DALLAS, TX Kenny Brack, the 1998 Indy Racing League champion and 1999 Indianapolis 500 winner, is expected to make a full recovery from the multiple fractures, concussion and facial laceration he suffered in a race-ending accident Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.

The 37-year-old Swedish driver underwent successful surgery at Parkland Memorial Hospital Sunday night on his fractured right femur and broken ankles. No additional leg surgery is expected, a team spokesman said.

Surgery on Brack's fractured lower back (lumbar No. 3) is expected at Parkland before he can be transported to Indianapolis for rehabilitation. He remained in serious but stable condition last evening.

Brack's Italian-made Dallara race car vaulted 15 feet in the air Sunday when he touched wheels with Tomas Scheckter at the end of the back straightaway on lap 188 of the Chevy 500. The impact with the fence ripped the car and the barrier apart, sending Brack spinning violently out of control. Debris scattered across the track and into the unoccupied grandstand area.

The race was stopped seven laps later due to the rescue effort and fence damage. Gil de Ferran was declared the winner. Scott Dixon was credited with second place to earn the IRL's season championship.

Brack's progress was measured in small doses yesterday. Parkland orthopedic surgeon Charles Reinert told team officials Brack should need three months to recover from the leg and ankle surgeries. Reinert inserted plates and screws in both ankles, using a bone from Brack's hip to stabilize the right ankle.

The gash over Brack's left eye and his broken sternum suggest he was thrown into the car's steering column during the accident.

Blatter said the top half of the steering wheel was bent, but there were no signs of a head injury or other internal damage.

The right ankle was presumed to have the most damage immediately after the accident, but there was reason for optimism Monday.

''There was less damage than they initially thought,'' team press officer Tom Blattler said at Parkland. ''His back could take some time (to heal), but Reinert and (IRL doctor) Henry Bock both said they anticipate him making a full recovery.''

Blattler said he was encouraged by the sight of Brack wiggling all of his swollen toes. Brack was not made available to the media.

The gash over Brack's left eye and his broken sternum suggest he was thrown into the car's steering column during the accident. Blatter said the top half of the steering wheel was bent, but there were no signs of a head injury or other internal damage.



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