Auto Racing Roundup : Bobby Allison ‘Critical but Stable’ After Crash

Veteran driver Bobby Allison was injured in a first-lap accident that left him unconscious Sunday in the NASCAR Miller 500 stock car race at Long Pond, Pa.

Allison, 50, of Hueytown, Ala., was taken to the Lehigh Valley Hospital Center in Allentown, Pa., suffering from a concussion, fractured left leg, “blunt abdominal trauma” and possible internal bleeding, track officials said. The driver had to be pried out of his car.

Six hours after the accident, Allison remained unconscious, in critical but stable condition, according to hospital spokesman Rob Stevens.

Stevens said the family requested all other information be withheld, including Allison’s specific injuries and whether he underwent surgery, as a member of his son’s crew reported.

Allison’s son, Davey, continued the Father’s Day race but kept in touch with his pit crew by radio in an effort to learn more about his father’s condition.

The accident happened on the second turn of the first lap on the 2 1/2-mile tri-oval at Pocono International Raceway.

Allison’s crew chief, Jimmy Fennig, said a tire on Allison’s car blew out. The car hit the wall and was struck on the driver’s side by Jocko Maggiacomo’s car. Maggiacomo was treated at the track for a cut chin and hand.

Robert Yates, team manager for Davey Allison, said he thought a relief driver might be needed for the younger Allison.

“But Davey settled down and wanted to run. I kept him updated about Bobby’s condition every time somebody gave me more information,” he said.

Race winner Geoff Bodine said the accident was unsettling because it took rescue workers a long time to get Allison out of the car. He said the local workers apparently did a good job, but he said he wants a rescue team to follow drivers on the Winston Cup circuit.

Second-place finisher Mike Waltrip started right behind the elder Allison and said he radioed his people that Allison’s tire appeared to be going flat.

He said he saw Allison’s car wiggle and was able to get past Allison before the wreck.

Rusty Wallace finished third, with Mark Martin fourth and the younger Allison fifth.

Danny Sullivan took the lead with a quick pit stop two-thirds of the way through the Portland 200 and then pulled away in his Penske PC17 for his first Indy-car victory in two years at Portland, Ore.

The 38-year-old Louisville, Ky., driver, wheeling a road-course version of the car he qualified on the front row of the Indianapolis 500 last month, beat runner-up Arie Luyendyk by 17.18 seconds. Sullivan’s average speed for the 104 laps was 102.25 m.p.h., with 10 laps run under caution.

Two-time Formula One champion Emerson Fittipaldi finished third in a March-Chevrolet. Al Unser Jr., of Albuquerque, N.M., also in a March-Chevrolet, was fourth.

Mario Andretti took fifth and Sullivan’s teammate Rick Mears, seeking his third straight Indy-car victory and first on a road-course in six years, finished sixth.

Darrell Gwynn of Miami, Fla., won his third straight top fuel victory by defeating Gene Snow in the final of the National Hot Rod Assn. Springnationals at National Trail Raceway in Kirkersville, Ohio.

John Force won his second NHRA Funny Car career victory and Winston Pro Stock champion Bob Glidden won his first event of the season at the $859,050 event.

A record crowd of 44,000 saw Gwynn drive his dragster to an elapsed time of 5.226 seconds and a speed of 275.06 m.p.h. Snow, of Fort Worth, Tex., smoked his tires at the start and coasted to a time of 14.993 seconds at 45.48 m.p.h.

Earlier in the day, Ron Dudley of Tulsa, Okla., had his funny car catch fire during a run. He was reported in serious condition at the intensive care unit at Ohio State University Burn Center in Columbus with second and third degree burns on approximately 30% of his body.