ANDERSON — A crew member was seriously injured Tuesday at the Anderson Speedway when a tire that he was adding air to exploded.

The crew member, whose name was not released, was flown by medical helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after his arm was severely damaged by the blast.

According to Rick Dawson, owner and president of the Anderson Speedway, the man suffered several fractures in his arm as well as a number of cuts.

“There was a quite a bit of blood,” Dawson said. “I’m not a doctor so I don’t know how serious it was, but he’ll probably need a transfusion.”

Despite his severe injury, the man was in stable condition, Dawson said.

“He has feeling in all of his fingers,” Dawson said. “The prognosis is looking really good that he will keep his arm.”

The man, who was a crew member for the No. 15 car, was filling a tire with air in preparation for the Redbud 300 that was scheduled Tuesday.

The race tire blew off the rim during the process of inflation, but it was not clear whether the tire had a flaw or if the explosion was caused by human error.

“It was one of those freak accidents that you hear about but you never actually see,” Dawson said.

The race, which was to feature famous NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, was canceled due to rain. It has been rescheduled for Monday, July 27.

Contact Garrett Stack, 640-4878, garrett.stack@heraldbulletin.com