LEXINGTON, Ky. — As Jason Priestley recovered from slamming his race car into a wall at about 180 mph, Kelley Racing team general manager Jim Freudenberg said he had no doubt the actor would drive again.

        “He's a fighter, one of the toughest little guys I know,” Freudenberg said less than 24 hours after the former “Beverly Hills 90210” heartthrob was seriously injured during practice at the Kentucky Speedway.

        “He doesn't give up easily,” Freudenberg said. “If I'm going to keep him out of a race car, it's going to be a fight. That's just the way he is.”

        Priestley, 32, faces weeks of healing and rehabilitation but is expected to fully recover, doctors said Monday.

        He was airlifted from the University of Kentucky Hospital to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis late Monday afternoon, and was in serious but stable condition Monday night.

        Priestley crashed during practice for an Infiniti Pro Series race Sunday. He suffered a broken back, a moderate concussion, a broken nose, fractures in both feet and a host of cuts and bruises on his face and neck.

        Priestley was fitted with a back brace Monday to determine the stability of the fracture in his ninth thoracic vertebra. Tests showed no immediate signs of paralysis or permanent neurological damage.

        Dr. Andrew Bernard, a UK Hospital trauma surgeon, said he probably would not need spinal surgery but likely would require surgery to repair the broken bones in his feet.

        “I'd say it's going to be many weeks before he's back up and doing some of the things that he likes to do,” Bernard said.

        Hospital officials said family members, friends and members of the Kelley Racing team stayed with Priestley day and night to offer support.

        Priestley, a native of British Columbia, starred as Brandon Walsh in the Fox network's “Beverly Hills, 90210,” which ran from 1990 to 2000.

        Freudenberg, who has known Priestley for over a decade, said a sense of dread washed over him when he couldn't reach Priestley by radio after the crash.

        “I asked him to respond, and he didn't,” Freudenberg began. “I asked him again, and still there was no response, and that was tough.

        “It's a little more than him just being a driver for our race team. He's a very good friend, and that was one of the hardest days of my life.”

Sports Stories

Priestley, other drivers reportedly told of slick spot Priestley expected to make full recovery following crash Gordon searches for answers to 0-30 Bad luck, long women's match conspire against local ATP final Chang advances to second round at Legg Mason Kournikova advances in Rogers AT&T Pavel tunes out crowd, advances at RCA Bittersweet memories for Lehman and Hazeltine majors Irish eyes smilin' in the majors PGA Championship, Player Capsules PGA Championship, hole by hole Phelps cruises past swimming record by over a second

Reds' real test begins tonight at Cinergy
Reds-Diamondbacks series preview
In a surprise, players' union fails to set strike date
Leaving the hammer on the table
Players seem to realize that strike is scary option
Pleasure fading from pastime
Autopsy finds cocaine in Porter's system at time of death
Hall of Famer Enos Slaughter dies
Sosa homers for third straight day
Astros 9, Cubs 6
Cardinals 10, Pirates 6
Notes from Monday's games
Louisville 2, Columbus 1
Battle of QBs in final stages
Bengals LBs: One getting contract; one getting healthy
Next opponent: Colts
Training Camp Rule 1 - Stay healthy
Bucs 14, Dolphins 10
Dilfer shelved with bum knee
Hillsboro, Greenfield McClain bolt
Ohio preps tennis preview
Kentucky preps golf preview