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Bob PockrassNASCAR
Greg Hodnett, a veteran Pennsylvania sprint-car racer, died Thursday night following a crash in a race at BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, Pennsylvania.
The 49-year-old Hodnett was a five-time champion at Williams Grove Speedway in Pennsylvania. He was the 1993 World of Outlaws top rookie and won 20 World of Outlaws races in his career.
He was competing in a track-sanctioned race for 410 sprints on the 0.4-mile high-banked dirt track previously known as Susquehanna Speedway.
« To me, Greg represented the true gentleman competitor in the pit area, » World of Outlaws CEO Brian Carter said in a news release after Hodnett’s death.
A statement on Hodnett’s website said: « Please keep [wife] Sherry, the entire Hodnett family, and the Heffner racing team in your thoughts and prayers. Greg was a professional in every sense of the word, and will be desperately missed! »
NASCAR drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Larson, who occasionally compete in sprint cars and had competed against Hodnett, expressed their sadness on Twitter.
growing up listening to stories of dad and hodnett battling at riverside speedway and then getting to know him and race with him, its a very sad night for the racing community. thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and fans!!
— Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (@StenhouseJr) September 21, 2018
Thoughts and prayers go out to Greg Hodnett, his family and friends. I’ve always felt Greg was one of the best to ever strap into a sprint car and accomplish the things he has across the country. Feel honored to have had some great battles with him over the last few years! RIP
— Kyle Larson (@KyleLarsonRacin) September 21, 2018
Neither Stenhouse nor Larson was in the field for Thursday night’s race as they’re racing in Richmond, Virginia, this weekend.
http://www.espn.com/racing/story/_/id/24748137/greg-hodnett-killed-sprint-car-crash-baps-motor-speedway-pennsylvania
