Roush Crashes Jet: Hospitalized but Stable

Just the Facts:

• NASCAR team owner Jack Roush was injured in a plane crash Tuesday.
• Roush walked away from the wreckage with serious injuries.
• It's the second serious shunt for Roush, a longtime aviation enthusiast.

OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — Bloodied and suffering from injuries characterized as serious, NASCAR team owner and aviation enthusiast Jack Roush walked away from the crash of the private jet he was attempting to land. His team's Web site characterized him as hospitalized in serious but stable condition.

The plane, a Beechcraft Premier owned by Roush Fenway Racing, went out of control, hit on its nose and spun around, the fuselage fracturing just in front of the tail. Roush and Brenda Strickland, the only passenger, were both injured.

Roush, 68, was en route to the EAA AirVenture aviation exhibition at Oshkosh.

It's the second close call for Roush, who in 2002 was more seriously hurt when an experimental craft he was piloting crashed into a pond near Troy, Alabama. He was knocked unconscious and was rescued from the wreckage by Larry Hicks, a retired Marine.

A full-time NASCAR team owner since 1988 and winner of Cup Series championships with drivers Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch, Roush is an avid pilot and owns a collection of aircraft, including World War II vintage planes.

Roush, a native of Covington, Kentucky, has cultivated a relationship with Ford Motor Company that has led to, among other things, a high-performance version of the iconic Mustang that bears his name.

In an interview in March on SpeedTV, Roush reminisced about his work with cars and enthused about some of the great cars in his life.

Inside Line says: Known as "The Cat in the Hat" for his always-present choice of Panama-style headgear, Roush is one of NASCAR's most successful and colorful team owners. — David Green, Correspondent