Dale Earnhardt Jr. Crashes at Rockingham, NC

Earnhardt's car was bumped from behind on the third turn of the first lap and pushed into the wall just a short time after a moment of silence was observed in memory of his father. Earnhardt Sr. was killed last weekend in Daytona in what at first appeared to be a survivable accident.

"I got caught in a bottleneck up there and got hit in the rear," said Earnhardt Jr. of the crash. "I might be a little bruised, but tell everyone back home I'm fine. I was really ready to go racing, we'll be alright."

Earnhardt Jr., who is just 26, walked away from the accident and was examined by a medical team. His car was damaged beyond repair. "It was like a traffic jam," said Kenny Wallace, who also was forced out of the race by the accident. "Everybody was wanting the bottom of the race track and everybody stacked up. I guess somebody bot into the back of Little E and then he got caught up into me and all hell broke loose. It's a bad deal."

Crews at the Dura Lube 400, in Rockingham, wore No. 3 Earnhardt hats rather than the traditional hats covered with the names of sponsors. Before the race began, Dale Beaver, chaplain for Motor Racing Outreach, led a prayer service and noted to the assembled racers, "You're more than just competitors. You're more than just business people. We indeed, folks, are family."