Purvis hospitalized after two-car accident

NAZARETH, Pa. -- NASCAR Busch Series veteran Jeff Purvis was admitted to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pa., in serious but stable condition Sunday after a two-car accident with Greg Biffle during the Stacker 2 200 at Nazareth Speedway.

	Jeff Purvis

Purvis, 43, of Clarksville, Tenn., sustained a contusion to the left base of the brain and a fracture of the first and second vertebrae according to Dr. K. Shah, trauma surgeon at Lehigh Valley. The surgeon said Purvis was able to move all his extremities.

Purvis was knocked out in the crash and was cut from his car. He was initially taken by ambulance to the track's infield care center, where he was awake but disoriented. He was then taken by helicopter to Lehigh Valley for a CT scan and further evaluation, according to Dr. James Mock.

Purvis was scheduled for more tests Sunday evening and additional tests either Monday or Tuesday.

Biffle, 32, of Vancouver, Wash., was also briefly knocked unconscious in the violent side-to-side collision, but after several minutes awoke and walked to an ambulance. After visiting the infield care center while awake and alert, he was taken by ambulance to St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem, Pa.

A CT scan was negative and Biffle was released.

Purvis' No. 37 Timber Wolf Chevrolet apparently blew its engine, slid in its oil and hit the outside wall under the pedestrian bridge over Turn 1 of the one-mile oval on lap 169 and bounced back into the fast lane.

Biffle's crew chief Randy Goss said defending race winner Biffle's No. 60 Grainger Ford also hit the oil and slammed into Purvis' driver's side door and left front fender broadside when he tried to avoid the stricken Brewco Motorsports car.

After working for nearly 15 minutes to extricate Purvis, a former dirt-racing champion, the race was red-flagged for about 21 minutes and 46 seconds to allow work to continue, using a jaws of life cutting tool.

	Greg Biffle

After about 20 minutes, Purvis was removed to an ambulance and was taken to the track's infield care center, where Biffle had been taken some 15 minutes earlier.

Biffle's crew chief, Randy Goss, visited with his driver at the care center before Biffle left the track and the chief mechanic was visibly shaken when he emerged. He said his driver said he hit fluid before he hit Purvis' car.

"It's a huge hit -- I can't believe it," he said of the Roush Racing car. "I talked to him (Biffle) -- he seems all right (though) he was briefly unconscious after the first hit.

"He said initially when he knew he was in the oil he tried to figure out the best way to hit Purvis, but there was no controlling it."

Brewco owner Clarence Brewer Jr., whose second car finished a career best fourth with driver Jamie McMurray, said he was most thrilled that Purvis was safe after he emerged from the care center.

"I saw Jeff (and) he was alert and awake (but) he is a little mixed up right now," Brewer said. "He can't really tell us what he thinks right now.

"He blew an engine coming into the turn. I saw smoke coming out of the pipes and there was nothing Greg could do. I am not worried about the car -- I am worried about Jeff."