Burton warns of dangers of drowsy driving

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) -- Ward Burton learned the hard way, and now he's offering his fans a bit of advice: Don't drive drowsy.

The NASCAR Nextel Cup star fell asleep at the wheel of his Chevrolet Suburban while driving along a North Carolina highway. The sport utility vehicle swerved off the road at about 60 mph, hit a guardrail, flipped several times, then went down an embankment.

The accident last Monday left Burton with a bruise on his face from the air bag -- and a bit embarrassed.

"A couple of miles before I crashed, I had a couple of warnings that I was sleepy, but I kept driving," Burton said in a message to his fans on his Web site. "As soon as the vehicle came to a stop from the wreck, I felt very guilty and irresponsible, thinking about what I had done and what I had put my family through.

"If nothing else, I hope you will learn from me and stop for a cup of coffee or a walk when you feel sleepy driving. I had the warning and didn't pay attention, and am just lucky that I'm OK."

Burton said it took a while for anyone to stop to help and he called his wife, Tabitha, to come get him.

"While I was waiting for the emergency vehicles, I started cleaning up the debris from where I had hit the guardrail so that it wouldn't cause somebody else to wreck," Burton said.

Just to be sure there were no other injuries, Burton stopped at a hospital where he was examined and released.

Burton plans to race Sunday in Martinsville, Va.