MARYSVILLE, Calif. (AP) – Two people were struck by a speeding race car during warm-up laps at a California raceway on Saturday, officials said.
A sprint car hit two people on pit row at Marysville Raceway Park some 40 miles north of Sacramento, said venue promoter Paul Hawes. He did not give the condition of the two people.
Hawes told the Marysville Appeal-Democrat that the car crashed during warm-up before the race and ran into pit row at high speed. The raceway was hosting the California Sprint Car Civil War Series on the opening day of its season.
Steven Blakesley, the announcer calling the race from the stands, told The Associated Press the cars were doing so-called “hot laps” about an hour before the race when one of them, traveling at about 90 mph, couldn’t make a turn.
“There must have been a mechanical problem,” Blakesley said. “The car didn’t slow down. “
Blakesley said the car ran through a gap between the track and pit row, then ran out of the view of the stands.
He said the next thing he was able to see was CPR being performed on two people.
Officials from the Yuba County Sheriff’s Department and the Linda Fire Protection District said they were responding to the incident, but would give no details.
An outgoing message on the track’s phone line said only that Saturday’s race had been canceled, and a message left for a raceway spokesman was not immediately returned.
Sprint cars are small, high-powered cars that normally race on short dirt ovals. The races often serve as stepping stones for drivers seeking to get to NASCAR.
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