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May 9, 2003
1:10 PM EDT (1710 GMT)
North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley escaped injury Friday when the Hendrick Motorports race car he was driving lost control at Lowe's Motor Speedway and hit the inside wall, speedway officials said.
Easley, who was at the racetrack to raise money for an education program and to show his support for keeping The Winston in North Carolina, was driving a No. 48 Chevrolet at speed when the car got loose and he lost control off turn 2.
The car spun and smacked the inside wall, which was protected by some older "soft wall" technology that has been in place for a few years.
Easley was wearing a HANS device and was unhurt, despite heavy damage to the car. In fact, Hendrick sent over a No. 24 and a No. 5 Chevrolet, and the governor was due to practice one of those cars later Friday.
Easley, who has gone through driving schools at Lowe's, was said to be turning laps in the 165 mph range. He was also practicing in anticipation of running a high-speed lap before the Winston Open next week.
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