MCDOWELL COUNTY, NC. (THECOUNT) — The North Carolina Highway Patrol says, NASCAR driver, Barry Sheppard, suffered some sort of medical emergency causing him to crash his Xfinity Series team car hauler Wednesday evening in McDowell County, North Carolina, according to reports Thursday morning. Co-driver Barry Collins was also seriously injured in the wreck.
The crash occurred around 5 p.m. in McDowell County, North Carolina while the pair traveled on I-40 while pulling a trailer.
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According to reports, Sheppard suffered an unknown medical episode while operating a vehicle on I-40 near Morganton, NC on Wednesday evening.
The medical episode caused Sheppard’s truck to swerve off the interstate, crash through the right guardrail, down a 60 foot embankment. The vehicle came to a rest after overturning in a wooded area.
Collins reported tried to take the wheel during the incident but was unable to correct the vehicle’s path.
Both Sheppard and Collins were transported to area hospitals with serious injuries. They are expected to survive, say doctors.
Troopers said that the NASCAR Hauler was associated with Team #10. Kaulig Racing later confirmed via Twitter that it was their hauler that was involved in the crash as it was traveling to the Kansas Speedway, reports CDLife.
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Geo quick facts: McDowell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 44,996. Its county seat is Marion. McDowell County comprises the Marion, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Hickory-Lenoir, NC Combined Statistical Area – Wikipedia.