ARCA driver Brad Smith suffered injuries to both ankles after being involved in a violent crash during the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 Friday at Talladega Superspeedway.
ARCA driver fractures ankle in Talladega accident
Brad Smith was airlifted to a nearby hospital after a frightening collision with an inside wall at Talladega.
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When Austin Wayne Self’s car spun in the tri-oval, Smith struck Self’s right-front. With an apparent stuck throttle, Smith then impacted nearly head-on the inside Turn 1 wall, lifting his car off the ground and shooting it back onto the track before it came to a rest between Turns 1 and 2
The section of the wall Smith, 46, hit was protected by a SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barrier.
Safety workers quickly arrived, and after a short period Smith emerged and limped to an awaiting ambulance where he was taken to the infield care center. Smith was then taken by helicopter to the UAB Medical Center in Birmingham hospital for “further evaluation.” As he was loaded into the helicopter, Smith was observed conscious and wearing an oxygen mask.
Smith is in stable condition after undergoing surgery to both ankles Friday night. He fractured his left ankle and sustained a laceration to the same ankle, according to an ARCA statement Saturday morning.
Self was evaluated at the infield care center and released.
The wreck was reminiscent of the incident that injured Kyle Busch during the Feb. 21 Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Like Smith, Busch traveled off the tri-oval and down the track where he hit an inside wall. But the wall Busch struck was not covered by a SAFER barrier. Busch suffered a broken right leg and left foot and is sidelined indefinitely.
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