Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — ARCA driver Brad Smith underwent surgery on both of his ankles following a crash at Talladega Superspeedway.
Smith was injured late in Friday's race when another car spun in front of him. He tried to drive through the accident scene but struck the other car, and the contact sent him directly into an inside wall.
Smith eventually was able to climb from his car and limp to an ambulance, but he was taken to UAB Medical Center in Birmingham for treatment.
ARCA officials said Saturday that Smith is awake, alert and in stable condition. The 46-year-old from Shelby Township, Michigan, has raced in the ARCA Series since 1988.
Smith's wreck was similar to a February accident at Daytona when Kyle Busch crashed into a concrete wall that lacked an energy-absorbing SAFER barrier. Busch broke his right leg and left foot and will miss his 10th race on Sunday.
Busch's crash has led to a push for more SAFER barriers at tracks around the country. Talladega has added additional SAFER barriers, but the wall that Smith hit was covered before the Busch accident.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
