Dale Earnhardt Jr. Rushed to Hospital After Plane Crashes in Tennessee

Earnhardt's wife and young daughter were also on the plane.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was rushed to the hospital on Thursday after a plane he was riding in crashed and caught fire in Tennessee. 

The NASCAR legend was on the plane with his wife, Amy, and 1-year-old daughter, Isla, as well as two others and a family dog, ET has learned. 

"I can confirm Dale, Amy & Isla along with his two pilots were involved in a crash in Bristol TN this afternoon. Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation," Earnhardt's sister, Kelly, wrote on Twitter. "We have no further information at this time. Thank you for your understanding."

Sheriff Dexter Lunceford of the Carter County Sheriff’s Department tells ET that Earnhardt was taken to the Johnson City Medical Center for minor injuries, described as cuts and abrasions. Lunceford says that Earnhardt was alert and talking. He was transported to the hospital via ambulance, ET has learned. 

A spokesman for the Carter County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office tells ET that first responders were notified at 3:38 p.m. local time that a plane had run off the end of a runway, crashed and caught fire at Elizabethton Municipal Airport. "Everyone who was on the plane made it off alive," the spokesman said.

A spokesman for the Carter County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office tells ET that the plane that crashed is owned by Earnhardt. 

According to a spokesperson for the FAA, the Cessna Citation rolled off the end of Runway 24 and caught fire after landing at Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee at 3:40 p.m. on Thursday. The FAA will investigate and the National Transportation Safety Board will determine the probable cause of the accident.

NBC Sports issued a statement via Twitter on Thursday afternoon. "We're incredibly grateful that Dale, his wife Amy, daughter Isla, and the two pilots are safe following today's accident. After being discharged from the hospital, we communicated with Dale and his team, and we're all in agreement that he should take this weekend to be off with his family. We look forward to having him back in the booth next month at Darlington," they said. 

See more on Earnhardt in the video below. 

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