NASCAR Injury News
March 29, 2006:
McMurray Tire Change, Kruschek OK: Joe Kruschek, rear tire changer for the No. 26 Roush Racing Ford Fusion, was injured in last Monday’s race in Atlanta during a routine pit stop. Kruschek sustained injuries to both hands when the jack was released while he was still in the process of tightening lugnuts. Kruschek suffered a broken left thumb, a broken right middle finger and a cut right index finger. He successfully underwent surgery on Tuesday, March 21st, in a local hospital in Griffin, Georgia, and was transported back to the Charlotte, North Carolina area by Roush Racing. Kruschek will be in a cast and will undergo physical therapy for at least a couple of months, but the prognosis is good for a satisfactory recovery. Upon welcoming Kruschek back to the Charlotte area, team owner Jack Roush contacted Dr. Jerry Petty, a Charlotte neurosurgeon, to further evaluate Joe and refer him to a hand specialist. “We’re going to see that Joe Kruschek has the best possible care and that the most appropriate specialists are consulted and brought on board. Joe is a racer and I know that more than anything he wants to get back to work at the race track, but first and foremost we want him to be healthy,” commented Jack Roush. This is Kruschek’s first year with Roush Racing. (Roush Racing PR)
March 21, 2006:
Pit Crew members OK: Two pit crew members were struck on pit road during Monday's race. John Slusher, catch can man for Robby Gordon's team, was hit on pit road by Reed Sorenson's car on lap 193. Slusher was evaluated at the infield care center and returned to work. Joe Kruschek, a rear tire changer for Jamie McMurray, was struck on pit road. He broke his left thumb and ripped open his right forefinger in the incident. He received stitches at local hospital and will require surgery on the forefinger today. He will be out for an undetermined amount of time. (News-Record)
Nov. 21, 2005:
Crewman OK: Richard Boyle, the rear tire changer on Scott Riggs' #10 Chevy of MB2 Motorsports , escaped serious injury when he was struck by Ricky Rudd's #21 Ford during a pit stop on Lap 18. Boyle, who was hit when Rudd's car was bumped by the #66 Ford of Kevin Lepage, was treated and released from the track's care center. The wreck also spoiled Rudd's hope of a fine finish in his last ride in the Wood Brothers' #21 Ford. The damage to his car doomed him to a 37th place finish. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Oct. 10, 2005:
#12 Team's Jackman Injury: Mitch Lash, the jackman for the No. 12 Alltel Dodge driven by Ryan Newman, was injured during a lap 95 pit stop on Sunday at Kansas Speedway. Lash received multiple injuries to the muscle tissue in his right foot, including a severe sprain to his right ankle. Lash will begin physical therapy in the Charlotte area this week. Britt Goodrich, former jackman for the team, will take over jacking duties until Lash can return. (Penske Racing South PR)
Sep. 28, 2005:
Update on #31 Crew member Yost: Team Cingular overcame an overheating problem and an injury to jackman Josh Yost to post their second top-10 finish of the season. Following multiple surgeries to repair damage to the tendons in his ankle, Yost started walking in mid-July and began therapy in August. He is currently in physical therapy two to three times a week and hopes to gain clearance from the doctors in order to return to work in the shop at RCR in November. (RCR Weekly Release)
Aug 18, 2005
Jerry Nadeau Future: The biggest question is trying to determine whether racing will ever play a role in his life. He has the desire - "I wish we had a second car here so that I could race against Adrian." - but questions remain whether he is physically fit to compete. Nadeau readily admits he lives with a constant tingling feeling on the left side of his body, the direct result of the hit to the right side of the brain. "It's like when your arm or leg falls asleep," Nadeau said in trying to explain the sensation. "It's there all the time. If I really focus on something, I can barely feel it. When I work out, I feel it even more as the brain works to try and connect those nerves. "I'm getting better. I'm not a 100 percent. I would say about 70." (Daily Bulletin)
June 25, 2005
Doc in Charlotte for Physics of a Crash special: Brain surgery and NASCAR rarely appear in the same sentence, but the two will intersect soon on a CNN medical special. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, an Atlanta neurosurgeon and the network's senior medical correspondent, was in Concord this week at Lowe's Motor Speedway filming an hourlong show scheduled for Sept. 25 about motor sports from a medical perspective. Among the topics: whether great racers are born that way or learn through training; staying hydrated on race day; and the survivability of crashes. "People are fascinated by the physics of a crash," says Gupta, who interviewed driver Carl Edwards in a Huntersville park for a segment on drivers as athletes. (ThatsRacin)
June 8 2005
Gaughan to relieve Bliss, After Successful Surgery: Truck Series driver Brendan Gaughan will share driving duties in the #0 NetZero Best Buy Racing Chevrolet with Mike Bliss, who underwent successful hernia surgery Monday morning, for this weekend’s event at Pocono Raceway. “When it became obvious to us that Mike would need some help this weekend our thoughts immediately went to Brendan,” said Joe Custer, General Manager of Haas CNC Racing. “Brendan, along with Orleans Racing and its sponsor Jasper Engines and Transmissions, have been gracious enough to agree to let us borrow him for the weekend even though he is competing for his fifth win at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night. A big part of what is great about this sport is the willingness of the competitors to jump right in and help each other out in situations like this. Our main focus is to make sure that Mike is healthy for the remainder of the season and whatever we need to do this weekend to make sure that happens is what we will do.” Gaughan will take part in the scheduled practice and qualifying sessions at Texas Motor Speedway before heading to Pocono Raceway Friday. Bliss plans to make several laps during practice for the Pocono 500 Friday afternoon before Gaughan takes over. Bliss is scheduled to qualify the car Saturday and start the race before giving up his seat in the NetZero Best Buy Chevy during the first possible opportunity. (NetZero Best Buy Racing)
June 1 2005
Foyt Released from Hospital: Larry Foyt was released from Methodist Hospital Monday afternoon and is expected to fly home to Charlotte Tuesday. Foyt was taken to the hospital Sunday following his crash in the Indianapolis 500 on lap 15. Foyt's No. 41 ABC Supply/Dallara/Toyota spun entering turn one spinning backwards into the SAFER Barrier. Foyt sustained a compressed vertebra and a chipped disk in his lower spine. He was fitted with a back brace on Monday and released. He is expected to make a full recovery which could take up to six weeks. (Foyt Racing)
May 26 2005
RCR Crew Standby: Dan Blizzard, the front tire changer for Busch Series driver Clint Bowyer, will be on standby to change front tires on Harvick's Cup car. Regular front changer Jason Pulver cut his hand at home one week ago and is listed as doubtful. (USAToday)
NASCAR Recent Crewmen Injuries.
• 2003 at Daytona, Tony Stewart ran over Terry Lingerfelt, his own right-front tire changer, and Lingerfelt was out for months recovering from a badly broken leg, not returning to action until October.
• 2003 at Loudon, N.H., Jeff Gordon hit three of Jimmie Johnson's crewmen, Chris Anderson, Ryan McCray and Cory Quick. NASCAR responded with a rule barring drivers from passing to the left on pit road and now requires drivers to enter pit road single file.
• 2003, at Indianapolis, Dale Jarrett slammed into jackman John Bryan.
• In 2001 at Homestead, Fla., Ward Burton hit three of Ricky Rudd's crewmen and a NASCAR official on pit road, leaving them with concussions. Many teams bought helmets for their crewmen for the next race, the season finale at Atlanta. NASCAR responded the next season by ordering all over-the-wall crewmen to wear helmets.
• Carl Edwards, then driving in NASCAR's truck series in 2003, sent one of his own crewmen, Mike Freeman, to the hospital when he hit him on pit road at Loudon.
• Mark Martin seriously injured David Bryant, a front-tire carrier for Jimmie Johnson, at Rockingham in 2002.
• Kevin Harvick hit his jackman, Mike Scearce, on pit road at Talladega last fall, and Kyle Petty hit one of his crewmen in that race, too.
• Rusty Wallace hit Sterling Marlin's front tire changer, Daren Wolfe, at Texas in 2001, and Martin hit his jackman at Daytona in 2000.
• There's another pit-road danger - fire. Rick Machcinski, of the Matt Kenseth team, was burned in a gasoline fire at Rockingham in 2000. In 2002, NASCAR began requiring that all over-the-wall crewmen wear fire suits. (Complied by Mike Mulhern)
Crewmen Injury News
May
