Actor Jason Priestley was hospitalized Sunday in serious condition after his race car crashed head-on into a wall during a final practice run at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. Mr. Priestley, 32, who starred in the television series "Beverly Hills 90210,'' was air-lifted to University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington following the 8:50 a.m. accident - the first serious crash at the quarter-mile track since it opened in 2000.

Race car driver and actor Jason Priestley is rushed from the infield hospital to an awaiting helicopter after crashing his Infinity Pro Series car at the Kentucky Speedway. (AP/Ed Reinke photo) | ZOOM |

        Hospital officials said Mr. Priestley suffered fractures to both feet, a "closed head injury," and a fracture of the thoracic spine.

        Henry Bock — medical services director for the Indy Racing League, which is holding races at the track this weekend — said Mr. Priestley was "stable and responsive." Kentucky Speedway co-owner Jerry Carroll could not be reached for comment.

        Ed Carpenter, one of several drivers taking a final practice run with Mr. Priestley when the accident occurred, said he was looking in his rear-view mirror when he saw the Mr. Priestley's car slide sideways in an oil slick coming out of a turn, then crash into the wall after the driver apparently over-corrected the steering.

        "I came back around to look at the damage; it didn't look that bad," Mr. Carpenter said. "But those head-first crashes are the kind that cause head and neck injuries." Indy Racing officials did not know whether Mr. Priestley — a 10-year racing veteran who was preparing to race Sunday afternoon in the new Infiniti Pro Series — was wearing head-and-neck restraints when the accident occurred.

JASON PRIESTLY

Claim to fame: Jason Priestly is best known for his role as Brandon Walsh in the television series "Beverly Hills 90210," about the problems and pleasures of a group of rich children who went to high school in Beverly Hills. The successful show turned a number of young actors into instant celebrities, including Mr. Priestly, Luke Perry, Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth. Mr. Priestly was in the show from its start in 1990 until 1998. The show ended in 2000. Film credits: Mr. Priestly has made many guest appearances on television and played in more than 40 movies and documentaries which were made-for-TV as well as the big-screen. His best known films were "Eye of the Beholder" (1999), which also starred Ewan McGregor and Ashley Judd and "Love and Death on Long Island" (1997). He also has been a producer and director. Personal: Mr. Priestly, who will turn 33 on Aug. 28, was born in 1969 in Vancouver, British Columbia. His sister, Justine, a year older than he, is an actress. Political: He defended Canada's environmental record this year at a celebrity fund-raiser for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Waterkeeper Alliance. Racing history: Mr. Priestly began racing in the California Rally Series in 1991, and participated in the SCCA Pro Rally Series, IMSA Firehawk Series, Magna Enduro Series and Sportscar GTS1 Series during the 1990s. His first victory was at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 1998. Before Sunday's crash, Mr. Priestly had placed second in qualifiers for the Infiniti Pro Series race at Kentucky Speedway.

        Unlike NASCAR, Indy drivers are not required to wear such devices, which are designed to limit movement of a driver's head and neck upon impact. NASCAR mandated use of such restraints shortly after seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt died of a fractured skull last year in the Daytona 500.

        Mr. Priestley's violent crash is likely to renew calls for safety, including the installation of "soft-wall" technology, which has become a hot topic at the $152 million, state-of-the-art Kentucky Speedway.

        Indianapolis Motor Speedway recently unveiled the new, energy-absorbing, soft-wall system — designed to absorb the brunt of wall collisions — and there has been pressure on Kentucky Speedway to follow suit.

        No one is saying whether a soft-wall system would have protected Mr. Priestley, a former teen idol who began racing in the California Rally Series in 1991. He also participated in the SCCA Pro Rally Series, IMSA Firehawk Series, Magna Enduro Series and Sportscar GTS1 Series during the 1990s. His first victory was at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 1998.

        Mr. Priestley, an announcer for ABC sports for Indy Racing League broadcasts last year, joined the Kelley Racing team this year as a driver in the Infiniti Pro Series — a developmental racing circuit in which drivers race cars that are similar but less powerful than Indy cars.

        Mr. Priestley was testing his No. 7 HomeMed Pharmacy Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone car at speeds exceeding 178 mph when he crashed.

        He had qualified in second place for the pro series race on Saturday behind series leader A.J. Foyt IV — the grandson of four-time Indianapolis 500 champion A.J. Foyt.

        Priestley has been in crashes before. He crashed a powerboat during a race in Miami in April, leaving one crew member with cracked ribs, and in 1995, he crashed into a ditch during the Michelin SCCA Pro Rally in Olympia, Wash., but recovered to finish the race.

        Last year, he completed an alcohol counseling program he was ordered to attend when he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge stemming from a December 1999 car crash in the Hollywood Hills. The accident totaled Priestley's Porsche and broke his friend's arm.

        Priestley, a native of British Columbia, became a TV heartthrob starring with Luke Perry, Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth in "Beverly Hills 90210," which ran from 1990 to 2000.

        He was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and produced and directed a number of documentaries, television dramas, cable network specials and music videos. His film credits include "Eye of the Beholder," "Calendar Girl" and "Love and Death on Long Island."