Bobby Labonte at Hospital Following Crash

UPDATE: ESPN.com is reporting the Labonte has been released from the hospital and is making his way home with no injuries.

Sunday's Sprint Cup road course race at Watkins Glen was going along quite smoothly until a big crash took out nine cars running in the middle of the field.

In that crash, Bobby Labonte likely took the hardest direct hit as he plowed into the nose of a spinning David Gilliland. The No. 43 of Labonte then spun towards the inside the wall where it came to a rest while the wreck continued in front of him.

When the carnage stopped, Labonte emerged quite gingerly from his Petty Enterprises Dodge with a big grimace on his face prior to any safety crews arriving on scene. By the time they arrived, Labonte was already long gone from his race car and walking towards the pit area.

On television, it appeared Labonte was favoring his pelvis as he was stopped by NASCAR officials who soon found him a ride to the Watkins Glen International Raceway infield care center. From there, Labonte was quickly transferred to a local hospital for a further look at his condition.

To my best guess -- and this is nothing but pure speculation -- Labonte was likely hurt by the seat belts that wrap over his lower abdomen in the race car after the front-end impact.

It was good to see, at the very least, that Labonte was able to emerge from his car and walk under his own power following the incident, though that in no way means he got away from the wreck injury-free.

Let's hope that further news on Labonte's condition is nothing more than a little bit of soreness. FanHouse will update the situation as more news comes along.