Aric Almirola suffered a compression fracture of his T5 vertebra following a frightening NASCAR crash with Danica Patrick and Joey Logano at Kansas Speedway.
Almirola’s Richard Petty Motorsports Ford ploughed into Patrick and Logano’s cars just after they had tangled and then burst into flames on lap 200 of the 267-lap event.
A statement from the Petty team on Sunday said Almirola had already been released from hospital.
“Aric Almirola has been released from a local Kansas hospital and will fly back to his home in Mooresville, NC today,” it read.
“Almirola suffered a compression fracture to his T5 Vertebra.
“Almirola is mobile and will follow-up with his doctors in Charlotte.”
The initial crash was caused by a right-front brake rotor breaking on Logano’s Penske Ford and sending him into Patrick’s Stewart-Haas car.
The race was red-flagged for nearly half an hour while track safety workers cut the roof off of the Petty Ford, removed Almirola from the car and placed him on a backboard and stretcher.
He was complaining of back pain and was immediately airlifted to the University of Kansas Medical Centre for observation and the full diagnosis announced on Sunday.
VIDEO: Almirola suffers back injury in heavy crash
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