Lightning kills 1, hurts 9 at Pa. car race

Lightning accompanying heavy rain and winds struck the Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania, killing one fan and injuring nine others. Spectators were leaving the raceway Sunday afternoon after the storm forced the Pennsylvania 400 contest to end early when the lightning hit, the (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) Times Leader reported. Two bolts of lightning injured all of the affected fans, Bob Pleban, a track spokesman said. One of the strikes was in the parking lot and the other was near gate 3. The nine who were hurt had injuries ranging from minor to critical. The heavy traffic leaving the raceway combined with the intense storm prevented the use of helicopters in evacuating the injured. NASCAR officials put out a yellow caution flag when the storm arrived at 4:40 p.m. They stopped the race about 10 minutes later on lap 98, 62 laps short of the planned 160.