LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – When a race car’s throttle became stuck, at least two people were hurt, including one with critical injuries, when the car crashed in the pit area at a Nebraska track over the weekend.
Cass County Sheriff William Brueggemann said the crash happened around 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Eagle Raceway. A hospital spokeswoman says 35-year-old Justin Vanderharr of Lincoln remained in critical condition on Sunday.
Vanderharr had internal injuries and needed surgery after being pinned underneath a car.
Investigators determined that the throttle on 60-year-old John Austin’s Hobby Stock car got stuck open at the end of his race, and the car became airborne as it exited pit row. Austin’s car struck a parked race car, which was pushed into an all-terrain vehicle and a group of people.
Thirty-five-year-old Michael Ramsey of Bellevue was also injured, but he was released after being treated at a Lincoln hospital.
