Dale-Mary miracle
NASCAR champ & kin survive crash
Dale Earnhardt Jr., his wife, baby and the family dog all survived a fiery plane crash in Tennessee Thursday, according to police officials.
The NASCAR great’s private plane ran off the end of the runway at Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Carter County at around 3:40 p.m. and became engulfed in flames.
The aircraft wound up just feet from a highway, with photos and video captured by media outlets showing most of the fuselage in flames.
The Carter County Sheriff ’s Office told The Post that emergency crews managed to get Earnhardt, his wife, their 1-yearold daughter, Isla, and the pup away from the plane safely before transporting them to a hospital. All are expected to be OK.
Police had “no word on any other injuries.”
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the incident in a statement, saying Earnhardt’s Cessna Citation overshot the runway upon landing.
After Earnhardt, 44, his family and two pilots were evacuated from the plane, rescue crews stayed at the scene for several hours dealing with the wreckage and an ensuing fuel spill.
Earnhardt, who is semiretired from racing, was said to have suffered minor cuts and abrasions and was taken to Johnson City Medical Center for “further evaluation,” along with the rest of the family, according to his sister, Kelley Earnhardt.
“I can confirm Dale, Amy & Isla along with his two pilots were involved in a crash in Bristol TN this afternoon,” Kelley tweeted. “Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation. We have no further information at this time. Thank you for your understanding.”
Earnhardt’s father, legendary racer Dale Earnhardt Sr., was killed in a NASCAR crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
Jr. has been largely out of the driver’s seat and working as a television analyst for NBC since 2017, but still competes every now and then. He is scheduled to race in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series later this month.
Earnhardt, who competed in the Xfinity Series in fall 2018, had been voted the sport’s most popular star 15 years in a row before stepping away.
“I just don’t have the confidence that I could go race and not get hurt,” he told People magazine in November.
“You can’t . . . drive race cars without that confidence.”