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'Breaking' news: Dale Earnhardt Jr. interview leads to broken ankle
There's no doubt NASCAR is a dangerous sport, but even covering racing can have its dangers. Unfortunately, Motor Racing Network's Dustin Long found that out the hard way.
While interviewing Dale Earnhardt Jr. Friday at Pocono, Long followed the Hendrick Motorsports driver through the NASCAR inspection area and fell off the scales.
The result? A badly broken ankle and ton of social media responses. (Warning: The image may be tough for some to view.)
Long initially just tweeted a picture of his ankle with no additional context, but Dale Jr. was quick to fill in the holes in the story.
Verdict is in ... Broken ankle. Got splint for now & crutches. Won't stop me from working & covering #NASCAR 4 fans pic.twitter.com/3JGIJ9Ehbs
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) June 7, 2014
.@dustinlong was interviewing me when he broke his ankle. He fell off @NASCAR scales. I lured him thru the area as a short cut. Feel awful.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) June 7, 2014
@DaleJr @NASCAR Not you fault man. Don't worry about it. Hey, if you can't win, be spectacular!!
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) June 7, 2014
In typical NASCAR fashion, the community came out in a big way to support Dustin and his injury.
“@dustinlong: Verdict is in, Broken ankle. Splint for now & crutches. Won't stop me from covering #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/lNd3kRl3uT” Holy?
— Clint Bowyer (@ClintBowyer) June 7, 2014
@dustinlong - That's REAL pretty! Ugh. Hope you get well soon. #NASCAR
— Kentucky Speedway (@KySpeedway) June 7, 2014
@dustinlong Heal up quickly!!!
— TalladegaSuperS (@TalladegaSuperS) June 7, 2014
Oh no! Feel better. MT @dustinlong: Verdict is in ... Broken ankle. Got splint & crutches. Won't stop me from working pic.twitter.com/T0pjvlfYXz
— DeLana Harvick (@DeLanaHarvick) June 7, 2014
Yikes. Get better. "@dustinlong: Verdict is in ... Broken ankle. Got splint for now & crutches. pic.twitter.com/1Z1MRLcZur”
— Krissie Newman (@NewmanKrissie) June 7, 2014
Past 2 wks, @bobpockrass didn't take pain meds w/kidney stones & @dustinlong blew out wheel and kept digging. Rest of us need to toughen up!
— Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) June 7, 2014
Former Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski could certainly relate to Long's injury. Keselowski broke his ankle during a test session in 2011 and then went out and won Pocono. Knowing what he was going through, Keselowski offered his own bit of advice.
@dustinlong bummer. Get well soon
— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) June 7, 2014
@dustinlong it will look like this by EOW, get it milked. Trust me. pic.twitter.com/mrpXkCYuuu
— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) June 7, 2014
Not to be kept down, Long will continue covering the weekend's events at Pocono.
#NASCAR .. Thanks for all the kind notes. Appreciate it as I sit with my ankle elevated in my hotel room and work on stories for you.
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) June 7, 2014
#NASCAR … Every day is a new opportunity folks! Have fun, be bold and don't let anything bring you down!
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) June 7, 2014
