MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Last Saturday's brutal crash in an exhibition event at Bristol Motor Speedway, that has Larry Pearson still hospitalized and left Charlie Glotzbach in the hospital for four days, was "one of them racing deals," Glotzbach hinted Thursday.

“

That's the hardest hit that I've ever taken, and that was the first ride to the hospital from a race. I mean, all the walls I've hit, and wrecked -- and I never got hurt. That was the first time I ever got hurt, so it had to be a hard, hard hit.

”

-- CHARLIE GLOTZBACH

Friday at Martinsville Speedway -- this week's stop for the Cup and Truck races -- track president Clay Campbell agreed the accident was unavoidable and shouldn't influence decisions track operators might make about any future special racing events.

The Scotts EZ Seed Showdown was a 35-lap race for charity that featured 12 retired NASCAR drivers from various eras in the sport's history. The event was not NASCAR-sanctioned.

"It's unfortunate that it happened, No. 1," said Campbell, who himself has raced -- and won in -- late model stock cars for the past 10-12 years. "Secondly, we haven't considered doing anything like that here. I think it's a neat concept and I'm not saying the concept is wrong or that it should or shouldn't be done going down the road, we just haven't looked at doing it here.

"Something like that, while it's unfortunate, can happen at any time, no matter who's driving. It doesn't have to be a retired driver -- it could happen to one of the new guys. Racing is inherently dangerous, and things happen."

Glotzbach, 71, suffered a broken sternum and a fractured bone in his lower back in the accident that occurred in Turn 2 of the high-speed half-mile when Pearson's No. 21 slid down the banking and was T-boned by Glotzbach's No. 3.

Glotzbach, who won four times in 124 starts between 1960 and 1992 in what's now the Cup Series, spoke to Sirius NASCAR Radio hostess Claire B. Lang on her nightly edition of "Dialed In."

"That's the hardest hit that I've ever taken, and that was the first ride to the hospital from a race," said Glotzbach, who walked to an ambulance and briefly visited the track's infield care center before being transported by ambulance to Bristol Regional Medical Center.

"I mean, all the walls I've hit, and wrecked -- and I never got hurt. That was the first time I ever got hurt, so it had to be a hard, hard hit." (Continued)