Drissi breaks back in Long Beach crash

UPDATE Tomy Drissi, of Hollywood, Calif., will be out the remainder of the SCCA Pro Racing Long Beach SPEED GT Presented by Applied Computer Solutions weekend, and possibly longer, after sustaining a fractured lower vertebrae in a practice crash on Friday.

Drissi's No. 15 What Happens In Vegas – The Movie Chevrolet Corvette reportedly experienced a stuck throttle as it entered Turn Two on the 1.968-mile street circuit. The car skipped over the fountain curbs, cleaned out the landscaping and then struck the tire wall. The impact broke the concrete barrier the tire wall protected.

Following the incident, Drissi was transported to St. Mary's Hospital in Long Beach, where he remained overnight for tests and observation. Drissi's American Le Mans Series team, Autocon Racing, reported that he would be released Saturday and fitted with a back brace for up to six weeks. Drissi was also to have driven in this afternoon's ALMS race.

Drissi has considerable experience at Long Beach and scored his lone Trans-Am Series win at the circuit in 2000.

Sunday's Round Two race is scheduled to make its standing start at 4 p.m. (PDT) and will air on SPEED Wednesday, April 30 at noon (EDT), 9 a.m. (PDT).

McMurray will step into the Autocon Creation-Judd

Bob Heathcote/AutoRacing1

04/19/08 When the phone rang Friday night in Phoenix, Chris McMurry was expecting to get an update on the progress of the Autocon Motorsports Creation-Judd at the Tequila Patr¢n American Le Mans Series at Long Beach. As it turns out, the call from team owner Mike Lewis served a completely different purpose.

“I got a call from Mike yesterday and thought he was calling me to tell me how things were going but he said I had better get a plane ticket," said McMurry, who now finds himself replacing Tomy Drissi in the Autocon entry for today’s race. Drissi was injured Friday in World Challenge practice and remains at a local hospital with a lower back injury.

“I got in about 11 last night and got about five or six hours of sleep," McMurry added. “I drove last year in the Lola. This car should be better with the heavier weight and bigger tires plus we won't have to worry with the turbo so that will help. The track temp felt like it was 30 or 40 degrees. The team told me I went off at about the same spot as Tomy did yesterday. I think he will be released later today."

Because of the driver substitution and the fact that McMurry did not turn a lap at Long Beach this weekend before Saturday, he and Lewis will start from the rear of the grid. The car had qualified 14th overall.