Former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr survives plane crash
By Sky Sports News
Last Updated: 16/08/19 8:38am
Former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr has survived a plane crash in the United States.
The 44-year-old escaped without serious injury after a plane carrying him and his family overran a runway and caught fire when landing at Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee.
Earnhardt Jr, who now works as an analyst for American TV network NBC, was travelling with his wife and 15-month-old daughter, two pilots and the family's dog.
On Twitter, Earnhardt's sister confirmed everyone on board was safe and had been taken to hospital.
"I can confirm Dale, Amy and Isla along with his two pilots were involved in a crash in Bristol TN this afternoon," she wrote.
"Everyone is safe and has been taken to hospital for further evaluation. We have no further information at this time. Thank you for your understanding."
The Federal Aviation Administration and The National Transportation Safety Board have both launched investigations into the cause of the crash.
Earnhardt Jr is a well-known figure in American stock-car racing, having won NASCAR's most popular driver award a record 15 times over his career, as well as 26 Cup victories.
He retired as a full-time driver in 2017 to embark on a career in broadcasting and was part of NBC's scheduled broadcast team for Saturday's Cup Series event in Bristol, Tennessee
"We're incredibly grateful that Dale, his wife Amy, daughter Isla, and the two pilots are safe following today's accident," NBC Sports said in a statement.
"After being discharged from the hospital, we communicated with Dale and his team, and we're all in agreement that he should take this weekend off to be with his family.
"We look forward to having him back in the booth next month at Darlington."
Earnhardt Jr's father, NASCAR Hall of Fame member Dale Earnhardt Sr, died in 2001 after a crash during the final lap of the Daytona 500 in Florida.
