http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mot...ey_injured_ap/

 

Heh...and my girlfriend is watching a syndicated episode of 90210 the same time I saw this.

 

SCCA Rally ... Mid Ohio ... suddenly I have more respect for the man.

 

now in serious condition not critical.

 

Fractured back, two broken feet, internal head injury -- damn, he hit hard!

 

Ouch. I have never really taken him very seriously in a race car (although he's a HELL of an actor) but I hate to see anyone busted up like that. Some old Indy guy once said that "sheet time" separates the real pros from the ones who are just playing around. It will be intersting to see how he responds, once he is healed up.

Kirk

 

Wow that really sucks *** for him. 180mph into a wall?? Can you say Ernie Ervin (sp) I'd bet the his brain is scrambled from the rapid decelleration trama of hitting that wall.

Well who wants to live forever, and if your lucky you go out like Dale did, on the final lap in turn 4 of your favorite track off all time.....................................

 

Just heard on the news that Jason P should FULLY recover from the accident with out any sign of Paralysis or loss of brain functions.

That boys is damn lucky to be alive, wonder if this will sideline his racing career???

 

thats good to know

 

Poor guy.
Some dude on CNN did say the crash was driver error...

 

I heard that he hit oil dry and that caused the accident. I guess someone blew a motor and put oil down on the lower part of the track. Now this is the part I'm not sure of, I guess that sense the oil dry was off the racing line that it was really slippery or on ovals do they not recommend hitting the oil dry at all? I know in road courses the actually encourage you to hit the oil dry. What ever I hope he gets back into racing. He qualified second so he can't be all that bad.

 

Rumor was hitting oil dry, which drivers had been advised to avoid. At DE events, they want you to hit it to mush it into the oil and spread it around. I imagine at 180mph, hitting the kitty litter is bad.

 

Hopefully it will serve as a reminder to him and some of the other drivers in that goofy-*** (my opinion) series that... just because you can afford to race there, doesn't mean you're qualified.

It doesn't sound like JP has much more on his driving resume than many of us on this board. How many of you would feel comfortable jumping into a 180 mph open wheel racing series with no prior oval experience? I wouldn't!

I'm glad he's okay... hopefully, if he still wants to race, he'll take a step back to FF2000 and get a little more experience.

Just my $0.02.

 

Saw an interview with him form earlier this year (after he crashed his offshore boat). Paraphrase of what he said, "I'm an adrenaline junkie. The only way I'm happy is when I get that feeling I'm about to lose it. I just hope I don't die. [insert smirk and adolescent chuckle]."

Sure, that "Oh ****!" feeling can get my blood pumping, but it's usually accompanied by a feeling of "Maybe I should have taken up pottery." If that's what seperates me from "pros" like JP, then so be it.

 

Everybody's a critic.

Good thing all of us were born with the skilZ.

Maybe it is a development league, maybe he isn't the best driver, but he was good enough to qualify 2nd for the race. What makes him less qualified than the other guys out there in the series. Do you think if Michael Andretti's father wasn't Mario, do you think he would have a career?

Scott

 

I could care less about his talent. I did find his cavalier attitude in the interview a bit unsettling. And he does have a history of incidents both on and off track (totalled 911 street car, crashed offshore boat, several totalled race cars).

 

Regarding Michael Andretti, I don't think it mattered exactly who his father was (although it sure helps the fact that it is Mario!), but anyone that well off financially could have supported a young Michael to develop his racing experience early on and develop to his potential. It always comes down to money. Without money you can be born to be the most talented driver in the world in the motor skills, reflexes, whatever it takes to be a good driver, but if you happen to be born in a poor place where you can't even afford to buy your own street car for the first half of your life, let alone drive a go kart or anything in your early years to develop yourself to your potential, there is no way you will become a "pro" race car driver - by "pros" I mean the real pros who get to race for free or even get paid to do it, not the "pros" who write a fat check for their cool racecars and pay the expensive entry fees themselves. No matter how much raw talent anyone may have (even Schumy who's parents had their own go kart track) if it isn't for an early start in motorsports (by early I mean an age where there is no way you could afford to buy even a set of tires on your own because you're in school), you will not make it to be one of the few top pro drivers because you will not have a chance to develop to your potential. Those who strike fortune later in their lives (check out the Ferrari Challenge for a good example or a good number of the WC guys), can afford to buy the expensive toys it takes to play in the "pro" races along side the top drivers in the race series. They may be racing in the same series and most may even be fast drivers, but they will never be in the same skill level as the really good top drivers who started early on.

JP was probably a decently fast driver, probably faster than most amateurs since he has the money to invest in himself by racing different cars and/or doing all the racing schools out there, who knows what else over the years. Nevertheless he "made it" with his career and that enabled him to do what he does for fun. That's great for him! And it's too bad this happened. Hopefully he, and as well any other injured racer out there, fully recovers as fast as possible.

 

Actor and race car driver Jason Priestley continues to improve following a race car accident on August 11th. Priestley was involved in an accident during a practice session for the Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, KY.

Priestley sustained a moderate concussion as well as a fracture of his ninth thoracic vertebra. In addition to a contusion around his left eye, Priestley has lacerations on the bridge of his nose and the left cheek, neck lacerations, and fractures in both feet. He was transferred today from the University of Kentucky Hospital to a hospital in Indianapolis.

He was initially placed on a ventilator until his condition was stabilized and his evaluation was complete. The ventilator was removed as soon as he could resume breathing on his own yesterday afternoon. It is expected he will require a few days to recover from the concussion before surgical repair of his orthopedic injuries.

Today, Priestley will be fitted with a back brace to assess the stability of his thoracic vertebra fracture. His neurological condition will continue to be closely monitored. Priestley's condition is serious but stable.

Priestley has earned respect for his racing career which he began over ten years ago. He started racing in the rally and sports-car divisions. He earned his first victory in 1998 in the Motorola Cup Street Stock Championship. Priestley finished second at the Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series season-opener at Kansas Speedway, he qualified second for Sunday's race and is seventh in the series standings despite missing the race. The Infiniti Pro Series is a developmental series for the Indy Racing League. He also was a commentator for ABC Sports' Indy Racing League broadcast team last year. For more information on his racing career, please go to http://www.kelleyracing.com.

Jim Freudenberg, General Manager of Kelley Racing for whom Priestley is a driver, commented that, "In speaking with our Kelley Racing IRL drivers, the track conditions were not the best. It was very slippery all the way around and despite the best efforts of the safety crew to clean up oil from a competitor's fluid leak, the IRL practice that immediately followed Jason's session had everyone complaining about the slick surface.

"Jason has been determined to be the best racer he can possibly be. His dedication to his driving has been demonstrated to us all by his absolute commitment to his physical and mental fitness routine putting him unquestionably in the best condition of his life. There is no doubt that his physical stamina, coupled with the absolute best available driver safety equipment he utilized every time he climbed in the car, probably saved his life.

"Many of his fellow drivers have spoken about how they respect his driving abilities and they are not afraid to run wheel to wheel with Jason in testing and races. It was a racing incident that happens to the best racers in the world and is an unfortunate part of the sport."

"The track was terribly slick all the way around," explained Priestley's Kelley Racing teammate Tony Renna. " At the speeds we were going, it is a miracle there were not more accidents in both the Infiniti and IRL practice sessions. There was nothing that made one corner more or less slippery than any of the other three. It could have happened to any of us at any time."

Priestley's father and sister are with him. They are grateful for all the support and kind wishes they have received on Jason's behalf and are feeling very positive about his recovery. They would also like to give a special thanks to the University of Kentucky Hospital for their expertise, professionalism and kindness and to the IRL Safety and Medical Crew for their prompt action and their excellent care.

Priestley is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Brandon Walsh on the hit Fox television series "Beverly Hills 90210" for eight seasons, a role for which he earned two Golden Globe nominations. He also directed numerous episodes of the show as well as television movies and the successful documentary "Bare Naked in America." Some of his feature film starring credits include: "Love and Death on Long Island," "Eye of the Beholder," and "Calendar Girl." Most recently, he starred in the VH-1 movie "Warning: Parental Advisory" and the feature film "Cherish." He recently completed the independent films "Cover Story" and "Die! Mommie! Die!" The accident has not effected any of his acting work as he is between projects.

.--Kelley Racing--

 

Jason Priestley

Full Name: Jason Bradford Priestley
Birthdate: August 28, 1969
Height/Weight: 5’8/150 lbs.
Birthplace: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Marital Status: Single
Hobbies: Hockey, Basketball and Offshore boat racing
Favorites: TV Show – Sopranos
Food: Vietnamese
Singer/Band: U2
Race Track: Circuit Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada
Racing Hero: Jacques Villeneuve
Personal Cars: Ford Mustang Cobra
Additional: Well known for his portrayal of Brandon Walsh on popular television series Beverly Hills 90210. Nominated for two Golden Globe Awards. Produced and directed critically acclaimed documentaries, televisions thrillers, cable network specials and music videos.

Career Highlights:

1998 - 1999
Competed in Sportscar GTS1 Series driving a Mustang. Best finish came in 1998 with a third-place overall at Laguna Seca. Won "Most Improved Driver" award and finished sixth in series points standings in 1998.

1995 – 1999
Drove Mustang in Motorola Cup North American Street Stock Championship, IMSA Firehawk Series and Magna Enduro Series. Earned first victory in 1998 at Mid-Ohio while competing in Motorola Cup North American Street Stock Championship. Finished third overall during 1997 Magna Enduro event at Circuit Mont Tremblant in Quebec. Also earned second overall in 1996 while competing in IMSA series at Daytona.

1992 - 1995
Competed in SCCA Pro Rally Series driving a Toyota Celica All Trac Turbo. Finished third in class for the 1994 points championship. Raced a Ford Escort-Cosworth in FIA World Rally Championship competition in Perth , Australia.

1992-1994
Drove Honda CRX in California Rally Series. Finished third in division at Glen Helen Raceway in Devore, Calif.

Other Motorsports:

2001
Joined veteran announcers Bob Jenkins and Larry Rice in the television broadcast booth for entire Indy Racing League season including color commentator for Indianapolis 500.

 

let he who has not been in an accident and/or hit something, gotten a ticket, or driven after one or two beers, cast the first stone.

personally, i am glad to see that his injuries are not life threatening, and that he will be able to race again. i'd like to think that if i had as much money as he, i would do something like racing cars (albeit expensive ones) as opposed to doing nothing and/or playing golf. not many people would walk away from a tv/movie career that would set them up for life in exchange for lesser 'public' glory and increased death-factor of car racing.

and after seeing alexis' post, i am not embarassed to say i don't have anywhere near the driving experience as he. i have about 10 years behind the wheel, 5 track events (this year) and a 70 mile daily commute through the orange crush.


[Modified by ruthless013, 9:32 PM 8/12/2002]

 

Well there I'd say he has a better and more professional racing resume then 99.99% of the posters here do or ever will have.

Maybe we should bust on Actors Craig T. Nelson, Tim Allen or Paul Newman next for being wanna be racers.

 

Dude, can I have your autograph? I have always admired you "real" racers.
I mean, that racing series could never hold a candle to a bunch of guys railing around in 100 WHP ITA cars.


[Modified by chrisb, 1:18 AM 8/13/2002]

 

 

Actually having seen Jason run in the Motorola cup a few years back, I have to say that he is the best driver out of these celebrities. I’ve seen Tim Allen run in the beetle cup invitation race at road Atlanta a couple of years ago. To make a long (and funny) story short, he was over 10 seconds off pace running last in the 1:50+s in those 200 hp 6 speed beetle on real race slicks, while the top guys were running 1:40 flat. I’ve also seen Craig T Nelson on TV run a couple of Trans Am races and well…let me just say that I’m sure Jason P could have ran much better.

I see what Scott is saying about people racing where they shouldn’t be. This is very true and exists just about everywhere in any series even all the way up to F1! Whether this was the case with JP, you guys decide. Still it’s funny how some of the JP fans on here got offended like this. Lol cheer up guys! It's only a board.

JP actually had the funds to give himself a pretty damn good extensive driving experience compared to some of the other wealthy “pro” racers out there who actually start out racing in “pro” series. But I don’t have a problem with these guys since if we didn’t have these space fillers in any series, fields would be pretty small with just the top drivers. So to anyone who can afford to play with the big boys, please go right ahead!

Oh and good ITA CRX have around 115 whp, not 100! And being fast in a “slow” ita crx and running faster than the “faster” cars out there is quite rewarding in itself. More so than being at the back of the field in your expen$$ive racecar running in an expen$$ive pro series. But then again, most people view ANY person racing an expensive racecar in any of the expensive pro series to be the real “pros” and experienced drivers. There are countless folks across the country driving ITA CRX (to use your example), show room stock cars, or anything at this “amateur” level who could more than hold their own in some of these “pro” series, if they had funds like JP and alike.

Well I hope to see JP back in a racecar as soon as he recovers. It's what he loves to do.

 

i kind of agree...........
if i had the money he does i would be up there toooooo
we have to work 9-5 jobs so we can't really devote ourself to the sport
like some rich dudes can...........my .02