Sacks Released From Hospital

DALLAS, Texas (April 9, 1998)

Greg Sacks, driver of the No. 98 Thorn Apple Valley Premium Meats Ford on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, was released from Parkland Memorial Hospital on Thursday afternoon but has decided to remain in Texas for further consultations with medical specialists.

Sacks, 45, irritated the nerves that control feeling in his left arm when he was involved in an accident in last Sunday's Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Prior to his release Thursday, physicians at Parkland said he needed to return to see specialists next week. Sacks and his wife, Vicky, elected to remain in Texas with friends until then.

Marlene Emery, general manager of Cale Yarborough Motorsports, said Sacks and his doctors anticipated a complete recovery, but his return to the seat of the No. 98 Ford would be determined by the doctors and Sacks himself.

"No decision has been made about Martinsville," Emery said of the next NASCAR Winston Cup race, the April 19 Goody's Headache Powder 500 at Martinsville Speedway. "We should know something on Monday. Since it's Easter weekend there's really no one at the hospital as far as doctors go.

"Greg plans to have a checkup next week, and we should know something then. He said he was feeling 100 percent better and was up and walking around. He said he had the feeling almost completely back in his left thumb, and that every once in a while he had a tingle in his arm but otherwise he's feeling great.

"The doctors don't plan to let him get back in a car until the swelling of his neck is down, and we don't know exactly when that will be. There's no real risk of permanent injury -- it's more a precautionary thing."

In an earlier team statement, Dr. Ritesh Prasad, a member of the Parkland Trauma Service Team, explained that Sacks had stretched the nerves in the brachial plexus, the nerve center for the arm located behind the collar bone. This type of injury, commonly referred to as a "stinger," is common among professional football players. Symptoms can include weakness, numbness or a tingling sensation in the arm.

Source: NASCAR Online