Crashes send four truck drivers to hospital

Parker Jr. admitted with back injury

HAMPTON, Ga. -- An accident on Lap 45 of Saturday's Easy Care Vehicle Service Contracts 200 has sent three drivers to a local hospital.

VIDEO CLIPS Hank Parker Jr. airlifted after multi-truck accident Play video

Tina Gordon got loose and lost control of her No. 13 Chevrolet and was stopped in the middle of the racetrack. The No. 46 Chevrolet of Dennis Setzer narrowly missed Gordon, but Rick Crawford wasn't so fortunate.

Crawford hit Gordon, who then hit the No. 21 Toyota of Hank Parker Jr. Crawford eventually ended up in the infield grass while Parker hit the wall.

All of the injured were transported to Atlanta Medical Center.

	The battered Ford of Rick Crawford sits in the infield grass. Credit: Autostock

Crawford suffered a fractured left foot, and Gordon fractured her right fibula. Crawford was treated and released.

Joey Clanton, who hit the wall on Lap 88 in an unrelated incident, was given a CAT scan, which came back negative. He was released.

Parker Jr. suffered a back injury and will be held overnight at the hospital. It is believed that Parker's injury will not require surgery, and Parker could be released as early as Sunday.

Saturday's four caution flags -- more specifically, the severity of the incidents that caused the caution flags -- had several drivers talking after the race.

	Hank Parker Jr. is helped from his truck. Credit: AP

Terry Cook, who finished 18th, wondered why NASCAR did not call a test day for the Truck Series teams at Atlanta.

"This is an extremely fast track. They definitely should have, but I don't know as though that contributed to the wrecks out there," Cook said.

"It was a situation that I think it would have helped everybody."

Meanwhile, Carl Edwards, who finished seventh, said Saturday was an unusual day.

"That was pretty wild, but I don't know if it was too wild," he said. " It's a fast racetrack and the trucks can draft so easily that they can stay in a big group, so it's a little bit nerve-wracking."