Dale Earnhardt Jr. crashes in snowy weather after helping other driver

Dale Earnhardt Jr., checks his hair during the final practice for the NASCAR Cup Monster Energy Series auto race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Dale Earnhardt Jr., checks his hair during the final practice for the NASCAR Cup Monster Energy Series auto race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. is warning North Carolina drivers not to venture out into a snowstorm after he slid off the road and hit a tree.

Earnhardt said on his Twitter account Wednesday that he had just used his winch to help a sedan out of a ditch in snowy weather when he himself drove off the road and into a tree.

He wrote: "NC stay off the roads today/tonight. 5 minutes after helping these folks I center punched a pine tree."

A spokesman for Earnhardt, Mike Davis, said that the recently retired NASCAR driver wasn't injured and his pickup had only minor damage, if any. Davis said the people Earnhardt helped weren't injured, either.

Earnhardt's crash happened in Mooresville near where his racing team has its shop and offices.

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