A 12-year-old boy racing in a youth division at Auburndale Speedway on Saturday night was critically injured in a crash, the Polk County Sheriff's Office has confirmed.
Tyler Morr of Arcadia was driving a stock car in a Kids Club heat race about 7:45 p.m. He was in the outside lane of a turn when he collided with a car in the inside lane and crashed into the track's outside wall.
Track rescue and medical personnel rushed to the scene, and Morr was airlifted to Lakeland Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. He was stabilized and flown to All Children's Hospital, where he was listed in very critical condition this morning.
Morr's grandfather, David Morr, attended the race. There were five other cars in the race, and no one else was injured.
The Kids Club cars, less powerful than those driven by older and more experienced drivers, are built strictly for racing. Drivers wear helmets and harnesses, and speeds are estimated to be no more than 40-45 mph.
The remainder of Saturday night's schedule at Auburndale was canceled. The speedway posted a statement on its website saying, "Our thoughts and prayers are with Tyler Morr (and) his family and friends."
The Kids Club was started in 1992 as ARMY - Auto Racing Motivated Youth - as a program that teaches kids ages 10 to 16 how to race properly.
Polk County sheriff's traffic detectives are investigating an injured person investigation.