Winnipeg's Amber Balcaen suffers collapsed lung in race car crash in Missouri

Winnipeg's Amber Balcaen suffered a collapsed lung, severe concussion and a few small burns after her race car rolled multiple times at a track in Missouri.

The crash happened Saturday night during a race on a dirt track in Grain Valley.

Balcaen, 28, was sent to hospital but tweeted shortly afterwards that, despite the injuries and a "very sore body with limited mobility," she was doing well.

"I'm in the mend," she posted, thanking everyone for their concern and suggesting she might be released from hospital on Monday.

Balcaen, who grew up in Winnipeg and now lives in North Carolina, made history in the fall of 2016, when she became the first Canadian-born woman to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race in the United States.

Struggles to land sponsorships have kept her from jumping fully into the NASCAR stock car racing circuit. In the meantime, she has been tearing up oval dirt tracks as part of the National Powri Series, racing in the open-wheeled midget class.

It was in one of those vehicles that flipped high in the air on Saturday, rolling numerous times before hitting the ground and rolling several more times.

In a Twitter post that shows video of the crash, Balcaen said she is not sure what caused it.

On Sunday, she tweeted an update, noting a new round of X-rays showed her lung "is looking much better."

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman responded on Twitter to Balcaen's original post about being in the hospital, sending her well wishes.

"From all of your friends back home in Winnipeg, get well, @amberbalcaen10!" he wrote.

After Balcaen's historic win in 2016, Bowman held a ceremony at city hall where he presented her with the Outstanding Achievement Award.

Balcaen is engaged to Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL player Jordan Reaves, another Winnipegger and son of Blue Bombers hall-of-famer Willard Reaves.

She is also part of the American reality TV series Racing Wives.