A private plane carrying Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his family crashed at the Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee, near Bristol, on Thursday afternoon. The plane was attempting to land when it ran off the runway and burst into flames.
“I can confirm Dale, Amy & Isla along with his two pilots were involved in a crash in Bristol TN this afternoon. 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-Miller (@EarnhardtKelley) tweeted.
All individuals on the plane — Earnhart, his wife Amy, one-year-old daughter Isla, two pilots and a family dog — survived, sustaining only minor injuries.
The plane was registered to JR Motorsports, a NASCAR Xfinity Series team co-owned by Earnhardt. The Xfinity Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday night. Earnhardt is a member of the NBC Sports broadcast team. NBC Sports will be broadcasting the Xfinity Series race and Saturday night's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, also at Bristol.
Earnhardt retired from full-time competition as a Cup Series driver at the end of the 2017 race season.
