Motorsport: Horror speedway crash at Western Springs

Jamie McDonald was lucky to survive a shocking crash at Western Springs. Photo / James Selwyn Photography

Leading Kiwi driver Jamie McDonald has walked away from a horror crash at Vodafone Speedway Western Springs last night.

McDonald's car flipped into the safety barriers midway through the feature sprint car race in the International Series finale in what long-time racer and commentator Graham Standring described as the worst sprint car accident he'd ever seen.

The race was red flagged for 10 minutes while the safety crew worked on freeing McDonald from the wreckage.

The Auckland driver eventually walked away by his own power but went to hospital for precaution. It is understood he suffered a broken shoulder and a bad concussion from the accident.

McDonald's father Bruce said it was a scary moment and close to being a lot more serious.

"I spoke to the doctors and they said he was unconscious for four minutes in the car before they could get him around," Bruce McDonald told The Herald.

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"He was very lucky – he went full tilt through the air into one of the posts and it hit him right on the right hand side of the chassis right by his right ear. If it hadn't been for the latest safety seat and the fact it was a brand new chassis - never been in an incident - and also the HANS device, in my opinion, he would have been dead.

"The car – every part of it is totally wrecked. The cost of that is irrelevant but it shows the impact his body has taken."

American Shane Stewart won the race and claimed the three-round series in the process.

NASCAR star Tony Stewart reportedly walked out on the meeting midway through the night without explanation.

He completed two heat races and had qualified for the feature race but did not take his place in the decider.