NASCAR WW: Craig Raudman Recovering From Injuries
1 May 2000
Loma Linda, Calif. (April 30, 2000) - Craig Raudman, driver of Dave Reed Racing's #2 Yerf-Dog/ITP Chevrolet in the NASCAR Winston West and Featherlite Southwest Series, NASCAR Touring, is at Loma Linda University Medical Center recovering from injuries sustained yesterday at California Speedway, Fontana, Calif. in the Pontiac Wide Track Grand Prix 200. Raudman, who was knocked unconscious briefly from the force of the impact, suffered injuries to his left foot, severe bodily bruising and a blackened eye. He underwent surgery today to pin broken bones in his foot. Test results showed a possible mild concussion, but no serious head injuries. Raudman expects to be released from Loma Linda on Monday, and will be driven to his home in Bakersfield, Calif. by team owner Dave Reed. The incident, which was apparently caused by a flattening left rear tire, occurred in turn one on lap 97 of the 100-lap event, ending early what had been a strong performance in the race. Raudman, who had run as high as 2nd place, and was running in 5th place at the time of the incident, finished the race in 19th place. Raudman feels lucky to have come away as well as he did. He commented from the hospital, "I felt the tire going down, then felt the car going out from under me. All I had time to do at that point was to grab the steering wheel, duck my head as low as I could and yell 'Don't take me now!' I knew it was going to be a hard hit." Reed commented, "Craig's a tough guy, but he got pretty well knocked around. He's in good spirits, though, and wants to heal up quickly and in time for the next race. We're just happy that his injuries weren't worse than they were." The team's next scheduled event is the NASCAR Winston West race on Sunday, May 21, 2000 at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Calif. Notes and well wishes may be sent to Raudman via the guest book on Dave Reed Racing's official Web site at http://www.davereedracing.com. Saturday's Pontiac Wide Track Grand Prix 200 will be broadcast (tape delayed) by ESPN2 on May 8, 2000 beginning at 12:30 a.m. EDT. Dave Reed Racing operates NASCAR Winston West and Featherlite Southwest Series, NASCAR Touring teams featuring Craig Raudman as driver. Raudman's 1999 season results included one win, three top five finishes and one Bud Pole award. He finished the 1998 season in seventh place out of fifteen drivers competing for the Sears Point Raceway Winston West Rookie-of-the-Year Award and thirteenth in the points standings. Raudman finished in the top five in final points standings in four of his past five full NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series seasons.