NASCAR driver Dario Franchitti suffered a fractured ankle after a blown tyre sent him into the path of another car during a Nationwide Series race in Alabama.
The Scotsman, the reigning IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 winner, is currently 16th in the Nationwide Series standings for Chip Ganassi Racing – the top rookie – and also competes in the Sprint Cup.
The incident happened on lap 10 of the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway, when he blew his right rear tyre going into turn three. He kept sufficient control to bring his car down to the apron with only minimum damage from light contact with the wall and other cars.
But as he came to a halt he was hit full-on in the driver’s door by Larry Gunselman, who was unsighted and travelling at speed.
Franchitti was able to get out of his badly bent car under his own steam, but was stretchered to the infield care centre where doctors sent him straight to hospital.
He will miss the Sprint Cup race at Talladega, but there is no news yet how many races he will have to sit out in total.