Dale Earnhardt Jr. released from hospital following a fiery plane crash

NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Jr., his family and two pilots walk away from a runway crash in Elizabethton, Tennessee; Steve Harrigan reports from Elizabethton Municipal Airport.

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. who has escaped dozens of crashes on speedways and racetracks, survived another crash Thursday, this time involving an airplane.

According to TMZ, the part-time racer turned NBC Sports analyst was taken to a hospital in Tennessee after the 10-seat, twin-engine Cessna Citation Latitude he was a passenger in caught fire after crashing at Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Carter County, Tennessee. He was later released

Officials have told TMZ that Earnhardt made it off the plane alive while other sources are adding that he was transported immediately to a nearby hospital and his current condition is unknown.

Earnhardt’s family -- wife Amy and their one-year-old daughter Isla -- was on the plane with him and Earnhardt's sister Kelley Earnhardt, tweeted: "I can confirm Dale, Amy & Isla along with his two pilots were involved in a crash... Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation."

NBC Sports also released a statement via twitter, We’re incredibly grateful that Dale, his wife Amy, daughter Isla, and the two pilots are safe following today’s accident," NBC Sports said in a statement.