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abooja
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Does anyone care? I hope he's alright, though. Some folks on the Yahoo! boards were questioning the paramedic's odd smile:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&nci...estley_crash_11
Actor Priestley Seriously Injured
Sun Aug 11,11:40 AM ET
By STEVE HERMAN, AP Sports Writer
SPARTA, Ky. (AP) - Actor Jason Priestley was seriously injured Sunday when his race car crashed head-on into a wall during a practice run at the Kentucky Speedway.
The former "Beverly Hills 90210" television star was in serious condition at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington but was stable and responding, Indy Racing League medical director Henry Bock said.
Priestley had reached a top speed of 178 mph in the eight laps before his race car crashed coming out of a turn in the final practice for an Infiniti Pro Series race.
"He got sideways and he corrected and then shot off the track," said former Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk, whose son, Arie Jr., competes with Priestley in the Infiniti Pro Series, an IRL developmental series.
"He turned right into the wall, and his first impact was basically head-on," Luyendyk said. "I saw it from the top of the roof. What I'm thinking is that's really the one big hit that he took that might have hurt him."
Priestley, 32, began racing in the California Rally Series in 1991 and participated in the SCCA Pro Rally Series, IMSA Firehawk Series, Magna Enduro Series and Sportscar GTS1 Series during the 1990s. His first victory was at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 1998.
Last season, he was a broadcast analyst for the IRL series. This year, he joined the Kelley Racing team in the new Infiniti Pro Series, a developmental circuit with open-wheel cars that are similar but smaller and less powerful than the IRL cars.
Priestley has been in crashes before. He crashed a powerboat during a race in Miami in April, leaving one crew member with cracked ribs, and in 1995, he crashed into a ditch during the Michelin SCCA Pro Rally in Olympia, Wash., but recovered to finish the race.
Last year, he completed an alcohol counseling program he was ordered to attend when he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge stemming from a December 1999 car crash in the Hollywood Hills. The accident totaled Priestley's Porsche and broke his friend's arm.
Priestley, a native of British Columbia, became a TV heartthrob starring with Luke Perry, Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth in "Beverly Hills 90210," which ran from 1990 to 2000.
He was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards ( news - web sites) and produced and directed a number of documentaries, television dramas, cable network specials and music videos. His film credits include "Eye of the Beholder," "Calendar Girl" and "Love and Death on Long Island."
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&nci...estley_crash_11
Actor Priestley Seriously Injured
Sun Aug 11,11:40 AM ET
By STEVE HERMAN, AP Sports Writer
SPARTA, Ky. (AP) - Actor Jason Priestley was seriously injured Sunday when his race car crashed head-on into a wall during a practice run at the Kentucky Speedway.
The former "Beverly Hills 90210" television star was in serious condition at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington but was stable and responding, Indy Racing League medical director Henry Bock said.
Priestley had reached a top speed of 178 mph in the eight laps before his race car crashed coming out of a turn in the final practice for an Infiniti Pro Series race.
"He got sideways and he corrected and then shot off the track," said former Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk, whose son, Arie Jr., competes with Priestley in the Infiniti Pro Series, an IRL developmental series.
"He turned right into the wall, and his first impact was basically head-on," Luyendyk said. "I saw it from the top of the roof. What I'm thinking is that's really the one big hit that he took that might have hurt him."
Priestley, 32, began racing in the California Rally Series in 1991 and participated in the SCCA Pro Rally Series, IMSA Firehawk Series, Magna Enduro Series and Sportscar GTS1 Series during the 1990s. His first victory was at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 1998.
Last season, he was a broadcast analyst for the IRL series. This year, he joined the Kelley Racing team in the new Infiniti Pro Series, a developmental circuit with open-wheel cars that are similar but smaller and less powerful than the IRL cars.
Priestley has been in crashes before. He crashed a powerboat during a race in Miami in April, leaving one crew member with cracked ribs, and in 1995, he crashed into a ditch during the Michelin SCCA Pro Rally in Olympia, Wash., but recovered to finish the race.
Last year, he completed an alcohol counseling program he was ordered to attend when he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge stemming from a December 1999 car crash in the Hollywood Hills. The accident totaled Priestley's Porsche and broke his friend's arm.
Priestley, a native of British Columbia, became a TV heartthrob starring with Luke Perry, Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth in "Beverly Hills 90210," which ran from 1990 to 2000.
He was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards ( news - web sites) and produced and directed a number of documentaries, television dramas, cable network specials and music videos. His film credits include "Eye of the Beholder," "Calendar Girl" and "Love and Death on Long Island."
