Veteran stock car racer Robbie Brewer died Saturday night in North Carolina after suffering a mid-race medical emergency and slamming head-on into a wall.
The incident occurred at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem. Brewer, 54, was competing in the Sportsman Division Race at the time of the crash.
According to the Winston-Salem Journal, Brewer had just rounded turn three, but failed to make turn four before slamming into the wall.
Rescue crews had to access the vehicle by peeling back the roof.
“We are saddened by the passing of Robbie Brewer after he was transported to an area medical facility following an on-track medical incident,” track officials said in a statement. “Robbie was a talented and passionate racer and a highly respected competitor among his peers. Our thoughts and prayers are with Robbie’s family and friends at this time.”
Officials have not said what medical event led to the crash.
Brewer’s daughter, Courtney Marquette, took to social media to express her grief at the loss of her father.
“I didn’t just lose my dad, many people just lost a best friend, mentor, talking buddy, or someone they could have a good time with,” she wrote.
Brewer was an accomplished driver, making 260 starts in the Sportsman Division and winning the coveted points title in 2011. In addition, he finished in the top ten in points in ten of his 13 seasons.
Fellow driver Brad Lewis remembered him as a “big brother.”
“He was like a big brother to me, even though we were not that far apart in age,” Lewis said. “I’ll bet everybody in that pit area has a Robbie story, and that’s a testament to what he meant to that place and to all of us who compete over there.”
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