Speedway promoter John Skinner said it was a freak accident, but said it was amazing that no one was injured seriously.

"It was a spectacular deal and it was scary," Skinner said. "But we got lucky."

Skinner said he would look at safety measures such as installing steel cable in front of the area and leaving that area vacant until it becomes more secure. The next race is July 31.

Randy Hutton of the Jackson County Parks Department, which owns the land and leases it to John Skinner Promotions, said he was sure that Skinner would take appropriate measures.

"I've worked with John too long to know he won't ignore something like this," Hutton said.

It was the third incident to rock Skinner Promotions in just three months.

The drag strip -- which is also managed by the company -- saw two serious accidents in May. A driver from Gresham was killed in one accident and a Sutherlin drag racer broke his back in the second.

Monday's accident occurred about 9 p.m. when a sprint car veered about 110 feet off the dirt track, through a dirt area, over a small concrete barrier and through a couple of small fences.

The car landed in a grassy lawn on the southeast corner of the track. Several hundred people were sitting in the area, but the car didn't strike anyone, said Richard Barney, the public relations director for Skinner Promotions.

A 13-year-old girl, who was identified as Leslie Pratt, was apparently struck by flying debris, bruising her arm. Her parents took her to Providence Medford Medical Center, where she was treated and released, Barney said.

The car appeared to have struck an 8-year-old girl, but she was not injured.

"Crashes and wrecks are an inevitable part of motor sports," Barney said. "Safety for spectators and participants alike is the number one concern of all race track promoters."

Barney said an insurance inspector visited the track just three weeks ago and track officials discussed the idea of putting up a steel cable at the corner.

Such cables -- to catch flying cars -- are strung across the straightaways to protect the main bleachers and a pit area. But no cable is strung in front of the corners, where spectators can sit.

The inspector, Barney said, didn't think it was necessary because the spectators are so far from the end of the track.

In the track's three-and-a-half-year history, Skinner said, the biggest problem has been dirt clods striking spectators in the bottom rows.

People bring goggles to the events because of that, he said.

Skinner holds a 20-year lease on the county-owned property, for which he is paying $19,000 a year for the first five years. The rent goes up $5,000 each year thereafter, Hutton said.

Skinner built the track with private money and has put more than $1 million into the property, Hutton said.

Jackson County Commissioner Jack Walker said he has heard only positive comments about the track.