Concord, N.C. ? Deborah Renshaw’s racing career was on a fast track, pushed along by attention received when other drivers protested against her in a midsummer race.

Now it’s taken a terrible turn, one that could halt her career.

Renshaw, set to move up to NASCAR’s Busch series next season, was practicing for an ARCA series race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Wednesday when she broad-sided the disabled car of Eric Martin, instantly killing the 33-year-old driver.

She also was injured in the accident. Renshaw was in fair condition Thursday after undergoing surgery at a Charlotte hospital for multiple fractures in her left foot and ankle.

The accident has raised a flurry of questions, many of them directed at the 25-year-old Renshaw.

Witnesses have said Martin wrecked at least 15 seconds before Renshaw hit him, leading some to wonder if her spotter was aware of the wreck ahead, if Renshaw saw Martin’s car, and if she was qualified to be racing on Lowe’s 11â2-mile oval.

“With the communication we have right now, it’s pretty incredible that something like this can happen,” track president H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler said Thursday. “You just don’t know what the spotter saw, what she saw, how this could have happened.”

Renshaw and car owner Bob Schacht, also her spotter, have been unavailable for comment since the accident.

Martin spun out exiting the fourth turn and the back of his car hit the outside wall. As his car idled on the track, the front pointing down the banking, Renshaw came through the turn going at least 160 mph and plowed into Martin’s car on the driver’s side.

Because witness accounts estimated Renshaw hit him 15 seconds after his wreck Martin had radioed his crew “I’m all right” after hitting the wall it’s believed Renshaw probably was exiting the second turn on the backstretch when Martin hit the wall.

“It takes about 30 seconds to run a lap here, so she was probably a half-lap away when he first wrecked,” said Winston Cup driver Bobby Labonte. “That’s a good distance, and a long time not to know what’s up ahead.”

Spotters are not required to climb onto the grandstand roof during practice to help a driver navigate the track. Instead, the spotters watch from the top of the haulers inside the infield, leaving them several blind spots. Schacht was on top of the team’s hauler, but it’s not clear how much of the track he could see.

Most Winston Cup teams place a spotter on the roof anytime their car is on the track, but crew chiefs still watch over practice from the top of their trucks.