Hospitalized drivers on road to recovery
By Lee Montgomery, Turner Sports Interactive
The four drivers sent to the hospital during Saturday's Easy Care Vehicle Service Contracts 200 Craftsman Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway are all recovering at home and could all be ready in time for the next race.
The oddities of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule have given Hank Parker Jr., Rick Crawford, Tina Gordon and Joey Clanton a break, as the next race isn't until April 17 at Martinsville Speedway.
The month should give all of the drivers enough time to heal, including Gordon, who suffered the most serious injuries. Gordon suffered a concussion and a broken right fibula during the wreck, when she was hit hard by Crawford and Parker after spinning her truck on the backstretch.
A team spokesperson said doctors did not put a cast on Gordon's leg but instead put it in a boot. Gordon will be forced to stay off the injured leg for one to two weeks to let the fracture heal.
The team said in a statement that "things look positive" for Martinsville, but Gordon will be reevaluated in a couple weeks, and a decision will then be made for that race.
The broken bone was not the same as the one broken in a crash at Charlotte two years ado. That crash fractured a bone in her left leg.
Parker Jr. suffered a compression fracture of his L-2 vertebra in the wreck and spent one night in Atlanta Medical Center. A team spokesman said Parker was fortunate and should be "OK before Martinsville."
"It was a heck of a hit and my whole body is pretty sore, but I'll get plenty of rest and be ready to get back on the track at Martinsville," Parker said in a statement.
Crawford had two broken bones in his left foot. Doctors will re-set his toes, according to a spokesman, and if that works well, Crawford will not need surgery and will be fine for Martinsville.
Clanton was taken to Atlanta Medical Center for evaluation after a separate crash, but a CAT scan there was negative, and Clanton is OK.
"I'm OK -- a little sore but OK," Clanton said. "We didn't have a race-winning truck, so I was hoping to ride it out and get some seat time, to help us prepare this truck for other tracks like Charlotte, then we fell victim to trash on the track, it's another case of the wrong place at the wrong time."
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By Lee Montgomery, Turner Sports Interactive
The four drivers sent to the hospital during Saturday's Easy Care Vehicle Service Contracts 200 Craftsman Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway are all recovering at home and could all be ready in time for the next race.
The oddities of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule have given Hank Parker Jr., Rick Crawford, Tina Gordon and Joey Clanton a break, as the next race isn't until April 17 at Martinsville Speedway.
The month should give all of the drivers enough time to heal, including Gordon, who suffered the most serious injuries. Gordon suffered a concussion and a broken right fibula during the wreck, when she was hit hard by Crawford and Parker after spinning her truck on the backstretch.
A team spokesperson said doctors did not put a cast on Gordon's leg but instead put it in a boot. Gordon will be forced to stay off the injured leg for one to two weeks to let the fracture heal.
The team said in a statement that "things look positive" for Martinsville, but Gordon will be reevaluated in a couple weeks, and a decision will then be made for that race.
The broken bone was not the same as the one broken in a crash at Charlotte two years ado. That crash fractured a bone in her left leg.
Parker Jr. suffered a compression fracture of his L-2 vertebra in the wreck and spent one night in Atlanta Medical Center. A team spokesman said Parker was fortunate and should be "OK before Martinsville."
"It was a heck of a hit and my whole body is pretty sore, but I'll get plenty of rest and be ready to get back on the track at Martinsville," Parker said in a statement.
Crawford had two broken bones in his left foot. Doctors will re-set his toes, according to a spokesman, and if that works well, Crawford will not need surgery and will be fine for Martinsville.
Clanton was taken to Atlanta Medical Center for evaluation after a separate crash, but a CAT scan there was negative, and Clanton is OK.
"I'm OK -- a little sore but OK," Clanton said. "We didn't have a race-winning truck, so I was hoping to ride it out and get some seat time, to help us prepare this truck for other tracks like Charlotte, then we fell victim to trash on the track, it's another case of the wrong place at the wrong time."
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