3 injured after race car crashes through fence at Volusia Speedway

Sprint car driver Dale Blaney uninjured, 1 critical, 1 in stable condition

DeLEON SPRINGS, Fla. – A race car crashed through a 10-foot-tall fence and into a crowd of people Sunday night at Volusia Speedway Park, officials said.

The crash was reported during a DIRTcar Nationals World of Outlaws event at the speedway, which is north of DeLeon Springs and east of Barberville.

Three people, described by the speedway as "participants," were injured when the car went through a fence in the second turn and flew into the pit area, officials said.

Deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said one of the victims was airlifted to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach. The other two victims were taken to the same hospital by ambulance.

Two of the victims were identified by DIRTcar Nationals officials as Michael Brooks, 69, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Gary Streek, of the United Kingdom.

The third victim, Kelly Kovski, 35, was listed as stable, deputies said.

“The staff here at Macon Speedway sends out our thoughts and prayers to Kelly Kovski, who is hospitalized after an accident at the winter nationals in Florida,” Kovski’s employer, Macon Speedway, said in a statement Monday.

Kovski is the crew chief for driver Justin Allgaier.

Brooks was listed in extremely critical condition by the trauma medical staff at Halifax Hospital Daytona Beach.

Streek's uncle was admitted to the hospital after experiencing discomfort, but he was later released, officials said.

Sprint car driver Dale Blaney was uninjured when his Zemco race car flipped into the fence.

Blaney has been racing for Zemco Speed Equipment No. 1 since November, according to a news release from the Pennsylvania-based company.

The damage to the Zemco race car was extensive, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office and the Florida Highway Patrol were not immediately notified about the incident, according to the crash report. Deputies and troopers were not contacted until 20 minutes afterward.

"Hopefully, it was just an error of somebody not knowing or (who) assumed that we were going to be notified and respond," Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.

Chitwood told News 6 the 20-minute delay slowed down the crash investigation.

"God forbid if this person dies, even though it's on private property, it's still going to be a homicide investigation, even though it was an accidental death," Chitwood said.

Authorities said it was also taking longer than usual for officials to turn over evidence, including pictures and video.

"It's on private property and they probably want their attorneys to review before it gets to us, because once it gets to us, it becomes public record," Chitwood said.

"I've seen lots of big accidents and things like that. It's the first time I've actually seen a car go through a fence," race fan Mick Barkeo said. "The (victims) were just unlucky."

But fans said crews immediately provided assistance.

"People just ran from everywhere," one fan said. "But the emergency services guys here were fantastic. They were on the scene really quickly."

Repairs were made to the fence and racing resumed Sunday night.

A similar incident was reported last week at Volusia Speedway. Video on social media shows a car flipping over a fence, but the CEO of Volusia Speedway refused to comment.

Volusia Speedway officials said under its current ownership since 2005, no race car has breached the fence at the speedway during the Sprint car event.

"Prior to the 46th annual running of the DIRTcar Nationals, the safety measures in place at the speedway have done their job," a statement from Volusia Speedway Park management said.

On Monday night, fans attending the first night of championships said they had no fears going inside.

"It can happen anytime, anywhere," said Darren Dryden, who traveled from Manchester, Ohio, for Speedweeks. "It's just part of the sport."


About the Authors:

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

Dawn Jorgenson, Graham Media Group Branded Content Managing Editor, began working with the group in April 2013. She graduated from Texas State University with a degree in electronic media.