Justin Allgaier's crew chief among those injured in sprint car crash
Three spectators were injured Sunday night at a sprint car race at Volusia Speedway Park near Barberville, Fla, including a crew chief for Justin Allgaier Motorsports.
Allgaier, a regular in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, was participating in a DIRTcar Nationals World of Outlaws event at the track when a car went through the catch fence in Turn 2 near where crew chief Kelly Kovski was standing in the pit area.
Kovski was among those who suffered injuries and were transported to nearby Halifax Health Medical Center. The Volusia County Sheriff’s office tweeted that two of the three individuals were listed as trauma alerts. One of the injured, Gary Streek of the United Kingdom, has been discharged.
Video shows sprint cars getting tangled during a race on the half-mile dirt oval. One of the cars flips several times and flies through the fencing that surrounds the track. People can be seen watching the race and walking along the outside of the track.
According to Speedsport.com, Dale Blaney’s car flipped after contact with Rico Abreu — who competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2016 — and Jason Sides during the sprint car series feature. All three drivers walked away after the crash.
Kovski remains in stable condition according to a statement issued Monday by Justin Allgaier Motorsports:
"Kelly Kovski’s family requests privacy at this time and appreciates all prayers and well wishes. They would also like to thank the first responders and medical staff for their rapid response."
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Allgaier will not compete in the remainder of the events being held at Volusia Speedway Park this week. The DIRTCAR Nationals, an annual event that coincides with Daytona Speedweeks, runs through Feb. 25. The races attract drivers from all across the nation, including many NASCAR drivers who moonlight here while competing at Daytona International Speedway.
In the statement Allgaier said that he "wishes to thank those teams and crew members who assisted in getting the car loaded so that the team could get to the hospital to be with Kovski."
Volusia Speedway Park announced Monday that racing will continue as scheduled but that "the pit area closest to the racing surface in Turn 2 will be closed to all competitors, participants and officials for the remaining six nights of racing. While not affected by the incident Sunday night, a small set of bleachers intended for use by competitors and crew members that would have fallen within the restricted area has also been removed."
The speedway said no car had compromised a a catch fence since current ownership had taken over in 2005, but the area where Sunday night's incident occurred was configured differently from the rest of the facility.
"Volusia Speedway Park staff and management worked through the night Sunday to provide support to the family and friends of the participants involved in the incident in the pit area outside of Turn 2 during the World of Outlaws feature event portion of the program and to further evaluate all aspects of the situation," a statement from the speedway read, noting that the catch fence has been repaired.
"The safety arrangement in Turns 1 and 2 at Volusia Speedway Park includes an earthen reinforced steel guardrail on the racing surface, a buffer area and a cable reinforced steel catch fence. The catch fence protecting the pit area at the exit of Turn 2 utilizes a different configuration than that which is used around the balance of the facility."