Talladega Frights: NASCAR Fans Injured in Race Crash

"Talladega is short for 'We're going to crash, we just don't know when,'" said driver Ryan Newman

Updated 9:38 PM EDT, Sun, Apr 26, 2009

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TALLADEGA, Alabama -- Seven fans were injured by debris when Carl Edwards' car went airborne into the safety fence on the final lap at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday.

Track medical director Bobby Lewis said none of the injuries was life-threatening but two women were airlifted to Birmingham hospitals. He said one likely had a broken jaw and the other was not injured but was taken because of a medical condition.

Lewis said they were airlifted because of traffic, not the severity of the injuries. The other six were treated and released.

NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter, sitting near a pile of twisted metal that came off Edwards' car, said his first thought when he saw it headed toward the fence was, "I hope nobody's hurt."

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"No. 1, Carl. No. 2, the spectators. It was a sigh of relief when the car came back on the (track)," Hunter said. "I think that's the first time that fence has been hit."

Edwards was trying to block a move from winner Brad Keselowski, and contact sent his spinning car over Ryan Newman's hood and into the fence.

The fence held and Edwards' car landed on the track.

Brad Keselowski won the race, his first Sprint Cup Series win.

In addition to Edwards' frightening flight into the fence, Sunday's race was also marred by a 13-car crash on the seventh lap and another 10-car accident with nine to go.

"Talladega is short for 'We're going to crash, we just don't know when,'" said Newman, the third-place finisher, who also recalled Matt Kenseth's fiery tumble in the Nationwide Series race on Saturday.

"We saw that two times this weekend, so maybe we need to look at things that keep the car down on the ground."

Edwards, who climbed from his crumpled race car and ran on foot across the finish line, railed against the racing style at Talladega and Daytona, the two tracks where horsepower-sapping restrictor plates are used.

"We'll race like this until we kill somebody," said Edwards, "then (NASCAR) will change it."

Dale Earnhardt Jr., a five-time Talladega winner and seven-time winner of restrictor-plate races, finished second but echoed concerns about the racing style. Drivers dread it because so much is out of their control, but Earnhardt said it's loved by fans because of the element of danger.

"For years, we've had wrecks like this every time we've come to Talladega. Ever since the plate got here. And for years it was celebrated," he said. "The media celebrated it, the networks celebrated it, calling it 'The Big One' just trying to attract attention and bring people's attention to the race.

"So there's a responsibility with the media and the networks and the sanctioning body itself to come to their senses a little bit."