Meeanee Speedway: Driver taken to hospital after street stocks crash

The speedway in Meeanee where the crash happened on Monday. Photo / Paul Taylor

Speedway NZ will investigate a crash at Meeanee Speedway that sent one driver to hospital in a serious condition and briefly paused the meet.

The crash happened on Monday about 9.30pm at the speedway in front of a big crowd during a street stocks race.

Paramedics - who are on hand at all race meets at the speedway - treated the driver.

A St John ambulance spokeswoman said the driver was then taken to Hawke's Bay Hospital.

Meeanee Speedway promoter Bruce Robertson said it was the second meeting in a row where a crash of this kind had happened in the street stocks class.

"One of the drivers from what I can gather went into a wall head-on," he said, of the incident on Monday.

He said it was his understanding the driver of the car was cut out of his vehicle as a precaution, by fire services, after the car had been removed from the track.

There have been two serious crashes at Meeanee Speedway this month. Photo / Paul Taylor

He said serious crashes were extremely rare in general at the speedway and Speedway NZ would investigate the latest incident.

"Speedway NZ will impound the car and will do a through investigation."

He said an investigation was standard practice for these type of incidents and can lead to further safety steps being taken in future.

He said he was not sure what injuries the driver had suffered.

The hospital has been contacted for a patient update.

On December 11, another driver went into the wall at Meeanee Speedway after his street stock was clipped by another car.

He suffered a serious spinal injury and has spent weeks in Middlemore Hospital in Auckland.