JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- An Australian drag racer was in serious condition with head injuries Friday, two days after falling from a parked truck.

Andrew Cowin, who drives on the National Hot Rod Association circuit for Carrier Boyz Motorsports, was hurt Wednesday night after he climbed onto a concrete pumping truck for a photograph, team co-owner Mark Carrier said.

Carrier said Cowin apparently slipped and fell about 15 feet.

"He hit everything on the way down," Carrier said Friday. Cowin, who finished eighth in the points race last year while driving for New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, is in the intensive care unit at Johnson City Medical Center.

Carrier said Cowin was unconscious for more than 10 hours after the accident, but he was taken off life support Thursday and was talking.

"As far as we know, he's moved his arms and legs and he can talk. He's doing a lot better," Carrier said.

Cowin will miss this weekend's race at Rockingham, N.C. He was successful last season, qualifying first in four races. But he has only qualified for one race this season.