Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s real passion in life isn't reality dating shows, but car racing. But this profession turned dangerous for the former Bachelorette contestant yesterday when Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s car caught the fender of another and rolled at least five times during the The Off Road Championship (TORC). He was transported to the hospital for surgery on a broken collar bone, but announced via Twitter that his neck and spine were okay. It was the Indy 500 racer's first time at TORC, and moments before the collision, announcers had listed him as one of the competitors to watch.
"This is the first time he's owned his own race team," TORC reporter Keli Snyder said before the major crash. "This is everything, this is his pride, this is his money ... this initial showing of Arie's new project and new career was a really big deal for him."
After the roll over, a medical team was immediately dispatched to remove Luyendyk from his car, and the race was halted until people knew that he was going to be okay and transported to a hospital if needed. He was reported to be alert during the process, which was good news for anyone who watched the scary moment.
With everything that he put into the race, financially and effort-wise, it's unlikely he'll let this injury stop him from hitting the track as soon as he's able. He once turned down ABC's offer to be the next Bachelor because his career as a race car driver meant more to him, and he didn't want to give it up for reality television.
"My first passion's always been racing, and that's what I definitely want to get back to," he said at the time.
Luyendyk posted a picture of him giving a thumbs-up while in the ambulance, and thanked the TORC medical team for being so quick on their feet.
Later, his father let everyone know that though his son was disappointed in the outcome, the rest of his body had fared okay.
But despite the letdown, Luyendyk was quick to let his fans know he'd be back racing soon. "Everyone loves a good comeback story," he tweeted. He's even already back at the track to watch the other races, with his arm in a sling and a smile on his face.
Image: Tumblr/duck7-motorsports
