Emergency crews work to extinguish Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car after he crashed into a barrier during practice in Sonoma. Credit: AP

Earnhardt Jr. released from Sacramento hospital

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was released from University of California-Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Calif., one day after a Sunday accident at Infineon Raceway.

Earnhardt Jr. suffered minor second degree burns on approximately six percent of his body (primarily to his legs and chin) in a practice-session crash Sunday morning in Sonoma, Calif.

He was driving a Corvette C5-R in preparation for an American LeMans Series race. His injuries are not expected to prevent his full participation in the Nextel Cup Series race this weekend at Loudon, N.H. Earnhardt Jr. is currently second in the Nextel Cup point standings and has scored three Cup victories this season, including the Daytona 500.

According to an American Le Mans Series statement, Earnhardt was driving a Chevrolet Corvette C5-R in a 30-minute practice session when the accident occurred. The car spun and impacted a barrier in the Turn 8 section of the road-racing track, then caught fire. Earnhardt quickly exited the car on his own, and was then assisted by safety crews.

"We had an unfortunate incident in morning warmup today with our No. 8 Corvette," Doug Fehan, program manager for Corvette Racing, said. "The accident was caused by a combination of many factors, including a slick race track, cold tires and a full tank of fuel.

"The hit was so hard that it broke the filler neck off the fuel cell and caused a fire. We know Dale Jr. wishes he could be back here at the race with us and we're going to try to win this one for him."

Earnhardt, who regularly competes in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series, was scheduled to co-drive in the Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma with veteran road racing driver Boris Said. The team has withdrawn the car from the race.

"I'm bummed out and disappointed I couldn't run the race," Earnhardt said through a team spokesman.