Earnhardt Jr., wife survive crash

SMALL PLANE FIRE

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife were passengers in a small plane that ran off the runway and caught fire Thursday in Elizabethton, Tenn.

Authorities said no one was killed. Earnhardt was taken to Johnson City Medical Center and treated for cuts and abrasions, according to Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford.

The accident occurred at the Elizabethton Municipal Airport at about 3:40 p.m. local time. Photos published by local media outlets showed the plane engulfed in flames.

The sheriff said Earnhardt’s wife, Amy, and their one-year-old daughter were on the plane, along with the pilot, one other passenger and the family dog.

A tweet from Earnhardt’s sister, Kelley, indicated the other passenger was a second pilot.

“Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation,” Kelley Earnhardt tweeted. “We have no further information at this time. Thank you for your understanding.”

The FAA confirmed that five people were on the plane, a Cessna Citation, according to WJHL News Channel 11.

Earnhardt is retired from the NASCAR Monster Energy Series but is scheduled to drive in the Xfinity Series race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Aug. 31.

Earnhardt won NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver award for 15 consecutive years (2003-17). He won 26 times in the NASCAR Cup Series, including Daytona 500 victories in 2004 and 2014.

He is the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, the seven-time Winston Cup Series champion who died at 49 due to injuries sustained in a final-lap crash at the 2001 Daytona 500.