Roush’s Condition Stabilizes

NASCAR team owner Jack Roush was in critical but stable condition Saturday after crashing a small plane into a pond about 100 miles from Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., where his drivers are racing this weekend.

Roush was being treated at University of Alabama-Birmingham Hospital for a head injury and two broken legs.

He was flying alone Friday night when the borrowed plane apparently hit a power line and crashed into a pond, flipping upside down. The accident occurred in a neighborhood in Troy, about 50 miles from Montgomery.

“Right now, what we need to be doing is praying for Jack and taking care of business,” said Mark Martin, who has driven for Roush since the owner came to the Winston Cup series in 1988.

Geoff Smith, team manager for Roush Racing, said there was never any question the Roush team would continue racing at Talladega, in Saturday’s Busch Series event and today’s Aaron’s 499 Winston Cup race.

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Jason Keller avoided a wild pileup that involved most of the 43-car field, then held off a strong challenge from Stacy Compton to win the Aaron’s 312 Busch Series race at Talladega, Ala.

Only 21 cars were running at the finish after a big accident left 29 cars scattered all over the backstretch pavement and on the infield grass. There were no major injuries.

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Riverside’s Todd Burns fought off Tim Huddleston to win the 50-lap Southern California Auto Club Late Model Series feature race at Irwindale Speedway in front of 5,768 fans. The win tied Burns with former Super Stock driver T. K. Karvasek for the most career victories at the track, with 23.

In the 40-lap Vista Paint Super Stock series feature, Phelan’s Darren Cheek won his fourth consecutive race.