, Mike Helton, said, “and fortunately with the way the event’s equipped up, there were plenty of emergency workers ready to go. They all jumped in on it pretty quickly.
“Right now, it’s just a function of determining what all damage is done. They’re moving folks, as we’ve seen, to care centers and taking some folks over to Halifax Medical.”There were no injuries among the 12 drivers involved in the crash, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the 2012 Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski. All were examined at the infield care center and released.
The accident occurred at the front of the pack of cars as they rounded Turn 4 and headed toward the finish line. Regan Smith was leading the race and was being pushed by Keselowski, who tried to pass Smith. But Smith blocked him from getting to the outside. That led to the crash at the front of the pack that collected 12 racecars in all.
“We made a move to try and win the race,” Keselowski said. “I kind of had the run and the move to win the race, and Regan obviously tried to block it and that’s understandable. He wants to win, too, and at the end it just caused chaos. There was obviously a big wreck with a lot of debris and cars torn up. I really hope everyone in the grandstands is O.K. I think that’s the most important thing right now.”
There was a brief, muted celebration in victory lane as emergency workers continued to tend to the injured.
Last-Lap Crash in Nationwide Race Injures Fans
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Last-Lap Crash in Nationwide Race Injures Fans
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Last-Lap Crash in Nationwide Race Injures Fans
