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Crash kills ARCA driver

CONCORD, N.C. -- A driver in the minor-league ARCA series crashed into a wall Wednesday and seconds later was hit broadside by another car, killing him and injuring the other driver.

Eric Martin radioed his team, "I'm all right" after he spun and rammed the wall backward coming out of the fourth turn during practice at Lowe's Motor Speedway. But the other car, driven by Deborah Renshaw, came around the turn going at least 160 mph and plowed into Martin's car on the driver's side.

"The first hit, I guess he just kind of lost his breath," veteran driver Ron Hornaday said. "The second one, a driver is never ready for that second impact and that's the one that got him. It's nobody's fault, it's just a brutal sport sometimes."

The 33-year-old Martin died instantly of massive internal injuries.

Renshaw, 25, was taken to University Hospital in Charlotte, where she was in fair condition and being examined for possible ankle injuries.

Martin wrecked during practice for the EasyCare 150, the final race of the season for the Automobile Racing Club of America, a 50-year-old training series for drivers hoping to move up to NASCAR.

Qualifying was canceled and the field for tonight's race was set by season points.

At issue in this wreck is why Renshaw either didn't see Martin's disabled car or was unable to avoid him.

Spotters are not required to climb onto the grandstand roof during practice to help a driver navigate the track. Instead, the spotters watch the race from the top of the haulers inside the infield, giving them several blind spots.

Car owner Bob Schacht, a three-time ARCA series champion, was spotting for Renshaw on top of the team hauler, but ARCA president Ron Drager would not speculate if he saw Martin's car or not.

His death is the 15th at Lowe's, the eighth involving a stock car driver. Blaise Alexander was killed last October at an ARCA race in a wreck involving Kerry Earnhardt.

Martin had 40 career starts and was 20th in the ARCA points standings.

FITTIPALDI PREPARES: Christian Fittipaldi, nephew of former world champion Emerson Fittipaldi and a veteran of Formula One and CART, will run a combination of Winston Cup, Busch Series and ARCA events for Petty Enterprises next season, preparing for a full Winston Cup schedule in 2004.

FAST FILM: Foxstar Productions and Van Ness Films shot action from Sunday's CART race in Miami, the Grand Prix of the Americas, to be part of a documentary scheduled to air on the new National Geographic Channel in summer 2003. The hour-long show, tentatively titled Race Car Drivers, will feature teams, personnel and drivers from CART, NASCAR and the IRL.

CLASSES AT BRISTOL: Students forced from their high school in Bristol, Tenn., by potentially dangerous mold were cleared to attend classes at Bristol Motor Speedway for 4-6 weeks. The county's school board voted unanimously to move Sullivan East High School's 1,000 students to suites at the track after black mold, which can cause severe respiratory problems, was found in classrooms.

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