NASCAR writer Dustin Long is giving new meaning to the phrase "intrepid reporter."
Long, who writes for Motor Racing Network, was interviewing Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Friday when he fell off a scale at Pocono. He broke his ankle, and as you can see below, the injury looked extremely painful:
Verdict is in ... Broken ankle. Got splint for now & crutches. Won't stop me from working & covering #NASCAR 4 fans pic.twitter.com/3JGIJ9Ehbs
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) June 7, 2014
Earnhardt quickly took the blame for Long's injury:
@DaleJr @NASCAR Not you fault man. Don't worry about it. Hey, if you can't win, be spectacular!!
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) June 7, 2014
Even with his ankle severely swollen, Long completed his story about Earnhardt and returned to the track the next day for more coverage:
. He made it! @dustinlong #nascar @poconoraceway pic.twitter.com/cNWR8SBQSy
— Tom Bowles (@NASCARBowles) June 7, 2014
@dustinlong still working on one wheel pic.twitter.com/roYFrjXHTs
— Nick Graff (@DXFlyers) June 8, 2014
Now that is a trooper. Long was lauded by fans and drivers alike for his perseverance. Someone even asked for his autograph:
#NASCAR … I'm honored and humbled fan in Pocono garage asked for my autograph. Not sure I'm worthy. Hope I didn't devalue their program.
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) June 7, 2014
Brad Keselowski knows a thing or two about performing at Pocono with a broken ankle -- he won the race in 2011 just five days after breaking his left ankle in a crash. He tweeted some advice to Long:
@dustinlong it will look like this by EOW, get it milked. Trust me. pic.twitter.com/mrpXkCYuuu
— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) June 7, 2014
Long isn't the first reporter in the past year to get injured while performing his job. Fox Sports' Pam Oliver suffered a concussion after she was hit in the head by a football during warmups for a Giants-Colts preseason game.
As the legendary Dan Jenkins put it in the title of his novel about the year in the life of a sportswriter: You Gotta Play Hurt.
