PRO MOD RACER SUCCUMBS

Pro Modified drag racer Steve Engel, 49, died suddenly at 5 p.m. Sunday at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. He was involved in a serious one-car racing accident during the 54th annual U.S. Nationals held over Labor Day weekend at O'Reilly Raceway Park near Indianapolis.

Engel's Corvette swerved wildly near the top end of the track and hit the retaining wall head-on. Engel was airlifted to Methodist Hospital where doctors discovered six broken vertebrae in his back. Two were fixed immediately, but then excess fluid developed in the racer's lung and doctors had to wait to fix the other four. That procedure was done Friday and physicians were diagnosing a long but full recovery.

Engel is survived by his wife, Tonya, and sons Stevie and Michael. Funeral arrangements are pending.

ANDRETTI JOINS TRUCK FIELD

Versatile racer John Andretti has entered Saturday’s Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Andretti has competed in each NASCAR national touring series, raced a Top Fuel dragster and competed in the Indianapolis 500 several times. But this will be his first time to race on the 1.5-mile tri-oval since banking was increased from 12 to 20 degrees last year.

“I haven’t raced in Vegas since the track was redone, but I have tested a (Sprint) Cup car there,” Andretti said. “It has more speed to it. I know the trucks are going to put on a show no matter what. The racing hasn’t changed — it’s still top-notch. I expect a bunch of guys are going to lean on one another during the race.”

Andretti will be making his first start of the season in the No. 15 Toyota for Billy Ballew Motorsports and only his fifth Truck Series start ever. The Ballew team has fielded trucks for the past few years for Las Vegas' Kyle Busch and visited Victory Lane at LVMS in 2004 with Shane Hmiel.