Disaster struck at Lawrenceburg Speedway on Saturday, April 8 as sprint car driver Justin Owen (26) lost his life in a crash, reported the Daily Mail. He was 26 years of age.

What Happened?

Owen was partaking in a qualifying race when he made contact with a wall and his vehicle flipped a number of times.

The remainder of the event was canceled following the crash, reported NBC News.

The AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship is a sprint car racing series sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC). Lawrenceburg Speedway is a dirt oval race track in Indiana.

In a statement, USAC expressed its "deepest condolences to Justin’s family, team and many friends throughout the racing community."

The moment of the crash was captured on video at the event and posted to Twitter.

Many of the comments underneath the post paid tribute to Owen and extended condolences to his family. Others criticized the owner of the content for posting it in light of the driver's death.

Members of Owen's family, including his fiancée and his mother, paid tribute to him on social media following news of his passing, reported the Mail.

Notable figures from the world of motor racing also posted messages online expressing their condolences and paying tribute to the deceased driver.

Owen's Career

Owen was the reigning track champion at Lawrenceburg at the time of his passing, the Mail reported.

He had a number of other noteworthy achievements as well, including victories at the Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series at Pennsylvania’s Lernerville Speedway and the Paragon Speedway in Indiana in 2019.

The driver was a native of Harrison, Ohio.

He previously made two feature starts with USAC in 2019 and 2021. Both races were at Lawrenceburg, reported NBC News.

Sprint Racing

Sprint car racing is a form of open-wheel auto racing. Sprint cars are specialized race cars that have a high power-to-weight ratio and are designed specifically for racing on oval dirt tracks.

They typically feature a high-winged design to help generate downforce and improve traction on the dirt surface.

Sprint car races are usually short-distance events, with most lasting 30 laps or less. The tracks are typically short, oval-shaped dirt tracks that range in length from 1/4 of a mile to 1/2 a mile.

Sprint car racing is reputed to be among the most dangerous motorsports because of the light weight of the vehicles and the high speeds they can reach.