Accident Injures Four in Pits

Three members of Ricky Rudd’s crew and a NASCAR official were injured Sunday, one of them seriously, in a pit lane accident during the Pennzoil 400.

The four were hit when Ward Burton banged off the driver-side door of Casey Atwood and veered into the crewmen and Rudd’s car, which was up on a jack in its pit stall.

Bobby Burrell, Rudd’s front-tire changer, was thrown headfirst into the concrete pit wall and slumped on the ground unconscious. He was transported by helicopter directly to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he was in serious condition with undisclosed head injuries. NASCAR officials said he was awake at the hospital.

John Bryan, the No. 28 Ford’s jack man, was taken by ambulance to Baptist Hospital in Miami. A hospital spokesman said Bryan had a mild concussion and had sustained no broken bones. Kevin Hall, Rudd’s front-tire carrier, and NASCAR official Kenny Lawson were treated for minor injuries at the infield care center and released.

Helmets are optional for NASCAR crewmen and only a handful wear them. None of the people involved in the accident were wearing head protection.

All three cars involved in the accident were damaged but continued. Atwood finished third, Burton was 13th and Rudd 21st.